The Old Folks Home

[Pozees]

Yes I can definitely see why they work there Here it is common to have one or two spells of 100+ degrees during the summer, and one or four spells of single digit daytime highs, each spell lasting a week or more. We are at 5400 feet of elevation, so much closer to the sun, which is out about 300 days a year. Our property has a dearth of trees, it was cow pasture for decades, and few trees tall enough to provide much in the way of shade. There is a spot on the west side of the barn that is well shaded but I'm afraid too much so. Moisture here is virtually never a problem, aridity is. Wind can really howl. We probably have wind at least 200 days a year, commonly over 20mph with gusts in the 30s or higher. We doubled the hurricane ties on the shed coop when we built it - we had a 3x4 coop made of OSB blown over the previous year when gusts topped 50, and that will happen at least once or twice every year. There are people in the county with bees but they live on a somewhat less open prairie setting. I just don't want to invest a lot of time and money and wind up killing bees that would have lived somewhere else.

 

[chickadoodles]

Sorry that was supposed to be on the rabbit thread

I like your rabbits, nice play yard.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Yes I can definitely see why they work there Here it is common to have one or two spells of 100+ degrees during the summer, and one or four spells of single digit daytime highs, each spell lasting a week or more. We are at 5400 feet of elevation, so much closer to the sun, which is out about 300 days a year. Our property has a dearth of trees, it was cow pasture for decades, and few trees tall enough to provide much in the way of shade. There is a spot on the west side of the barn that is well shaded but I'm afraid too much so. Moisture here is virtually never a problem, aridity is. Wind can really howl. We probably have wind at least 200 days a year, commonly over 20mph with gusts in the 30s or higher. We doubled the hurricane ties on the shed coop when we built it - we had a 3x4 coop made of OSB blown over the previous year when gusts topped 50, and that will happen at least once or twice every year. There are people in the county with bees but they live on a somewhat less open prairie setting. I just don't want to invest a lot of time and money and wind up killing bees that would have lived somewhere else.

You can make bees work anywhere so don't let that stop you. You could always put up a small fence like this (our local brewery did it for a local beekeeping organization).



To do a nice bee set up (including bees) it's about 500$. That's really not bad for start up for a hobby, and again that would include the hive and accessories plus a package of bees.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What is sufficient, as opposed to too much, sun for a beehive? We have gone back and forth over whether we can find a spot with enough shade for a hive, but never thought about it needing to also have enough sun.

Can't wait to hear how the winemaking goes! I have at least one mulberry that has survived the elements here, possibly two, but I have kept less track of them the last couple of years as Bob retired and took over a lot of the landscape duties. He's much better at it than I am anyway, so lucky trees, shrubs and grass

What an amazing difference of climates between you, SCG and I.
It's almost always humid here and temperature extremes summer to winter swing wildly. It usually hits 100 and below zero.
2012 was a brutal summer. April hit 90, May 95, June and July both hit 108 and 101 in August. It seemed like it stayed above 100 for weeks. The average high that July was 99, and the average low was 77. Some nights it doesn't even get below the mid 80s.
This past winter it hit -19 here.
When it's really hot here, the humidity can be 90% with no wind.

I had my hives on a long concrete slab that once was an old machine shed. It also holds 2 of my chicken coops and the hives were between them. It gets morning sun but by 9 or 10 it's in heavy shade so that doesn't work. It used to be in the sun till noon but has gotten shadier with successive years. 70% of the property is in heavy shade at any one time and there isn't one place that has all day sun. It's mostly mature oaks, elms, maples, hackberries and mulberries. The vegetable garden is in the sunniest part of the place but still only gets 6-8 hours of sun.

The inside of the hive needs to be a constant 50% humidity. If my humidity is 80% and the hives are in the shade, that's a problem.
I knew someone in Texas that put their hives in full sun but the bee books say there should be summertime shade at noon.

 

[insanity]

I like your rabbits, nice play yard.

Thanks,

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote:
Sounds to me like you need to put them near the garden and trim some trees to allow more sun. I would also think that "open shade" would be great. Maybe in a sunny spot with a shade cloth for the hottest part of the day. It could be positioned so that it only provides light shade during the hottest part of the day. Of course, I don't know anything about beekeeping..........

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sounds to me like you need to put them near the garden and trim some trees to allow more sun. I would also think that "open shade" would be great. Maybe in a sunny spot with a shade cloth for the hottest part of the day. It could be positioned so that it only provides light shade during the hottest part of the day. Of course, I don't know anything about beekeeping..........

All good points. I'll know what I'm doing by the end of the day. I'll let you know.
The tree trimming is a bit of an issue without a lot of expense. I did some when I had a bucket truck but it could only reach 40 ft. if it was straight overhead. These trees are 70' - 90'.
I may have to lose one or two. I've already taken down a 70' sweetgum and two 60' maples that were too close to the house.

 

[Wisher1000]

My DH has an ongoing battle with Sweetgum and Privet Hedge. He hates them. We have too many Sweetgums to try to get rid of every one on our 23 acres. As you know, when you cut down a Sweetgum, it will come right back and will sprout dozens of new main trunks from one stump. I think they are pretty in the fall, but I don't interfere as long as he leaves my wild Dogwoods alone. I can say that the goats love Sweetgum bark and will strip and ring them in a few minutes, they get a bye from DH!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

No idea what a sweetgum tree is or why it's so ferocious.

Got my bees hived, this new set of bees already seem "hot." They chased off BF and I from the garden area earlier this afternoon.

 

[Wisher1000]

No idea what a sweetgum tree is or why it's so ferocious.

Here ya' go, SCG!