Bianca here and I’m really excited to be stepping into the Flow Forum to explore and support the wonderful world of beekeeping with Flow with you. I’m looking forward to bringing my favourite and most helpful topics and questions for new and old beekeepers and to uncover new tricks and practices, varying across the globe.
I’ll be helping Free post weekly topics and questions in response to questions we receive from the community and Flow customer support. Lately we have received a few enquiries about what to consider when choosing the location for a hive. Below are our tips:
-
Away from anywhere that gathers moisture e.g. a valley, damp/dark gardens, high weeds. If there is grass around the hive, consider putting down bark or pebbles to prevent moisture build-up and tricky lawn mowing scenarios
-
For our Southern hemisphere subtropical climate, I like to point my hives in a NE direction so the bees receive morning sun on their landing board and are shielded from the hot afternoon sun. For the Northern hemisphere dwellers, this would be the opposite. Supporting the bees to regulate their hive temperature conserves their energy for other tasks such as foraging.
-
Somewhere with a flat surface and that is stable. Consider if the Earth underneath may be susceptible to moving after a big downpour and if so, adequately secure the ground (or choose another spot)
I’d love to hear of others tips so please comment them below.
B