Content-Transfer-Encoding: |
7bit |
Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Fri, 7 Apr 2006 19:20:15 EDT |
Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" |
MIME-Version: |
1.0 |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
In a message dated 07/04/2006 07:36:42 GMT Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
I'm interested to hear how other beekeepers determine the number of colonies
to place in one yard.
I average 12-20 but am considering boosting some prime yards to 30 or more.
Read Dr Bailey's lectures on 'Beekeeping by Numbers'.
The worst enemy of a hive of bees (apart from the beekeeper) is another hive
of bees. Left to nature (according to Seeley) bees space their colonies
about half a mile apart and this correlates with their general maximum foraging
range (they will forage a lot further but the great majority of their foraging
is close to home.). This roughly correlates with Bailey's optimum of 1 hive
per square kilometre.
Colonies of bees are in competition. Placed among a plentiful nectar
yielding crop, it is to the beekeeper's advantage to space hives widely to reduce
competition and thus maximise individual income, but if pollination is the
object then it is better to place them close together as the competition forces
them to forage further from home, so more of the crop gets polinated well
instead of localised patches.
.
If you are working commercially then you will have to take travelling time
and fuel into account and decide to increase the number of hives per site. This
may compensate for the reduced crop per hive and increased stress related
ailments that occurs when more than a very few hives are kept in one place.
Beekeeper's back should also be considered: it may be better to inspect a
few hives and then take a break while moving to the next apiary than to do 30 in
succession and not be able to walk the next day.
If you are constanly moving bees to chase nectar yielding crops then you can
probably justify having apiaries as plentifully stocked as you do, but
remember that when the crop finishes flowerring the bees might as well be in a
desert. Permanent apiaries should hold only a handful of hives unless you are
in an exceptionally well favoured area with a constant succession of nectar
bearing plants in good supply.
In summary: it's a balancing act.
Chris
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---
|
|
|