There are numerous benefits to keeping bees at home no matter where you live.
But, what do you do about beehive placement? After all, where you set up your bee hive is essential to its success.
There are three main factors you have to consider when trying to decide where you should be setting up bee hives should.
- Your Bees
- Your neighbors
- Your family.
Weâre going to go over each of these to help you choose the perfect location for your bees.
Keep reading to find out more about beehive placement!
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Table of Contents
Step 1: Consider The Bees
Bees are relatively simple creatures with just three basic needs. If you meet these, youâll have happy bees that are healthy and produce a lot of honey for you!
A good beehive set up is important, so here are the three things your bees need:
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Food
You should have plenty of flowering plants that these little pollinators love. Theyâll also need to look around the neighborhood for food unless you have a massive flower garden, but you want to ensure they have something nearby.
Some of the best flowers for bees are:
- Sunflowers
- Lilac
- Mint
- Lavender
- Black-eyed Susans
- Poppies
If you havenât already planted some of these, be sure to find some places around your yard to fit them in. Many of these also do well in pots which can make it easy to move them closer to your hives if needed.
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Water
Like all living creatures, bees need a source of water. Itâs important to ensure that the source wonât run dry and that itâs safe for them. For example, a deep bucket with slick sides will trap and drown bees inside.
A birdbath is an example of a great option for a bee waterer. Youâll want to fill it with natural stones that will give the bees an easy way to get to the water without falling in.
You may also consider using something like a chicken waterer. These hold large amounts of water which means a lower chance of it running out, plus is less work for you. Again, youâll want to add stones to it to avoid drowning.
Your water source should be as close to the hive as possible. This is because there is a group of worker bees that do all the water collecting for the hive.
Water isnât stored in the hive, so this group of bees is constantly going out and bringing back water to share with others. So, when you keep the water source nearby, you ensure the whole hive stays cool and hydrated.
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Space
The final thing that bees need is space around their hive. They feel safest if potential threats to the hive stay at least 10 feet away, so your beehive should be in a fairly secluded area. This will reduce stress in your hive.
Bees also need room to enter and leave the hive. If they have a hard time getting in and out, they might consider moving to a better location or could become stressed. Either way, you want to make sure your bees have the space they need.
Something thatâs often overlooked is, will you be positioning your beehive on ground or on a stand?
Step 2: Consider Your Neighbors
Some people will be completely on board with you having bees. Theyâll be thrilled to have the extra pollinators for their garden and will even plant extra flowers just to attract your bees to their yard.
But most neighbors will be a little more apprehensive about your new project and a few may even outright object to it. No matter what your neighbors think of your adventure into beekeeping, you need to take a few steps to keep the peace.
Here are a few tips to satisfying your neighbors:
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Take Care of Your Bees
If your bees are taken care of as mentioned above, it will keep them away from your neighborâs property for the most part. For example, if youâre giving plenty of water to your bees, they wonât have to visit your neighborâs pool for a drink.
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Educate Them
Itâs also important to educate your neighbors about the importance of bees, and how theyâre different from wasps and other stinging insects. Some people lump together these animals without realizing how helpful bees are!
Take time to explain to your neighbor why youâre getting bees and how theyâll benefit the whole neighborhood. This alone may be enough to give people the peace of mind they need to accept your new addition.
While youâre at it, you also need to educate them on the danger of pesticides. Encourage them to avoid using them as much as possible. Most importantly, they shouldnât use them on plants while theyâre flowering.
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Offer Them Honey
Possibly one of the easiest ways to appease your neighbors is to offer them honey from your hive. Few people would turn down a small jar of delicious local honey, and it might even get them to start planting bee-friendly flowers!
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Step 3: Consider Your Family
The final thing you have to consider is yourself and your family. If you have a small backyard and kids that love to play in it, youâll have to be strategic to avoid any unwanted interactions between your bees and children.
Pets should also be given plenty of space of their own so they donât disturb the hive. If you have overly-curious animals, you may need to keep the hive area fenced off to prevent an unexpected trip to the vet.
Youâll also want to have the hive close enough to keep an eye on it. The sooner you recognize a problem, the sooner you can solve it. However, if the beehive is too far from your home, itâs easy to forget to regularly check in on your bees.
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đŻWhat is the Ideal Beehive Placement Location?
The ideal location for your beehive should be at least 10 feet from all structures and areas where people or animals frequent. You also want to keep food and water sources as close to the hive as possible.
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đWhat Direction Should a Beehive Face?
A beehive entrance should ideally be faced towards the east, or southeast. This is to provide morning sunlight into the hive, so that the bees know itâs their time to go out and work.
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đŻWhat Should I Put Under My Bee Hives?
A lot of beekeepers will position their beehive on the ground, using a layer of wood chips or mulch for the foundation.
However, we personally think that a hive stand like the one shown in the image below is a great idea. Helping to prevent small rodents from pestering your colony.
Either way, this is probably an afterthought, once youâve found an ideal hive location.
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Learn More About Backyard Beekeeping
Now you know everything you need to know about beehive placement. Hopefully, with this information, youâll be ready to set up your hive in its ideal location.
If you want to learn more about getting started as an urban beekeeper, be sure to check out our city dwellerâs guide thatâs packed with useful information to get you started with beekeeping.
Steve's experience in beekeeping is extensive, having managed numerous hives and colonies of bees throughout his career. He is well-versed in all aspects of beekeeping, from hive management and bee behavior to honey production and bee health. Steve is also an advocate for sustainable beekeeping practices, using natural and organic methods to maintain healthy hives and protect the environment.
As a seasoned beekeeper, Steve has also shared his expertise with others by teaching workshops and classes on beekeeping. He is a sought-after speaker and has been invited to speak at conferences and events across the country.
With his wealth of knowledge and experience, Steve is a valuable resource for anyone interested in beekeeping. Whether you are a seasoned beekeeper or just starting out, Steve's insights and advice can help you become a successful and responsible beekeeper.