Placing Your Hive

Beehives can be placed in a variety of di erent environments. It’s important that you consider the needs of your bees when deciding the hive’s location. Please read the considerations below carefully, as it is tricky to move the hive once the bees have been introduced.

Things to Consider

Heat Management

In the cold the bees huddle together in a cluster shivering and metabolizing honey to stay warm. In the heat they fan the hive with their wings, but it is more di cult for them to manage intense heat than cold.

When placing a hive in your backyard, a good place is under a deciduous tree, where the hive gets cool shade in the hot summers, and warm sun during the cold winters. There are many variations if you do not have a shady tree in your backyard, depending on the light and heat within your own backyard. Sometimes a fence can offer shade for part of the day.

When placing a hive on a rooftop a rug, carpet, or other insulative material should be placed under the hive to protect against hot tar paper or other roo ng materials. Shade is a necessity when keeping bees on a rooftop. If no structural shade is available, it may be necessary to construct one yourself.

Accessibility

You will want to place your hive somewhere it will be easy to access and manipulate throughout the year. Keep in mind you will need to remove the roof to install bees, extract honey, and maintain the hive on a relatively regular basis.

Bee Traffic

Bee traffic will be limited to, but concentrated directly in front of the hive. The bees fly up and out quickly, so other than a few feet directly in front of the hive entrance, the bee traffic will hardly be noticed. It is not a good idea to place the hive facing any trafficked sidewalks, pathways or sitting areas. Some city ordinances require that hives are placed behind a 6 foot barrier so they fly over the barrier. This is a good way to keep bee traffic unnoticed.

Water Source

A bird bath or other water catchment area lled with rocks or a bucket with oating wood chips work best. It’s important the bees have somewhere to perch near the waterline in order to drink. If a river or pond is nearby, these will also work nicely.

Drainage

With all wooden hives it is important that the legs do not soak in water for prolonged periods to avoid swelling. Choose a well drained space, and sit the four legs atop four bricks or similar. Remember to ensure the hive remains level and stable.

Moving the Hive

If you find the chosen hive location is inappropriate after installing your colony, unfortunately, moving your hive is a difficult process. You can move the hive 3 feet / 1 meter each day towards the new location, or move them 3 miles / 5 kilometers or more at a time. Bees have a great internal GPS system. When moving the hive short distances the bees will try and return to the original entrance, and will get lost. Moving it slowly allows them to adjust. When you move them 3 miles / 5 kilometers or more they are out of their orientational flight range. Upon noticing this, the bees will reorient themselves. Move your bees only at early morning or dusk when all the bees are inside the hive. There is no need to tape up or shut the bees in, just be gentle and use smoke to chase them back inside if needed.