How Many Hives Could I Put On An 450 Acre Farm. - Beekeeping Forum

• Forums New posts Search forums
• What's new Featured content New posts New media New media comments Latest activity
• Media New media New comments Search media
• Blogs
• Members Current visitors

Log in Register What's new Search

Search

Everywhere Threads This forum This thread Search titles only By: Search Advanced search…

• New posts
• Search forums

Menu Log in Register Install the app Install How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

• Explore our growing and foraging communities: Farming Forum Hydroponics Forums Microgreens Forums Foraging Forum
• If you have not, please join our official Beekeeping and Apiculture Facebook Group! Beekeeping and Apiculture Facebook Group

• Beekeeping General Section
• Beekeeping Forum

You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. How many hives could I put on an 450 acre farm.

• Thread starter Thread starter Curly green fingers
• Start date Start date Oct 21, 2018

Help Support Beekeeping UK Forum:

Donate This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Next 1 of 4

Go to page

Go Next Last C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Hi I've been offered to put hives on a 450 acre farm in North Herefordshire there just about to plant 150 acres of field beans , the rest of the farm is all arable.theres lots of forage and there willing to plant cover crops clover , fields of borage and whatever I can suggest. This farmer is a very good friend of mine .they allso have cider apple and Perry pear orchards. I plan to speak to my association director for help and see if we can get a local bee farmer involved. I'm very keen and would look after the hives . The farm is 40 minutes away from me . Thoughts pls.. B

beeno

Queen Bee

Joined Apr 25, 2011 Messages 5,181 Location South East Sounds great, but heck of a lot of work. However, if a bee farmer is involved should be ok. F

Finman

Queen Bee

Joined Nov 8, 2008 Messages 27,887 Location Finland, Helsinki . No one knows... - how many hives place already has on foraging distance - does field bean really give yield - what else bee plants there are inside a mile radius Try with couple of hives. Bring more if it seems good. C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Perhaps I'll be giving up the day job, I know it will be a lot of work , I want to work with bee's permanently anyway if I can make it viable.

Ian123

Queen Bee

*** Joined Jun 20, 2018 Messages 6,356 Location surrey To be honest if it was me i would be inclined to keep the spot myself, but would rather depend on how many hives you intend to build up to.The farm itself is obviously not huge and any hives located on it would forage across the whole farm as all will be easily in flying distance!!!!. When doing pollination particularly for fruit, farmers in my experience like them dotted round the place but obviously for you 1 easy access site is better. At peak times when crops are flowering the site could obviously support any number of hives, but if yours are there full time then that should be your consideration....If you really are interested in sharing i would simply ask a mate or association member to drop a few in for the main crop flowering times and would even think about dropping them in a different spot..Not sure what you mean by you would manage them, i know of few who would want to drop hives in and let another look after them. In an ideal world to fit both i would think a dozen or so at a couple of spots each end of the farm, try and find out but i suggest thinking twice before inviting the world and the dog to the party C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Finman said: . No one knows... - how many hives place already has on foraging distance - does field bean really give yield - what else bee plants there are inside a mile radius Try with couple of hives. Bring more if it seems good. Click to expand...

The forage is very good . I plan to find out if there's any other beeks near there first before I commit £6.39 Butterfly Banana Feeder - Outdoor Copper Hanging Feeder | Butterfly Feeding Hammock | Banana Holder To Attract Butterflies, Bees | Feeding Supplies For Outdoors xfqintoye £17.49 Vintage Bee Keeper Shirt - Honey Beekeeper Hive Suit Tee T-Shirt Amazon.co.uk £17.00 Fallen Fruits WA44 Beehive Bee House, Green, 6"H Acres Aquatics £12.08 Beekeeper Beekeeping Suit Bee Lovers Beekeeper T-Shirt Amazon.co.uk £22.33 Lineshading 4-Pcs Butterfly Bee Watering Station with Catcher Cups - Small Insects Bee Feeders for Outside Feeding & Watering - Metal Garden Stakes & Sculpture Decor Amazon EU -29% £4.99 £6.99 4PCS Floating Bee Island,Bee Watering Station,Floating Bee Watering Station for Hive Butterfly Drinking,Bee Water Feeding Tool for Garden,Bee Water Feeder,Bee Drinking Station,Floating Bee Island zhoukoushiyuxingwangluokejiyouxiangongsi £29.99 Professional Beekeeper Suit Outfit with Tools, Beekeeping Suit Protective with Veil Hood for Bee Keepers Include Protective Jacket Gloves Scraper Brush HALAWAK Store £288.56 10-Frame Complete Bee Hives and Supplies Starter Kit Dipped in 100% Beeswax, Includes 1 Deep Hive Bee Box and 1 Bee Hive Super with Acrylic Window, Beehive Frames and Foundation for Beekeepers Amazon US £17.49 Apiarist Beekeeping Dad Beekeeper Hive Pollen Honeycomb Farm T-Shirt Amazon.co.uk £9.09 Queen Bee Marker, Bee Marker Beekeeping Kit with Paint Marker - Breeding Kit, Beehive Marker Pen, Beekeeping Equipment to Mark Queen Bees Safely winklike

Poly Hive

Queen Bee

Joined Dec 4, 2008 Messages 14,118 Location Scottish Borders I strongly suggest you read Manley. PH

Murox

..the reason for making honey is so I can eat it.

BeeKeeping Supporter Joined Aug 31, 2017 Messages 5,459 Location Campbeltown Scotland How many colonies per Acre ?

Curly green fingers said: Hi I've been offered to put hives on a 450 acre farm in North Herefordshire there just about to plant 150 acres of field beans , the rest of the farm is all arable.theres lots of forage and there willing to plant cover crops clover , fields of borage and whatever I can suggest. This farmer is a very good friend of mine .they allso have cider apple and Perry pear orchards. I plan to speak to my association director for help and see if we can get a local bee farmer involved. I'm very keen and would look after the hives . The farm is 40 minutes away from me . Thoughts pls.. Click to expand...

This may be a worthwhile read even though its USA it gives some indicators/ideas and you may be able to find similar information with UK data. http://treefruit.wsu.edu/orchard-management/pollination/honey-bees/ "A two-story colony with at least 20,000 bees will normally provide adequate pollination for an acre of tree fruit. Although one colony per acre may be sufficient during most years, it may not provide enough bees during a cold, wet spring when weather conditions provide for only a limited amount of bee foraging. Therefore, we suggest the use of two colonies per acre to be sure that adequate numbers of pollinators are present even during poor weather." If there is good early and late forage available around the farm location - go for it. As the owner is a personal friend I would also suggest that you keep things close to your chests. C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Ian123 said: To be honest if it was me i would be inclined to keep the spot myself, but would rather depend on how many hives you intend to build up to.The farm itself is obviously not huge and any hives located on it would forage across the whole farm as all will be easily in flying distance!!!!. When doing pollination particularly for fruit, farmers in my experience like them dotted round the place but obviously for you 1 easy access site is better. At peak times when crops are flowering the site could obviously support any number of hives, but if yours are there full time then that should be your consideration....If you really are interested in sharing i would simply ask a mate or association member to drop a few in for the main crop flowering times and would even think about dropping them in a different spot..Not sure what you mean by you would manage them, i know of few who would want to drop hives in and let another look after them. In an ideal world to fit both i would think a dozen or so at a couple of spots each end of the farm, try and find out but i suggest thinking twice before inviting the world and the dog to the party Click to expand...

I get what your saying it will be a permanent site I've 6 hives and hopefully will have twice as many as that next year or more I don't really want to get others involved . I'm willing to invest in the project and grow the amount on the farm long term . Thanks . Cheers poly I wondered if you'd gone into hibernation .

Millet

Queen Bee

BeeKeeping Supporter Joined Jun 4, 2015 Messages 9,135 Location Co / Durham / Co Cleveland and Northumberland Don't forget Curly the bees will not just forage on the one farm.. ... the surrounding farms and countryside will also have forage of some kind so the area you have could be huge if you spread the hives out if you go for it..

Poly Hive

Queen Bee

Joined Dec 4, 2008 Messages 14,118 Location Scottish Borders Basically, they are covering 3 square miles ish. However, the only way to test a site is to load it then load it some more until you see a lowering of the average. FWIW I used to put 40 on an OSR site but that was when OSR really yielded unlike the stuff they sow now. PH C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Millet said: Don't forget Curly the bees will not just forage on the one farm.. ... the surrounding farms and countryside will also have forage of some kind so the area you have could be huge if you spread the hives out if you go for it.. Click to expand...

We walked the whole perimeter the forage is huge I need to find out if there's any beeks local first but I'm going for it I've not told the wife yet she is not going to like it one bit .

Poly Hive said: Basically, they are covering 3 square miles ish. However, the only way to test a site is to load it then load it some more until you see a lowering of the average. FWIW I used to put 40 on an OSR site but that was when OSR really yielded unlike the stuff they sow now. PH Click to expand...

They don't grow osr at all thankfully . My friend will go halfs on any stock I buy so that's a plus . She wants to keep it native so to speak . I've 6 brood/half colony's . What do you suggest to be the cheapest option poly? For increasing my stock I don't mind sacrificing my own honey crops . Another thing I'm learning at the mo about queen rearing. Last edited: Oct 21, 2018 F

Finman

Queen Bee

Joined Nov 8, 2008 Messages 27,887 Location Finland, Helsinki

Millet said: Don't forget Curly the bees will not just forage on the one farm.. ... the surrounding farms and countryside will also have forage of some kind so the area you have could be huge if you spread the hives out if you go for it.. Click to expand...

Millet don't forget that Curly is not only beekeeper on those pastures. You see in Spring, how much bees are on willows on warm day.

Ian123

Queen Bee

*** Joined Jun 20, 2018 Messages 6,356 Location surrey Go to thornes winter sale and stock up on seconds brood frames and brood boxes, still not really a cheaper option than that

For want of a better word

Queen Bee

Joined Oct 30, 2010 Messages 12,502 Location South West

Ian123 said: Go to thornes winter sale and stock up on seconds brood frames and brood boxes, still not really a cheaper option than that Click to expand...

I would also look at Maisemores 40 colonies would be a good starter and then increase to 200 which is as many as you will manage. Buy in packages with good quality Buckfast queens, and buy in queens to replace losses every year. You will also need a couple of hundred mating nucs and one hundred nuc boxes. And do not forget you will also need frames... plus somewhere to extract and a commercial extracting line... Lyson do some nice kit A 4WD open back truck with a hoist would be useful.... as would a friendly bank manager, unless you can find yourself a a sugardaddy! Chons da C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Finman said: Millet don't forget that Curly is not only beekeeper on those pastures. You see in Spring, how much bees are on willows on warm day. Click to expand...

I've found out there's a apairy to the south of the farm on another farm and I'm going to speak to the beekeeper next week, apparently they have hives not sure how many but it's best I introduce my self and perhaps what our plans are.

For want of a better word

Queen Bee

Joined Oct 30, 2010 Messages 12,502 Location South West

Curly green fingers said: I've found out there's a apairy to the south of the farm on another farm and I'm going to speak to the beekeeper next week, apparently they have hives not sure how many but it's best I introduce my self and perhaps what our plans are. Click to expand...

Look at Beebase..... You think you have all corners covered... And then after a couple of years you will find the odd colony on the periphery of "your" site.... even bait hives!!! Unknown unregistered beekeeper.... bringing in GNW disease... and GNW in the way of bees! Just hope it is not Doctor Death!!!! Chons da C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Cheers said: I would also look at Maisemores 40 colonies would be a good starter and then increase to 200 which is as many as you will manage. Buy in packages with good quality Buckfast queens, and buy in queens to replace losses every year. You will also need a couple of hundred mating nucs and one hundred nuc boxes. And do not forget you will also need frames... plus somewhere to extract and a commercial extracting line... Lyson do some nice kit A 4WD open back truck with a hoist would be useful.... as would a friendly bank manager, unless you can find yourself a a sugardaddy! Chons da Click to expand...

That sounds like a small mortgage . If I said that to my friend I think she would have a heart attack. I think we are more interested in having amms . Slowly building stock up . I don't want to run before I can walk . But I'm most deffo interested in starting with 20 hives split into 4 apairys spread over the farm . I've finance's to go big but I need to see how many hives the farm will support and that means starting small and building it up . Last edited: Oct 21, 2018

For want of a better word

Queen Bee

Joined Oct 30, 2010 Messages 12,502 Location South West

Curly green fingers said: That sounds like a small mortgage . If I said that to my friend I think she would have a heart attack. I think we are more interested in having amms . Slowly building stock up . I don't want to run before I can walk . But I'm most deffo interested in starting with 20 hives split into 4 apairys spread over the farm . I've finance's to go big but I need to see how many hives the farm will support and that means starting small and building it up . Click to expand...

Good for you if you are going to use Amm, perhaps you should start with getting on an AI course, and hone your queen rearing skills.. ...It can be done ( I would not give up the day job, and as Finnie, my little snowpixie chum says... keep your wife in work!) Yeghes da C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Cheers said: Good for you if you are going to use Amm, perhaps you should start with getting on an AI course, and hone your queen rearing skills.. ...It can be done ( I would not give up the day job, and as Finnie, my little snowpixie chum says... keep your wife in work!) Yeghes da Click to expand...

I'm already on it my friend at my association . Sent from my 5051X using Tapatalk F

Finman

Queen Bee

Joined Nov 8, 2008 Messages 27,887 Location Finland, Helsinki

Cheers said: .. ...It can be done ( I would not give up the day job, and as Finnie, my little snowpixie chum says... keep your wife in work!) Yeghes da Click to expand...

Thanks to nobody, that we do not have in Finland snowpixies. IT is totally English innovation. And Cheers, what need you have to blaa blaa blaa people when you have nothing to say? . Last edited: Oct 21, 2018

Ian123

Queen Bee

*** Joined Jun 20, 2018 Messages 6,356 Location surrey

Cheers said: Look at Beebase..... You think you have all corners covered... And then after a couple of years you will find the odd colony on the periphery of "your" site.... even bait hives!!! Unknown unregistered beekeeper.... bringing in GNW disease... and GNW in the way of bees! Just hope it is not Doctor Death!!!! Chons da Click to expand...

I bet your good fun at parties C

Curly green fingers

Guest

I didn't think of beebase . Such banta! I missed that post . J

Jimmy

Drone Bee

*** Joined Mar 1, 2009 Messages 1,192 Location S Warwickshire, uk

Curly green fingers said: That sounds like a small mortgage . If I said that to my friend I think she would have a heart attack. I think we are more interested in having amms . Slowly building stock up . I don't want to run before I can walk . But I'm most deffo interested in starting with 20 hives split into 4 apairys spread over the farm . I've finance's to go big but I need to see how many hives the farm will support and that means starting small and building it up . Click to expand...

Michael Collier is not that far away, I *think* he favours Amm. I'm also fairly sure he uses AI. With only 5 hives per apiary you'll spend more time suiting up, lighting the smoker and moving between apiaries than actually inspecting. I'm familiar with the Herefordshire-Worcestershire -Shropshire area around Tenbury Wells which I guess is nearby. I'd be surprised if 5 was the optimal hive number per apiary. Lots of mixed farming, good hedgerows, rivers and streams have Himalayan balsam. H

Hivemaker.

Queen Bee

Joined Nov 8, 2008 Messages 14,287 Location Exmoor.

Jimmy said: Michael Collier is not that far away, I *think* he favours Amm. I'm also fairly sure he uses AI. Click to expand...

Michael runs courses to teach instrumental insemination. He sells a lot of queens to bee farmers and his favorite mix was Carni and Buckfast. J

Jimmy

Drone Bee

*** Joined Mar 1, 2009 Messages 1,192 Location S Warwickshire, uk

Hivemaker. said: Michael runs courses to teach instrumental insemination. He sells a lot of queens to bee farmers and his favorite mix was Carni and Buckfast. Click to expand...

Thanks, I'd assumed he was Amm/native bee as the first i heard of him was through a positive review of a visit on Peter Edwards website.

Popparand

Field Bee

Joined Nov 3, 2017 Messages 512 Location Suffolk Dont forget if your hives are around the boundary of the farm the bees will forage over all the land adjacent. They don't just go hunting over a 180 degree sector! C

Curly green fingers

Guest

Jimmy said: Michael Collier is not that far away, I *think* he favours Amm. I'm also fairly sure he uses AI. With only 5 hives per apiary you'll spend more time suiting up, lighting the smoker and moving between apiaries than actually inspecting. I'm familiar with the Herefordshire-Worcestershire -Shropshire area around Tenbury Wells which I guess is nearby. I'd be surprised if 5 was the optimal hive number per apiary. Lots of mixed farming, good hedgerows, rivers and streams have Himalayan balsam. Click to expand...

I'll be meeting Michael in November as he is coming to lBKA , Ludlow beekeepers. I'm going to be learning about AI if you look on my thread about drone rearing . Michael is going to supply amms as our buckfast and carnia are having new queen's in the spring and I'm hopefully going to see the progress of the behaviour etc. Cheers mark. Sent from my 5051X using Tapatalk Last edited: Oct 21, 2018 U

user 6228

Queen Bee

BeeKeeping Supporter Joined Jun 18, 2011 Messages 6,479 depends more on the hedges if any. Miles of good, big, thick, diverse hedges that are not shorn every quarter will make the difference Last edited: Oct 21, 2018 W

wightbees

Queen Bee

Joined Feb 18, 2010 Messages 2,753 Location Isle Of Wight Things never go to plan but when it does its great. I would say time is your biggest factor and using it wisely is a must. I made a small jump in size only last year and its totally different to a dozen colonies. Then it was the worst winter in my history, I lost over 30% it was heart breaking after all I put in to it But i was determined to make it work and this year has gone very well. Basically it's not black and white, there's lot of things you can do differently, it can be a lot of fun too.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Next 1 of 4

Go to page

Go Next Last You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Pollination contracts

• Curly green finger's
• Dec 15, 2020
• Beekeeping Forum

2 3 Replies 71 Views 11K Dec 24, 2020 Antipodes A 'virtual' farm...?

• Haughton Honey
• Nov 20, 2012
• Beekeeping Forum

2 Replies 47 Views 5K Nov 23, 2012 Chris Ibbo Share: Facebook X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Tumblr WhatsApp Email Share Link

Latest posts

• C To keep one amused
  • Latest: cwinte
  • 17 minutes ago
  Off Topic Chat
• S God I love growing our own
  • Latest: Sutty
  • Today at 12:27 AM
  Back to the Land / Smallholding
• P The word association game
  • Latest: Penninetrader
  • Today at 12:05 AM
  Off Topic Chat
• P Listing of the Week!
  • Latest: Penninetrader
  • Today at 12:04 AM
  Beekeeping Forum
• P What did you do in the Apiary today?
  • Latest: Penninetrader
  • Yesterday at 11:47 PM
  Beekeeping Forum
• 3oz hex jars
  • Latest: Wilco
  • Yesterday at 11:00 PM
  Honey Questions
• Cutting perspex sheets
  • Latest: Newbeeneil
  • Yesterday at 7:50 PM
  Beekeeping Forum
• New owl box
  • Latest: Murox
  • Yesterday at 4:35 PM
  Off Topic Chat

• Beekeeping General Section
• Beekeeping Forum

Back Top