Beehive Placement is an act of placing the beehives in a secure, comfortable, and adept position in the backyard or the garden. The placement of beehives is the most important thing in the whole process of beekeeping. Normally, beehives are placed on Vertical or Horizontal stands. The vertical stand is also known as the Langstroth stand. The dimensions of the stand depend on the size or area of the backyard or garden. The many factors on which beehive placement rests includes the following:
Area for Beehive stands
Beehives are the stands on which beehives are placed. The dimension of these stands usually depends on the area of the backyard or garden. The most famous beehive stand is the Langstroth stand. Langstroth stand is a vertically built modular stand. Bee hive placement plays important role for maintain and care for a beehive. Usually, a beehive is made up of these parts:
1 – Bottom Board
It is the floor of the beehive. It consists of a wooden frame that protects the bee colonies from wet ground and harmful moths and grass weeds.
2 – Deep Hive Bodies
These are usually boxes that contain frames of comb. It consists of a Brood Chamber and a Food Chamber. Brood Chamber contains thousands of baby bees. Food Chamber stores most of honey and pollen for use.
3 – Honey super
Honey supers collect surplus honey. The depth of the super is usually shallow. As more and more honey is extracted more honey surpluses are added to the stand.
4 – Frames
Frames are removable from the hives. The beekeepers can easily inspect, manipulate and manage the beehives. Mostly removable frames are used in a vertical stand.
5 – Inner cover
The inner cover is just like a tray with ventilation holes. The inner cover is placed on the hive with the tray side facing up.
6 – Outer cover
The outer cover is just like a roof on the house. This wooden cover should be weatherproof.
Environmental Factors
The health and safety of bees are of utmost importance. The bees will prosper only when they get an adequate amount of water, nectar, and pollination. Water access is the most crucial part of building a beehive. Most beekeepers build a reservoir and add some sort of fragrance that helps the bees in locating water. Water is required for mating, consumption, and temperature control. Bees need water but beehives need to be kept from any moisture.
Pollination
Bees are the most important and effective group of pollinators worldwide. Pollination by honeybees increases yield quantity in the crop. Pollination is one of the key factors for ecosystem functioning.
Stable Base
A stable area for the hive to stand or reside is one of the most factors while beehive placement. The weight of the beehive fluctuates frequently and is especially heavy during the peak season, therefore, building a solid foundation is necessary.
Safety from External threats
The hive stand is raised a little from off the ground to prevent beehives from harmful insects, moths, and grass weeds. Bees in order to be healthy and fresh shouldn’t have external contact either with any animal, insect, or human.
Protective Gear and Veil
In modern times the greatest advantage for beekeepers is the availability of protective beekeeping gear like bee jacket etc. The beekeepers have to regularly visit the beehives to check up on the health and quality of bees. Therefore in order to prevent themselves from bee stings, the beekeepers wear protective bee jackets, veils, and gloves to save themselves from stings.