An Apiary in the Open-Air

The best place for an apiary is just on the edges of a forest where the bees find just enough feed. The bees find enough food in the forest in various flowers and in the summer they take advantage of the entire forest’s flora (chestnuts, evergreens and oaks). The apiary which has the stacked up beehives must always be on the south side or places where there is not much cool air for a long time. There must not be large amounts of water in the surrounding environment because sickness might arise. The apiary must also be protected from strong winds.

I bought a huge pasture 6 km from Metlika next to Radovica (bordering Croatia) for my beekeeping operation. I planted some fruit trees and some other important plants with good qualities for producing honey. I also have a wooden shed where I keep all the equipment for beekeeping.













The most suitable place for the apiary outside in nature is in orchards or under very leafy forest trees. When the trees have no leaves during winter and spring the sun rays indirectly warm the beehives and accelerate the springtime development and during the summer when the trees are full of leaves the shade cools the beehives and makes for a pleasant stay for the bee families. The bees enjoy peace and quiet especially during the resting period in winter and that is why we should put the apiary near thoroughfares.

The most suitable place for the apiary outside in nature is in orchards or under very leafy forest trees. When the trees have no leaves during winter and spring the sun rays indirectly warm the beehives and accelerate the springtime development and during the summer when the trees are full of leaves the shade cools the beehives and makes for a pleasant stay for the bee families. The bees enjoy peace and quiet especially during the resting period in winter and that is why we should put the apiary near thoroughfares.

The Apiary in Snow

Bees are the kids of the sun, which positively influences their moods and development. However, also a very scorching sun especially in the summer forces the families to give birth. My bees are surrounded by uninhabited nature in which they find an abundant amount of feed. The willows and hazels already begin to blossom in early spring. This is when the bees start to collect the pollen and begin to develop quickly. The nicest time around my apiary is when the wild cherries begin to blossom along with the other fruit trees (cherries, apricots and plums) in the orchard with the bees around. The whole area smells fruity and the smell of the collected cherry pollen lingers in the air.

There are a lot of acacias in the vicinity for the bees to feast on as they fill the hives. Acacia is also the first honey I pour out.

There are a lot of forests bordering Croatia full of chestnut trees on and around my land, which give the bees another type of feed. In the case of beautiful warm dry weather there is never failure of a good pasture and at that time I have a lot of work with pouring the honey amongst the stinging bees and collecting the swarms. In spite of planting the plum trees in the orchards they most like to gather around the shorter hazelnut so therefore I have no problems collecting the swarms. Alongside the 30 colonies I have 5 reserves of colonies 4 km away in a place called Vinomer to where I take swarms that fly away from the hives.

Rearranging the beehives in the apiary depends on the conditions and technology we use when beekeeping. Beekeepers most often place the beehives in nice straight rows however; the bees have difficulty orientating themselves when placed in this position. Losses are greater especially during the mating flight and thus it is recommended that the beehives be painted different colours, which we can see in the picture.