Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: colbees on March 12, 2012, 08:14:21 pm

Title: hives
Post by: colbees on March 12, 2012, 08:14:21 pm
is it ok to place a hive near water and, should you have an enterance reducer on the hive right when you first put the bees in it. :camp:
Title: Re: hives
Post by: rbinhood on March 12, 2012, 08:21:22 pm
Water is good....and yes a small entrance is necessary until the hive is well established.
Title: Re: hives
Post by: AllenF on March 12, 2012, 08:31:16 pm
I keep reducers on most of my hives year round.  (I also run screened bottoms year round also)
Title: Re: hives
Post by: BlueBee on March 13, 2012, 12:25:38 am
Define water?  Lake Superior, or a mountain stream? 

Bees need water for evaporative cooling in the summer and for raising brood.  Having a source of water nearby is a good thing.  My bees like sucking water out of mud, peat moss, or sawdust I have setting a 5 gallon bucket waiting to get dumped.  Sometimes, lazy pays!  They also like bird baths.

They have no problem flying to a water source, so it’s not like you need to park your hives on some river bank.  I would probably go for a sunny site over river bank myself.
Title: Re: hives
Post by: indypartridge on March 13, 2012, 06:57:21 am
Define water? 
You also want to avoid someplace that is perpertually damp.
Title: Re: hives
Post by: Jim134 on March 13, 2012, 07:00:04 am
How near is near ??? 6'' or 6'



   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Title: Re: hives
Post by: Michael Bush on March 13, 2012, 07:45:40 am
I wouldn't want them low enough they get flooded or low enough that the air is always moist... they seem to do better part way up a hill rather than in the bottom of a valley.
Title: Re: hives
Post by: colbees on March 13, 2012, 04:03:08 pm
Hi sorry i didnt tell you it is a small swamp that im going to put the hive near and there is about 6-7 feet in front of it that is dry land.
Title: Re: hives
Post by: AllenF on March 13, 2012, 04:07:22 pm
Perfect.