TWO HIVES ARE BETTER THAN ONE Keeping Backyard Bees (2024)

FAQs

TWO HIVES ARE BETTER THAN ONE Keeping Backyard Bees? ›

If one of your colonies has a disease issue, low numbers or needs to be requeenedduring a nectar flow, you probably won't get to harvest any honey from that hive. Having a second hive means that you've got a much better chance of still getting a harvest and not missing the season completely.

But starting with two hives – or more – is often a better idea. Not only does it lessen the risk of losing your whole beekeeping operation, but having two colonies helps you learn, and one colony can be used to support the other if needed.

More experienced beekeepers may want to keep even more than two hives to increase their odds of success. If there was an ideal number of hives for a backyard beekeeper, most beekeepers would estimate that 2-5 hives are optimal. Of course, you will also need enough space.

You can space a pair of hives as close to six inches from each other, but you need several feet of space around one or two sides in order to move equipment around as you're working the hives. Know what predators (man or beast) are in your area and what protection your bees will need.

If you are just starting out, most reputable beekeeping sources will recommend starting with two hives.

There's no need to begin with a lot of hives, but as your beekeeping knowledge and passion grows, your apiary is likely to expand naturally. While it may seem a bit daunting as a new beekeeper, starting out with two hives has a lot of advantages over keeping a single colony.

A strong hive can be home to 50–100,000 bees during the peak of the summer. Do a little quick math, and you see how beekeepers arrive at an average of 60lbs. of honey per hive, per year. With the right weather and the right beekeeper, some hives can even produce 100lbs.

Hobbyists keep bees for their own enjoyment and maintain anywhere from one to 25 hives. Farmers who supplement their income with beekeeping maintain 350 to 500 hives. A commercial beekeeper typically has between 1,500 to 2,500 colonies and has several full-time employees and extra help at harvest time.

Mixing with the Neighbors

You will have no direct control over where your bees fly or what interesting places they visit. Generally, this creates no problems. Bees just get on with their business and, even when many are out foraging, they often go unnoticed by anyone other than you.

It is more difficult to keep healthy bees than it is to care for most common pets (for which you generally need only to provide food). The more you understand the biology of colony health and dynamics, the more successful you can be at beekeeping.

Should beehives be in sun or shade? ›

If your land is limited, and you have to choose between morning and evening sun. Beekeepers agree that morning sun is more important. Most beekeepers would agree that their beehives that they placed in the full sun are more productive than their shaded hives.

But just how close to your house can you put your hive? The general rule is there should be a minimum of 4-feet behind and on either side of the hive, with a minimum of 25-feet of clearance at the entrance – but there's really no cut-and-dry answer for this.

You can absolutely keep bees in California. In fact, the climate, agriculture, and biodiversity of California make it one of the most popular states for beekeepers.

Most beekeepers use a Langstroth hive, so when looking for help from your bee association, finding a mentor or going to a bee forum, there will be a lot more people to help you if you have a Langstroth beehive. It's easy to find equipment for a Langstroth hive.

Do not open the hive when it is raining, thunderstorming, or during the coldest winter day. The bees can sense the change of weather. By observing their activity, it's quiet when it is gloomy and cloudy – as if they're predicting rain to come. Bad conditions make bees aggressive, like when it's raining.

Beekeepers and Honeybee Colonies

The vast majority are hobbyists with less than 25 hives. Commercial beekeepers are those with 300 or more hives.

If you go greater than 75 hives you will see the honey bees competing for the same nectar source and will reduce your honey yields per hive. This is a lot of bees and I highly recommend placing this apiary in the countryside where no homes are within .

The fights between stingless bee colonies are epic in scale, according to John Paul Cunningham of Queensland University of Technology in Australia, with “swarms from the attacking and defending hives colliding midair and fighting bees falling to the ground locked in a death grip from which neither combatant survives.”

The average backyard hobbyist should always start with 2 or more. Why? With two hives, you can compare the hives to each other. Usually if both hives are acting the same way, it is a normal bee "thing".