The Apiary
It's been a longtime dream of ours to raise bees. The idea of harvesting our own honey and being a part of the wonderful world of pollination especially with the risks today was a great motivation to get things in the works. It was one year in the making, but we were able to finally find a space on our property to build our apiary. Complete with a security fence and beekeeper shed, we are ready to house 25 hives with room for expansion.
The Location
Location is key. We had a couple of ideas for the apiary location on our property but faced challenges with either too many trees or not the right direction. We found the perfect spot in the most front part of our property, a section 18 by 36 feet. Perfect open area where the hives can get plenty of sun and face southeast to maximize dryness and warmth.
The Fence
First things first! A fence for the apiary. Most apiaries are out in the open, but with dogs, grandkids and lots of other potential wild animal threats in our area, we thought a gated area would be the best.
The Beekeeper Shed
As we quickly learned that raising bees takes lots of tools and equipment, we decided rather than hauling things back and forth we would build a beekeepers shed next to the apiary.
The Hives
Currently we are working on painting hives and prepping them for the spring. Come back for more pictures of our progress...