How do you choose the right location for your apiary?

The question of location might seem an easy one: I set up the apiary where I have the space to do so. In reality, there are a few guidelines that, if followed, allow you to choose the ideal location to help your bees produce honey and stay healthy in any way possible. The first consideration to make is what type of beekeeping do you want to practise: nomadic or staltic? In the first case, the locations are chosen according to the type of flowering you want to pursue. In the second case, a whole series of factors related to the fact that that location will remain virtually fixed must be taken into account.

Ideally, one should choose a location where sufficient nectar resources are available for colony development and growth. However, it is very difficult to find one that has blooms throughout spring and summer. For this reason, it may be worth considering moving to other locations, even if only for limited periods of time. It is important that the apiary be installed away from busy roads, sources of noise and vibrations that are too strong, and electrical appliances. Avoid locating your hives near camps cultivated with monocultures, where intensive agriculture is practised.

There are also a few things to keep in mind. Places that are too windy or where there is excessive humidity are strongly discouraged. Too much wind not only disturbs the bees, making them nervous and increasing their aggressiveness, but also reduces nectar production. Conversely, too much humidity encourages the onset of mycosis and disease. It would be good to have sources of water in the vicinity of the apiary. Bees, in fact, need water in order to be able to raise their brood and to promote the internal thermoregulation of the hive. Obviously, one cannot exclude a good location just because there is no water source in the area. In this case, the problem can be remedied by placing appropriate basins and drinking troughs. Another element to look for is the presence of deciduous trees under which to place the hives. This type of vegetation is really optimal, as it provides shade in summer.

Another clever trick, known since ancient times, is to prefer locations that are below the nectar source from which the bees draw. This way, they will be lighter during the upward flight and easier on the return flight home, when they are loaded with nectar and thus heavier. Last but not least, one cannot overlook the distance from home. Needless to say, the further away the apiary is, the more petrol and time is 'wasted'. For this reason, it can be useful to choose a location close to one's home or to use systems that allow remote monitoring of the hives. In this way, you can check the progress of the families on a daily basis and decide when is the best time to schedule a visit.

Once the perfect location has been found, all that remains is to bring your hives there. Oh no, it's not that simple! Here, too, there are several aspects to take into account. Situated at midday: it is certainly very important that the hives face south and are exposed to the sun at least during the morning hours. This encourages the bees to resume their activity. It would be good if they also received light in the afternoon, especially in winter. Counteracting the drift phenomenon: After choosing the direction, the actual positioning must be considered. Arranging the hives in one long row can be counterproductive because it encourages the drift phenomenon. What is this? In a nutshell, when the bee returns from its foraging flight, it no longer recognises the hive from which it left and thus tends to concentrate towards the outermost ones. For this reason, it is useful to position the hives along curved lines, in a semicircle, in a circle, in a horseshoe, L or S shape.

Other precautions to keep in mind concern the distance from the ground and between the hives themselves. They should not be placed too close to the ground as this would otherwise encourage moisture stagnation. The best option is to place them at a height that also facilitates inspections and interventions so as not to cause excessive fatigue for the beekeeper. Generally, hives should also be positioned 35-40 cm apart and, if arranged in rows, there should be a distance of at least 4 m. In general, it is always advisable not to have apiaries that greatly exceed 50 units. Finally, it is necessary to avoid obstacles in front of the flight hatches, be they tall grass, shrubs or other elements. These obviously disturb the bees and their work.

There is no doubt that the beekeeper must also consider the best location for his work. As we have said, it should ideally not be too far from home. However, this is not the only consideration to bear in mind. Hives must be installed in places that are easily accessible even by means. Transporting full hives and honeycombs is certainly not a walk in the park, and one must take this into account to avoid excessive fatigue and problems with moving the hives. In addition, one must look for a location that does not create too many problems during work. Therefore, locations that are too steep or where there is little room for manoeuvre should be avoided.

Last but not least, make sure you set up your apiary in full compliance with current regulations. National regulations stipulate that an apiary must be located no less than 10 metres from public roads and no less than 5 metres from public or private property boundaries. If there is a difference in height of more than 2 metres or walls, hedges or other shelters more than 2 metres high, the aforementioned obligations are waived. Furthermore, apiaries must be more than 1 km away from industrial sugar plants (article 8, law 24 December 2004, n. 313). As regards, on the other hand, the distance between apiaries, the law leaves it up to the regions to determine it as a maximum radius of 200 metres (for apiaries composed of at least 50 hives). Each region has therefore set the limit autonomously.

Choosing the location for one's apiary is therefore certainly not to be taken lightly. The location of bees can considerably influence their development and activity. It is not always easy to understand where it is best to establish your bees. This is why it can be useful to rely on remote monitoring systems. With such devices one can follow the development of the family, the level of importation and production. Parameters such as temperature, humidity and wind power can be assessed at all times of the year. If one has distant apiaries, one can calculate the best time to carry out an intervention. In addition, the melliferous potential of the apiary's range within a 1 km radius can be assessed by analysing satellite images. Curious to find out how the 3Bee systems can help you in your everyday work?