In my city San Diego, California , there are different variations of the urban beekeeping ordinance depending on your location and the size of your yard. The city requires apiaries to be 15ft from the property lines, while the county uses a tiered system based on your lot size.
After all, these rules are really in place to protect and reassure them. If you suspect your neighbors will be uncomfortable with a hive, make an effort to place it further from their property line.
Sometimes neighbors are delighted with the prospect of bees next door and are even willing to let you place them closer to their property than the local ordinance allows. Preparing the Site. So, take the time to level the ground and really clear a space for you and your bees. Remember, you will need a clear, flat space to stand while you work. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of room to move behind the hive s , you do not want to have to stand in front of the hive while inspecting because this will block traffic.
If you have a potential for ant problems , you should also make sure your hive is on a stand with legs and that the area around your hive is free of growth.
Once you have fortified the legs from any invasions, any plants growing nearby are potential ant bridges should they grow enough to touch your hive s. If you have a small yard, finding the space to keep bees can be tough, but there are a few tricks that could make it possible.
The first option is to screen your hives. This is done by building or growing a 6ft tall barrier around your hive s to direct bee traffic upwards. It can dramatically reduce the presence of bees in your yard because it elevates their flight pattern.
Now the bees will be flying above your head! The second option is to place your hives on the roof or on a balcony. This strategy will really keep the bees out of your hair, literally. I have rooftop hives in several residential locations and have found that it dramatically reduces stinging incidents.
The only complication is that you now have to carry your equipment up and down a ladder. It is definitely not fun getting a super full of honey off a roof! To learn more tips and tricks check out my blog: Beekeeping Like A Girl or take my online beekeeping class to learn everything you need to know to get started with bees! Cancel Comment. We live close to you, Oceanside, CA. Honey would be a nice bonus, but I really just want bees to pollinate my garden, and also not go extinct.
Could you recommend a specific box and how to get bees? Thanks in advance for any information that you can provide. At 1st I was disappointed that you were not tackling the concept of hive count per sq mile in different environs… but you said hive space; not colony space.
I prefer an odd count as tree cavity colonists often make a. I live in western Ct. My property 1. My biggest concern is the land trust contains old iron mines that black bear now inhabit. I grow pollinator friendly perennials with focus on bees and hummingbirds.
I am interested in beekeeping, but think the beneficiary would be the bears. What are your thoughts. There are a few methods used in bear country. I can only list them, or help you to a bee list. I cluged my bee-wear, sweatshirts, on-hand hat, adding a veil. If you are just starting out, most reputable beekeeping sources will recommend starting with two hives. Having two hives for your first few years will help you to learn the art and science of beekeeping, while providing you with the proper amount of experience and resources needed to successfully keep healthy bees.
However, after a few years, many beekeepers want to expand and keep more than two hives. In suburbia, your lot size will dictate how many hives you can realistically and safely keep on your property. Generally, the best practice to follow is no more than three colonies on any lot of one-quarter acre or less not counting nucs. Then, for every additional one-quarter of an acre, add another three hives. So one-half acre could have up to six hives, three-quarters acre could have up to nine hives, and a one acre lot could have up to twelve hives.
Additionally, keeping one nuc for every two hives is also acceptable. Regardless of the size of your property, it is much more important to always expand slowly, over time, by adding one or two hives per year. Expanding too quickly in a populated neighborhood could lead to severe, unwanted bee-people interactions, which is one reason why expanding slower is better. Also, if and when you are ready to expand, rather than overloading your backyard with too many hives, another option could be to find other yards close by to keep some of your hives.
Keeping bees in a residential area means that some aspects of beekeeping are of greater concern than if you kept bees in the rural, undeveloped, countryside. For example, while all beekeepers try to prevent swarming, this practice is critical in populated communities. This includes the following practices:. Prepare a box or tote full of swarm catching gear in early spring, and keep it somewhere handy for the entire beekeeping season.
Be sure to offer the same kindness when your buddy is out of town. Bears can be devastating predators to honey bee colonies, especially in many parts of the northeastern US. If there have been bear sightings in your region within the past ten years, then you should install a bear electric fence the moment you set up your apiary.
It is best to do this proactively instead of as a response to a bear attack. Otherwise, you should find another apiary to keep your bees. Skunks, raccoons, and voles also like to eat bees and other materials in the hive. To identify these attacks, look for damaged equipment, scratches or muddy footprints at the hive entrances, and chewed bees on the ground in front of the hive. In addition to using electric fences to keep large mammals out, beekeepers can also elevate their hives on stands at least one foot off the ground to deter these animals from entering the hives.
It is very important that suburban beekeepers prioritize acquiring only gentle bee stock. It is important to stay away from any stocks that are overly-defensive so that you, your family, and your neighbors can all enjoy being outdoors.
If you find your bees are more defensive than you would like, you should requeen your colony as quickly as possible. If any mammals or robbers are using your hive as a snack cabinet, then your bees may become defensive.
Similarly, bees can also become overly defensive when a beekeeper is not using adequate smoke during inspections and, as a result, the beekeeper is squishing bees when manipulating equipment. Smoke masks alarm pheromone and keep bees calm.
Going into a hive without having a smoker can be irresponsible, as it can cause a colony to become increasingly more defensive. All beekeepers should smoke their bees as needed, and for the suburban beekeeper, the use of a smoker is strongly encouraged. Most of them hold regular field days and encourage newcomers to 'suit up' to experience what a hive inspection involves, and what it feels like to have thousands of bees buzzing near you. The NSW Department of Primary Industries' also runs a two-day introductory beekeeping course and is an invaluable way to meet beekeepers both amateur and professionals.
You'll learn techniques such as how often to inspect hives, what to look for and how to manipulate hives for a good honey harvest are best done in the field. Apart from working with hive and seeing how a colony operates, you'll also learn how to keep a hive healthy and identify disease. Every beekeeper must know how to spot American foul brood disease because reporting it is mandatory. The next step is to find out your local council's bee policy; some don't allow urban beekeeping, while others set limits on hive numbers according to the size of your garden.
Then you'll need a beekeeping licence, which is easy and inexpensive to obtain from your local department of primary industries. You need to buy tools, including an extractor, plus protective equipment, a hive and a nucleus colony with a queen and worker bees. Time taken to supply a nucleus colony varies, depending on the weather.
Bees can be moody creatures. Using perfume or cologne angers them, as does disturbing them on a cold morning or after rainfall.
Hives are best located in back gardens away from footpaths and skateboarders and posties on motorbikes and other activity areas around the home such as the garage, barbecue or swimming pool. It's important to place the hive in a spot that's reliably well-drained, away from draughts and where the bees can receive sunshine all day. Early morning sunshine is most important in winter, especially in cool temperate regions, so they warm up and start working early.
Don't keep hives near washing lines. Bees are fastidiously clean, and defecate and drop dead bees and larvae away from the hive — possibly on your washing. In cane-toad prone areas, siting a hive on top of a table prevents toads from sitting outside the entry hole and gorging themselves on guard bees or latecomers.
Placing hives on concrete also helps control hive beetles , which feed on and spoil honey. Beetle larvae crawl out of hives and seek out moist soil where they pupate. Concrete warms up in the sun and helps desiccate beetle larvae, and gives ants a chance to find and eat them.
Specially designed compact hives need to be in a sheltered spot with shade to protect from hot western and northern sun.
Morning sunshine helps stir these bees to action in winter.
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