Bee yard photos and lay out

[Dane Bramage]

thanks all! (glad ya like it!)   

Cindi ~> yes, it's very easy access being just a step down the stairs (terraced back yard), through the gate (gated pool area) and one step up to that back deck.  The hives are easy access as well ~ on the benches = no stooping & I left room  to the front of the hives as well.  The short benches behind each set of five hives are also there so that I could place lids, covers, chambers, supers, etc., on something close (besides the floor).  Since they're behind the hives (& out of flight paths) its a good place to sit, but I prefer sitting down in that corner (where standing in pic) so I can observe the entrances of all 10 hives with flight path(s) going right over my head.    Never been stung! (yet, knocks on wood, lol).
Here's the views from the corner perspective:

[Moonshae]

Here's my 10×10 beeyard. Curious to know if my water source is well located. Both my neighbors have pools, so I'd like them to have a more desirable alternative.

[asprince]

Moonshae, how do the milk crates work for hive stands? I have been thinking about using them myself. I have a good supply as well as a supply of plastic Coke trays. I will have to figure out a way to keep the ants out.  Steve

[Moonshae]

Moonshae, how do the milk crates work for hive stands?

As long as they are wide enough, they work great. They're stable and sturdy.

Don't the bees keep ants away themselves?

[Cindi]

Dane, again said, very nice set up.  Now that is one honking big deck!!!!  How large is it anyways?  Define the dimension, I am curious.  Your cat looks like its lovin' life, eh?

Moonshae, you have a very cute little bee yard.  I like your fence around it, who would ever know that you have bees lurking in your back yard eh?  Like the idea of the milk crates for stands.  Innovation, what a cool thing!!!!  Have a wonderful day, great health and life.  Cindi

[Dane Bramage]

Dane, again said, very nice set up.  Now that is one honking big deck!!!!  How large is it anyways?  Define the dimension, I am curious.  Your cat looks like its lovin' life, eh?

Thanks again Cindi
Dimensions eh?  Well, serendipitously enough, that part of the deck is a hexagon and ~ 840 sq.ft.  Use this equation with ~ 18' sides) ~>   There's a hexagon window in the master bedroom as well.   
Yeah - Maya (the Bengal kitty) loves it here.  She likes the bee deck too and must have some instinct to not mess with the bees - at least at the entrances.  I think she got stung in the foot once by a crawler, lol.

Moonshae ~> are your bees using the water source you provided?  There's a few threads (as I vaguely recall) on water sourcing. 

Cheers,
Dane

[Moonshae]

Moonshae ~> are your bees using the water source you provided?  There's a few threads (as I vaguely recall) on water sourcing.

It's still been fairly cool here, the past two days were our first hot days. I saw a bee crawling on the box, but none in the water itself. While I'm figuring they've found it (since the foragers have found some flowering trees nearby), I don't know if they're willing to use it yet. I'm hoping to see them sitting in there soon (I filled it mostly with small rocks so they can't drown).

[asprince]

Moonshea, You were asking about the ants. Yes the bees will take care of a few. Here in the south, especially as dry as it is, ants can be a real problem and can take over a hive. They can attack by the millions if left unchecked.

Extremely dry and fighting ants here in the south, Steve

[Robo]

Curious to know if my water source is well located. Both my neighbors have pools, so I'd like them to have a more desirable alternative.

I use to use a dogloo for a water source. Now we have a pool instead



I got best results when the water was "spiked" with a little clorox.

and when I moved it about 30 feet from the hives.   There is no magic in that number, I moved it from 5 feet to 30 feet and it all of a sudden got a lot more traffic.

If your really concerned with the neighbors pools,  you can give them water in a boardman feeder.  Once again, consider "spiking" it so that the neighbors pool isn't more appealling.   Once they find the pool, it will be difficult to stop them.

[Cindi]

Dane, what on earth!!!!  What is with the equation?  Are you like some kind of techy mathmetician (LOL, spelling?).  I don't do equations.  Regardless, sounds cool.

I think that the bees do not like to drink from water that is too close to their hive.  Not sure, but I'm thinking that they like something a little farther away better.  Maybe they are worried about feces in the water that is close (their own poopies) to their hive.  I know when I first started with bees I had a container right inside their yard, never once saw one in it.  Moved it about 20 feet away and there were a few, but not many.  Probably didn't like what I had. 

When I was out working in my new bee barn yesterday and day before I saw a whole bunch of bees, and I mean lots and lots, drinking from the stagnant mucky muck from some run off from the bathtub that the ducks love to swim in.  Oh brother.  To me it didn't even look like it was very wet.  But they were there, sucking up moisture like there was no tomorrow.  Go figure that one.  I guess they filter mucky junk and take what they need.  Have a wonderful day, great life.  Cindi

[Dane Bramage]

Dane, what on earth!!!!  What is with the equation?  Are you like some kind of techy mathmetician (LOL, spelling?).  I don't do equations.  Regardless, sounds cool.

lol ~ yes I am (B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering working in Info Tech).  That equation is for the area of a hexagon, which can be determined knowing any side's length (since they're all equal). 
<~ The three-dimensional geometry of a honeycomb cell. 

[Draginol]

Here's what I have:



There's a creek right behind the flowers.

[pdmattox]

Draginol ,It looks like a bunch of wild mustard blooming behind the hives.  My bees loved this stuff.
Great pictures everyone.

[Cindi]

Draginol, beautiful picture  and set up.  Down in the meadow by a itty bitty pool (in your case a little creek), how cool and pretty.  Have a wonderful day, great life, love the life your livin'.  Cindi

[DayValleyDahlias]

Draginol..thats purdy!

[tennesseebeeman]

nm

[Barngodess]

Here is my one and only hive ! I've had them now 10 days, because today my mentor came back and helped me with my first inspection. Things look great ! And we have multiplied. He said we went from 1500 to 5 - 6,000. At first I just had 2 strings of electric fence wire. But I saw all the fence some of you have put up to safeguard against bear, so we put up some fence too. Today we added another box on top, to accommodate a new and bigger feeder. Here is the day they brought the hive.



Here is now, with the fence.



Funny thing, I posted this pic on my dog forum and one gal said her first thought, was " how is THAT gonna keep the bees in"!

Melissa
 

[buzzbee]

 

[Mici]

ok..i can see how it's not gonna keep the bees in but,....how's it gonna keep the critters out? against which critters did you actually put it? because it sure wouldn't stop a bear...

[Barngodess]

It's electrified........ it's low enough to the ground to keep away skunks, plus they will get a "jolt" too..... the guy I got them from only uses one strand of electric fence wire around his, but I have more bear around here.

Melissa