Guilfordbeekeepers.org

hello all,
I live in southeast greensboro, and i am hoping to start two hives in the spring. right now i am trying to learn as much as possible. i have read beekeeping for dummies and also Robing the bees, and i have attened a begginers class on beekeeping. so to say the least i am real excited about getting started.

i still have a few questions though. i live within the city limits with a backyard that is about 150' wide by 100' long. my goal like i said above is to have two hives in the back corner. do you think that will be enough room? from what i have read also south by southeast is the best direction to oreint the hives, how strict do you have to be on that? (that will pretty much point the hives right at my house)

do most of you use screened bottom boards?

that is all the questions i can think of right now i hope to make it to a meeting real soon.

Hey Drewgrim

This is my first year, so I consider my self a newbee. As I understand it If you live within the Greensboro city limits there are restrictions as how close you can put them to the property line. You may want to check the city ordinances. However if you have nice neighbors it may not make a difference.
Congratulations on attending a bee class, that is fantastic.

From this site as well as www.beesource.com (another good site) people have them facing all directions. People also have them on their decks on the back of their house. So a hive facing south or southeast may be ideal for blocking the north winds but it is not a must .

I use screened bottom boards and any mites that drop through the screen fall on the ground and are consumed by the ants. If you have a solid bottom board they can hop onto another bee. A dead mite is a good mite. Screened bottom boards also provide better ventilation. But bees have survived many years before screened bottom boards came along.

Come by the Guilford county bee keepers meeting July 10th and meet some great bee keepers. I came to meetings for a few months before I joined.
Welcome to the forum.

Ski