Determining apiary site location

[omnimirage]

I live i Australia, where migratory beekeeping is standard. I don't like the idea of moving my bees around everywhere, mostly because it's a pain to do and I'd need to purchase a more suitable vehicle or trailer. I'd really like to have apiary sites established that I can keep bees there throughout the year.

How can one determine whether a site will have a good flow or not? I believe I'd need to travel around a 2-3 km radius and inspect all the flowering vegetation, and work out which times of the year specific species will pollinate?

I've set up my primary site at my family home, and I'm coming to believe that it's not a particularly good place for them, as I don't appear to be having a good flow. I also have a site I can set up, about ninety minutes away. Quite a drive, but it's a large isolated block of scrub with many trees. However, I could only find there two species of Manuka, and one specie of Tea Tree honey. There was hardly any flowering plants to compliment it, heard hardly any birds, saw only a few native bees and one European bee, no beehives. It seems that the site will only have a strong flow going whenever these few species of tree are blooming, and the rest of the time it appears the site will be dud.

How feasible is it to plant trees/flowers so that in the years to come, a site will have a large variety of flowers that I can keep bees there all year? How should I go about determining where to place my beehives?

[damienpryan]

Hi Omnimirage,

My understanding from abc/xyz book and other publications is that planting specific crops with the idea of making the money of honey is a long long way from economic.
In Australia the big harvests come from old gums. So planting gums now won't help you.

Stationary beekeeping (i.e. find a good spot for your beehives and leaving them there all year around) is a possibility especially in areas where there is a mix of things happening (pasture, local bush, etc).
People do do it and there are advantages over migratory beekeeping. Lots of your costs are less even if your yield is much less.
But people don't tend to make livings from it as far as I understand (though happy to be corrected).

As for what makes a good spot, I wouldn't know as I keep my in stationary in the suburbs. The only thing I've noticed is my yields are higher in places with significant stands of old gum trees (in my case what I think is yellow box in Melbourne).

Cheers

Damien

[Andersonhoney]

Location, location,  location.
Planting annual flowering plants can give you a quicker response.  As to perennial shrubs etc.
Your site that is further away, your description is confusing as manuka and tea tree are all leptospermum. They are very difficult to tell some of the species apart. But where there is several species they tend to flower a week or so apart. Any where that I have tea tree sites there is always other variety of winter and spring flowers.
Where are you located and where is this other site? Someone may have experience in these areas.
Post photos and I'll try to identify them for you. Flower, leaf, seed pod, and bark are good in a photo.  Close ups more than from a distance.
Some of our sites may be gold some years and not other years. Some years all sites are great and other years nothing is good.
Good luck.

[Culley]

If there are paddocks around you could ask the farmers and spread some clover seed.

[Monster1970]

For me the biggest driver has always been locating someone who is happy to have my hives on their farm/property. From there, I usually take a year or two to work out what flowers in that area and when and know when I can count on large flow and when the lean times are going to occur. I am lucky that I am in Central QLD, so we get very mild winters (except the nights) and there is usually something flowering enough to keep them going through winter.

I personally think that you can stay in the one place (or have a cluster of hives in a few places) and do OK. Obviously, an area will only support so many hives, so if you are looking to make a living from your honey (I do not) then I imagine you would need a number of sites, or move your hives to chase flow.

[PhilK]

Stationary beekeeping (i.e. find a good spot for your beehives and leaving them there all year around) is a possibility especially in areas where there is a mix of things happening (pasture, local bush, etc).
People do do it and there are advantages over migratory beekeeping. Lots of your costs are less even if your yield is much less.
But people don't tend to make livings from it as far as I understand (though happy to be corrected).

There are a number of companies that make honey in cities (rooftops etc). We are starting to pursue this model as well. I don't make a living off it (yet!) but I know there are numerous people who do. Not sure where Omni is, but from previous posts I think it's in the country somewhere

[Andersonhoney]

Old beekeepers say about a wet year. "Keep them up high and down low".
Meaning place them higher than any recorded flood level and working  down low on the ground or shrubs. Continental rain will promote new growth on the eucalyptus and any that do flower will have their nectar washed out.

Anyway just thought of that old timers saying and thought I'd add it in here somewhere.

[omnimirage]

Location, location,  location.
Planting annual flowering plants can give you a quicker response.  As to perennial shrubs etc.
Your site that is further away, your description is confusing as manuka and tea tree are all leptospermum. They are very difficult to tell some of the species apart. But where there is several species they tend to flower a week or so apart. Any where that I have tea tree sites there is always other variety of winter and spring flowers.
Where are you located and where is this other site? Someone may have experience in these areas.
Post photos and I'll try to identify them for you. Flower, leaf, seed pod, and bark are good in a photo.  Close ups more than from a distance.
Some of our sites may be gold some years and not other years. Some years all sites are great and other years nothing is good.
Good luck.

Your comment made me go out and take some samples, but of course I forgot about them and this thread! I took some photos anyway:

https://imgur.com/a/F1F3J

Can you get any idea of what they are from that?


Since making this post I've come to realise that my major site isn't any good for the bees, so now trying to work out where to put my dozen hives...

[Andersonhoney]

Omni mirage. The eucalyptus is a mallee possibly euc gracilis. Fresh bud s and flowers would be good with a description or photo of th e tree in situ. th ed leptospermum could be L. scoparium or L.continental. flowers would be good to see, close up front and back of the flowers too. SO many of those leptospermum look very similar so sorry it's hard to confirm.
Why is your first site no good?