Ideally, place your beehive:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, \u201cideal\u201d beehive locations can be hard to come by, particularly in urban areas. The importance of any of these criteria will depend on your circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if you have a homeowner’s association where you live, rules and regulations may be the overriding factors in where to place a beehive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article discusses these 11 factors in detail to help you decide where to place your new beehive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You do not need much acreage for a beehive, despite some claims that we have seen recommending anywhere from 1 to 5 acres minimum per beehive. The required space for a beehive is relatively small, but the area bees forage is rather large.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n A vertical hive, (such as a <\/a><\/a>Langstroth hive<\/a>), is about 16″ x 19-7\/8″ (40.6cm x 50.5cm). Horizontal hives<\/a> vary in size but probably max out around 48\u201d x 24\u201d (121.9cm x 70cm).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Allowing for room to work around the hive, an area of approximately 8\u2019 x 8\u2019 (2.4m x 2.4m) is more than adequate for one or two beehives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While access to food sources is essential, those sources do not need to be on your property.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Honey bees may travel 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) or more, foraging over as much as 50 square miles.[1]<\/a> (far beyond the immediate vicinity of the apiary). However, providing additional water nearby is particularly beneficial at times of drought or high heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The amount of space you need and where you place a beehive may depend on beekeeping rules and regulations in your locality, especially in urban and suburban areas where neighbors are nearby.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Be sure to check your state and local regulations. A local beekeeping association can be helpful, or check the Apiary Inspectors of America links to individual state information<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local ordinances may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: See Beekeeping in the City of San Diego<\/a> for an example of these restrictions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In addition to location restrictions on where to place a beehive, you need to register your beehives in some jurisdictions, such as New York City<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When keeping bees in relatively small spaces, pay attention to the traffic patterns around your property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Situate hives so the bees are not a nuisance to your family or guests (and vice versa). Do not face entrances where people may be passing close by.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Your use of hive components and equipment will vary over a year.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n For example, on a Langstroth hive, you will add honey supers during the peak honey season. Once you harvest honey, you will remove supers (along with the frames) for the winter and store them until needed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is best to keep unused equipment out of the elements. Some localities, such as Denver<\/a>, prohibit outdoor storage of beekeeping equipment not in use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you rent your home, you may need your landlord\u2019s permission to keep bees. Eviction or a sudden need to dispose of your new hives would be a high price to pay to begin beekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hopefully, you have a suitable beehive location on your property where it is easy to monitor and manage your colonies.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n If you cannot keep bees on your property, consider finding an \u201coutyard\u201d (i.e., someone else\u2019s property).<\/strong> Beekeepers with a lot of hives or limited space often utilize outyards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In urban areas, outyards such as rooftops and community gardens may be your only option for beekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep in mind<\/strong> that having your bees off your property makes regular inspections more arduous and time-consuming. It also makes it impossible for you to spot sudden changes in behavior (like swarming) or threats to the hive that require immediate attention (like robbing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best direction to face a beehive is east or southeast (northeast in the southern hemisphere). With an easterly orientation, the sun will hit the hive entrance early in the morning, warm the colony, and get the bees out foraging. While this orientation is generally considered preferable, it is not essential.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The slope of the land, pedestrian traffic patterns, neighbors\u2019 yards, or other issues may dictate a different orientation to the sun. Your honey bees will adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water, nectar, and pollen are the building blocks of the honey bee diet. From those ingredients, bees make their primary foods: honey, beebread, and royal jelly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n When it comes to the proximity of food sources for honey bees, “near” is a relative term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your bees may frequent pollen and nectar sources near the hive. However, they will travel 2.5 miles (4.0km) or more to forage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See our article What Do Honey Bees Eat?<\/strong><\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a garden or field that provides nearby trees and flowers for the bees, that is great. Our bees take advantage of wildflower and vegetable gardens in addition to flying off in the distance above the trees to fields beyond.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n If natural water sources are limited (as in urban areas or during drought), you can establish watering stations to help your bees out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bees cannot swim, so watering setups should be shallow or provide a safe landing area for the bees to avoid drowning. You can find more information about setting up watering locations in our article about nectar dearth.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Providing water for your bees also makes it less likely that they will visit a neighbor\u2019s pool and create friction on that front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Place beehives on a stand to keep them off the damp ground, make them less accessible to small predators (like raccoons and skunks), provide a stable base, and reduce how far you need to bend over to inspect and lift hives. In colder climates, hives on stands are less likely to be buried in winter snow.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Some beekeepers put their hives on something as simple as a wooden pallet (usually gotten for free). However, a pallet is low to the ground, will not protect hives from small critters, and will not help your back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: Raccoons and skunks may harass and eat your bees at night. If uninterrupted, they may eventually cause the bees to abscond<\/a>. Raising the hive makes access more difficult.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n We keep our stands at about 18 inches high. We do not have to bend over too far to maneuver the boxes. In our area, winter snows up to 2 feet are not uncommon. A stand height of 18 inches keeps hives from getting buried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not set beehives much higher than 18 inches. Even at 18 inches, honey supers may get stacked to an uncomfortable height for you to manage when a colony is particularly productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this video, you can see how I had to step on cinder blocks to maneuver upper honey supers on year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Much Space Do You Need For Beekeeping?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Space For Beehives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Local Regulations Affecting Beehive Location<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Pedestrian Traffic Patterns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Storage Space For Equipment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Placing Beehives In An Outyard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Direction Should Beehives Face?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Place Beehives Near Fresh Water, Nectar, and Pollen Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Use A Hive Stand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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