Another bee question, I know! We only have ten acres, and about 6 of those are committed to pasture for our horses, the rest for garden, house, etc. I would like to have bees, but wonder if it would be a good idea on such a small plot, with the proximity to horses, our lambs, chickens, etc? How close to the property line, road, etc. can you place the hives without problems? Will the bees have enough pollen sources here with just our garden a few fruit trees, strawberries, and the wild grasses and wildflowers? My father raised them years ago on 10 acres, but in a very secluded area, no neighbors, and lots of orchards within a few miles. Thanks for any suggestions you experiences bee keepers might have! Jan

-- Jan Bq (Janice12@aol.com), May 20, 2000

Answers

There is a 91 year old man in New Castle, Virginia that has 11 hives on his front porch. Bees fly up to 15 miles for pollen and nector. You can put bees anywhere but it is recommended they have morning sun and evening shade. A wind break in winter is also recommended. You already know about bees and horses but any property line is ok(away from the horses). I would give the bees and horses about 100 feet of clearence. Hope it works out for you.

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), May 20, 2000.

I think Joel's response may have inadvertently lost a decimal point. Instead of a 15-mile range, I suspect he intended to write 1.5 miles (1-1/2 miles). But, as usual, Joel's correct about the real issue: bees will forage far beyond the typical homestead. You can keep bees almost anywhere. (Where do you live?) There have been articles in beekeeping journals in the last few years about people who keep hives on urban roof-tops in NYC and Chicago. I'd just add a couple of points to Joel's encouragement. First, be sure your bees have a continuous source of water. It doesn't have to be much, or even particularly clean, for that matter. Second, you can "encourage" bees to fly over potential problems by putting up a barrier in the direction of the problem. Just be sure the barrier doesn't shade the south-facing hive entrance from the early morning sun. Good luck.

-- Rog (flanders@probe.net), May 22, 2000.