Step One: Pick your Beehive Location
That’s right, before you even begin to set up your beehive, you need to decide where to put it. The best recommendation for someone in most of North America is in a sunny location facing South or East. However if you are in a very hot environment, you may want to consider putting your hive in a location where it gets morning sun but afternoon share. High heat can be detrimental to the hive’s health.
Don’t put the entrance of the hive too close to a wall, solid fence, or anything else that might impede their access to the hive or their flight path out of the hive. Bees want to leave the hive and fly off. They don’t want to have to hover awkwardly and try to gain altitude. Think of them as airplanes leaving an airport, not helicopters. They need some flying space.
It’s also a good idea not to point the hive entrance at an area with a lot of human foot traffic. Bees intent on foraging may bump into humans. A forager won’t sting unless the human overreacts and swats at them. Unfortunately, not all humans understand how gentle honey bees really are, so its best to try to avoid human and bee encounters. Place your hive away from sidewalks and other areas that attract people.
Click #4 below to start assembling your hive.
