# Built My Bee Yard for 2008



## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

I have decided to start with 4 hives so I built a place that could double that in the years following, with some extra room for nucs or hives on blocks on the ground in front.

All that's left is to level out the front a bit (the raised gravel bed is actually the back...and faces north) and put down a layer of pea gravel on top to dress it off.


































I got my other parts on order, one hive is completely built and three are on the way.

I was discussing this in an small farming forum and received a phone call while I was putting out no-weed mesh around the stand. She wanted to know if I had any honey to buy. I had to tell her that it will be at least year, probably longer before I was at that stage of the game.

I hope that is a good sign for start-up 2008 and 2009.

Meanwhile I am hauling our corn harvest to market and breaking ground on new produce gardens.


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Wow - that's really nice! It looks like you plan to put something in that raised bed area to keep the grass/weeds out? Something I wish we had done and will do in the future - keeping up with weed wacking around the hives is a pain for us. Great idea and great yard!

Penny


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Nice set up. 
That close to the road the vandals around here would destroy it all in one night. One snatchem strap and the whole works is lost labor.
They used to destroy our mail box nightly till I made a steel one. They then wrapped a chain around the post and jerked it down the road a mile and half. Now it sets a full 9 feet off the road on a steel post buried in concrete. The county had to use a back hoe to move it when they widened the road.



BL
Try placeing old carpet around your hives to keep the grass down. Or go to an appliance dealer and get some big card board boxes to lay around them.

 Al


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

I love the old carpet idea! Should be easy enough to find on freecycle. Way better than anything else I had thought of. I'm off to place an ad....... thanks!

Penny


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## the kid (Jul 9, 2006)

they look great and I DO MEAN THAT ,,, maybe because it 
looks something like my set up ... only I made it with 2 4x4 4 foot long set on 4x4 posts ,, mine are made only for 2 hives .. this way I can work them frount , one side ,, and back .. to tie them douwn it taks three stakes ( one on each side and one in the center ) and mine are only 8 inches off the ground ( I'm short ) so when supers are on there not so tall ... I have a set up for more hives next year the same way in sets of 2 hives ... I also have the frount 1 inch lower then the back 
I put them in sets of 2 ,,so I can work them from the side... I thought it would bee hard to work them from the back ( the handels are on the frount and back of the hives ) ... this worked great for me this summer .... 
now the thing I didn't do was kill the grass under the hive :shrug: will put somthing down to kill the grass next year ,,
I'm not as brave as you ,,, my hives are behind a fence ... the kids around here would just have to take a peek to see what the white boxs are.. :flame: then stire them with a stick to see what happens ... 
the kid


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Here is what I am useing now. It is 18 inches off the ground in out yards. At home I dug holes 8" to set the post in. Holds three hives a outercover apart.










I used these a lot but am switching to make it harder for the critters to get at the hives.










Hillside









Kid no hand holds on the sides? I would be cutting me some.

 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Well, we are in a population "lite" area. Some speeders, but no neighbors.

I've put down weed fabric, staked it, and put pea gravel over the top of it.

I also have my first hive painted.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Two boys and 2 girls under age 16 knocked over tomb stones in Michigans Oakland county.

A hollowween prank can just be as simple as saying I dare you to tip those bee hives over out on county route 22. No I want mine hidden from pranksters, hoogilans and theives. A back yard with a barn for a wind break is a beatuiful spot.

 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Unfortunately, my farm is not laid out in that manner. We have a fairly active farm and there are lots of chances for kids to molest things.

I have not had to replace a mailbox in nearly 20 years.


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

BTW Alley, I like your supports.

Here is one of my new hives painted up. I was experimenting with symbols by the entry way of the hive to decrease drift. So I started painting quilt patterns.

It looks pretty, but I am not too sure of its value and if I decide to do a lot more hives that is whole lot more prep work.

Who knows...

Here it is though:


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

Durandal said:


> BTW Alley, I like your supports.
> 
> Here is one of my new hives painted up. I was experimenting with symbols by the entry way of the hive to decrease drift. So I started painting quilt patterns.
> 
> ...


But WOW that's CUTE!!!!


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Thanks, we are changing over from the landscape timbers on blocks because it is just to easy for the critters to raise hob.
some place I have pictures of bottom boards with different colored landing strips when we only had about 10 colonies.
Remember the girls can't see red.
I know they go to red flowers all the time. Those red flowers have ultra volite propertys that red paint doesn't have.

Any who looks good. Any bee should be proud of those hives.

 Al


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