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Author Topic: beehives over water?  (Read 4748 times)

Offline hjon71

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beehives over water?
« on: January 05, 2015, 10:06:41 pm »
Just thinking..... I have to rebuild a deck at a small pond and am considering using expanded metal for the surface. I currently have a screened bottom on my hive, which led me to wonder just how bad of an idea it would be to move it to the dock. That way whatever falls out of the hive(shb larva/varroa) goes into the pond full of fish instead of to the ground. An easy way to feed the fish and slow down the shb??? Am I asking for trouble because of moisture? Let me have it.
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2015, 10:27:49 pm »
It will probably work real well as long as you can close it up for winter.
Just be sure there is enough space below the hive to allow good air flow and not too much moisture. Your fish will love it also.
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Offline hjon71

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2015, 11:15:03 am »
I have searched and not found anything, either good or bad. Surely someone had tried this before.
Moisture is my main concern.
Quite difficult matters can be explained even to a slow-witted man, if only he has not already adopted a wrong opinion about them; but the simplest things cannot be made clear even to a very intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he already knows, and knows indubitably, the truth of the matter under consideration. -Leo Tolstoy

Offline mikecva

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2015, 12:47:12 pm »
does your deck get a lot of fog, high moist winds, shake (the bees do not like their home moving all the time) moisture will be your biggest concern as this will lead to mold inside the hive. Just my first thoughts. -Mike
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Offline nella

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2015, 03:35:28 pm »
Sometimes bees returning loaded with nectar miss the landing pad, might they end up in the water?

Offline flyboy

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2015, 05:14:44 pm »
Sometimes bees returning loaded with nectar miss the landing pad, might they end up in the water?
Maybe get some lifeboats and personal floatation devices and put around the dock. ;)
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Offline GDRankin

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2015, 12:29:44 am »
Interesting idea. I'd think a screened bottom board with the slide in/out tray or cor-plast sheet would be the way to go, just so you have an easy way to control if and when you want to close off the ventilation.

Other than what's already been mentioned, the first thing I thought of was the sun reflecting up into the hive, but obviously that would be easy to manage and control.

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Offline hjon71

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2015, 01:34:55 am »
The dock is stationary.
I could back the hive off the edge a foot+ if needed.
I don't spend much time down there so I'm not so sure about fog, but wind isn't an issue. The pond is small and surrounded by trees.

Putting it on the dock would provide more direct sunlight...never considered the sunlight bouncing off the water....
Quite difficult matters can be explained even to a slow-witted man, if only he has not already adopted a wrong opinion about them; but the simplest things cannot be made clear even to a very intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he already knows, and knows indubitably, the truth of the matter under consideration. -Leo Tolstoy

Online Michael Bush

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2015, 10:13:16 am »
Carl Killion talks about "air drainage" as an important factor in picking a site for bees.  I have had bees down in a bottom right next to a creek that never did well and I wonder if that wasn't part of the problem.

"It is best to place apiaries on the side of a hill or on a sloping ground; never on hilltops or the lowest part of an area.  Hilltops receive the full force of the wind and the low places do not allow proper air drainage.  Air drainage is very necessary to prevent moldy combs in the winter and permits better ripening of honey in the summer."--Carl Killion, Honey In The Comb, Chapter II.
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Offline capt44

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2015, 01:51:05 pm »
I think it would definitely work.
I have seen Bee Trees here in Arkansas on the banks of bayous and lakes hanging out over the water.
I don't think it would be any different than having them on land that stays damp or wet.
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Online Michael Bush

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2015, 04:40:39 pm »
>I have seen Bee Trees here in Arkansas on the banks of bayous and lakes hanging out over the water.

I saw them when I was growing up in Illinois as well, but they were over the water, but they were 40 feet up the tree... not down by the water.
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Offline jayj200

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2015, 04:58:11 pm »
We have had quite a number of 100 year historical floods in America.
I think one would need to build well above to 100 year flood plain. dock and all then I could give my blessing

Offline BlueBee

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2015, 01:27:18 am »
Somehow I doubt you're going to get a definitive answer on this one! 

My two cents is this:  Water has a lot of heat capacity and freezes after the land freezes.  In other words, your wooden ware on the dock will be frozen before the water freezes.  When moisture from the pond rises up and hits your frozen wooden ware it will condense.  If you have a screened bottom board in place, that condensation will occur inside your hive and mold is likely.  If you put in a solid bottom board in the winter, moisture should condense on it and probably not affect the insides of the hive.

I would be more worried about harvesting honey on the dock though.  Bees, stings, bee suits, and water might not be a great combination.  :cool:

Offline hjon71

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Re: beehives over water?
« Reply #13 on: January 17, 2015, 10:29:30 pm »
Thanks for the input. I may try it.....someday...if/when I expand and have more than just 1 hive.

Like everything else opinions vary from No Way to Try and See  :smile:
I will be sure to close the bottom before winter.
Quite difficult matters can be explained even to a slow-witted man, if only he has not already adopted a wrong opinion about them; but the simplest things cannot be made clear even to a very intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he already knows, and knows indubitably, the truth of the matter under consideration. -Leo Tolstoy

 

anything