After speaking with a local mentor, my property is only 1.5 acres and we have just moved in with little to no vegetation. It is basically a flat piece of land. We have been installing fruit trees and have planned out multiple flower beds, but my local mentor suggests that it might not be enough.
The bees range being several kilometers and needing over a million flowers makes me feel that if I were to introduce bees to my area, that I ultimately would end up killing a hive.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
The area where we live is a small suburb of multiple houses with varying acreages. And to the west, primarily pine trees.
There are areas that are more and less productive but the bees are incredibly resourceful at foraging and, like you said, will forage over a very wide area. Chances are, they will do OK, although you’ll have to see how much surplus honey you get after they colony is established.
Don’t overlook “weeds” like dandelions and clover and large flowering trees (not necessarily fruit trees).
Hello @William_Smith I think everything @chau06 says and also grasses too. The only way you will find out just how resourceful they are, is to have a go
Yep, i must agree. My hives live with me on a 1/4 acre lot. Seem to be doing great. I planted a bunch of stuff to help them out, they ignored it for the most part. If you are gonna plant something then i would go with winter nectar producers like snowdrops, hellebore, and maybe a few red maples. Get the bees, you’ll love it! They will find a way.
Also consider late winter native bloomer - witch hazel.
Looking at google maps of your area, it looks like there’s a mixed woods and fields plus some developed areas that are all within a few miles of the town center - what kinds of crops are grown nearby?
There are not any crops close by. But the neighborhood inhabitants have many flowers. I’m also right up the road from the university of Tennessee arboretum that is packed with native flowers. The general area consists of many green belts full of native flowering trees, shrubs, and ground cover. I’m pretty much town/city center. just realized i think you’re talking to both of us in that. My guess is his area is full of flowing trees and maples as well. They are packed with good stuff. I think they grow a bunch of sweet potatoes around there too.
I haven’t lived here long enough to know the crop rotation. Generally in the surrounding area where I moved from, was soybean and corn with cotton. I don’t know the rotation cycle.
Hey William, welcome to the forum. I respect your forethought in asking these questions and putting the bees first as you contemplate beekeeping. I too would be hesitant if someone with beekeeping experience who is living in the area has expressed doubt.
If you do decide to start, there’s no need to leave them to such a dire fate if those doubts are realized. My advice would be to plan on feeding your bees as long as it takes to determine how adequate their foraging prospects.really are.To do that, you can dye the sugar syrup (red is a commonly used color for this purpose) you feed them, so you can tell it apart from the hopeful nectar they bring in. Also, bees will typically stop taking syrup once there’s a decent flow on.
Since one season won’t tell you everything about the flows in your area AND the setup costs can be high, you might want to make this more of a 3 to 5 year experiment to get meaningful data on sustainability.
Thank you all for the helpful advice and great responses.
I will do everything I can to ensure the hive thrives and to ensure their survival. I have reached out to through multiple channels and am overwhelmed at just how supportive this community is.
just realized i think you’re talking to both of us in that. My guess is his area is full of flowing trees and maples as well. They are packed with good stuff. I think they grow a bunch of sweet potatoes around there too. 
