I have a couple of possible hive locations on my property but it’s boiling down in general to a location with more sun, but more wind vs. a location with less sun and less wind.
I’m not talking about hurricanes, tornadoes or coastal winds but definitely exposed on a hill. I live in New York in a suburb outside New York City.
Any opinions on those two options?
Do I risk more wind in order to get more sun?
Thanks for any insights!
Hi Mike
In my experience, excessive wind can really weaken a colony, but of course, this depends on how windy and how frequent the wind is. You could point the hive away from the common direction of the wind, which may help.
For the shadier location, I would be considering how many hours of sun in general it gets (6 hours a day is great but consider winter vs summer sun) and if there is an opportunity for morning sun which can help a lot (much more than sun hitting the hive at 10 am or later, for example). Is the shadier spot in a damp location too, such as surrounded by lots of grass/weeds/plants that collect and hold a lot of moisture? Pest and diseases often thrive in damp and dark locations.
Some more things to consider, I hope this may help.
Considering the range of the foragers the immediate wind conditions at the hive location on your property is probably less of an issue.
So, maybe you could put it in the sunny spot and plan a small windbreak.
Put a windbreak in front of the hive, like a fence with alternating boards on each side of the posts. This also acts to make the bees fly in higher flight lines which can be an advantage in a backyard situation.