BBKA Forum

Hi, we would like to know whether it is possible to have a hive in the vegetable garden (next to a small orchard), just for the pollination benefits? We are not interested in collecting the honey - we would prefer to leave it to the bees. We live in North Yorkshire, the hive would be set against a stone wall that is exposed to morning sun. The vegetable garden has two stone walls and two low fences. Our garden is very bee friendly already.

If you look after the bees, treat them for varroa as responsible livestock owners. Give them enough room and manage swarming then honey is an unfortunate by-product

I would encourage bumble bees and solitary bees as they are better pollinators at short range and require little effort except to provide them somewhere to rear their offspring. They also very rarely or never sting.

See https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bumblebee-nests/
and https://www.growwilduk.com/wildflowers/bees-pollinators/take-crash-course-solitary-bees

Lizzie227 wrote: ↑

21 Apr 2019, 08:51

Hi, we would like to know whether it is possible to have a hive in the vegetable garden (next to a small orchard), just for the pollination benefits? We are not interested in collecting the honey - we would prefer to leave it to the bees. We live in North Yorkshire, the hive would be set against a stone wall that is exposed to morning sun. The vegetable garden has two stone walls and two low fences. Our garden is very bee friendly already.

Bees should not be considered as pets, they are more like livestock. They need care and a certain level of husbandry like sheep or cattle require. They suffer from parasites, fungal & viral infections and 2 bacterial infections several of which are notifiable by law.
There are times when you may need to remove honey to give them space and times when you may need to feed it back to them. You also need to give thought to swarming which is a natural process they will go through. You don't want a swarm of bees from your hive disappearing down your neighbours chimmney.
I would suggest either going on a beekeeping course before you get bees or, if you just want pollination, offer a space to a local beekeeper for a colony or 2. They will look after them, the plants will get pollinated and you will still have the amazing pleasure of watching them each day. That is reward in its own, they are brilliant.

Cheers, Mick.

MickBBKA wrote: ↑

23 Apr 2019, 01:02

Lizzie227 wrote: ↑

21 Apr 2019, 08:51

Hi, we would like to know whether it is possible to have a hive in the vegetable garden (next to a small orchard), just for the pollination benefits? We are not interested in collecting the honey - we would prefer to leave it to the bees. We live in North Yorkshire, the hive would be set against a stone wall that is exposed to morning sun. The vegetable garden has two stone walls and two low fences. Our garden is very bee friendly already.

Bees should not be considered as pets, they are more like livestock. They need care and a certain level of husbandry like sheep or cattle require. They suffer from parasites, fungal & viral infections and 2 bacterial infections several of which are notifiable by law.
There are times when you may need to remove honey to give them space and times when you may need to feed it back to them. You also need to give thought to swarming which is a natural process they will go through. You don't want a swarm of bees from your hive disappearing down your neighbours chimmney.
I would suggest either going on a beekeeping course before you get bees or, if you just want pollination, offer a space to a local beekeeper for a colony or 2. They will look after them, the plants will get pollinated and you will still have the amazing pleasure of watching them each day. That is reward in its own, they are brilliant.

Cheers, Mick.

I would just like to add to the above, I have two new hives, in my "Bee Friendly" garden, but none of them are interested and fly elsewhere to find pollen, however the garden is full of Bumble bees!

Hi Lizzie

Great to hear you are doing your bit to help pollinators. Sounds like you want to attract pollinators and help them out - which I suggest you are best placed to do simply by just concentrating on using as few pesticides as possible and planting a wide range of nectar and pollen producing plants, shrubs and trees as possible. This will support and promote pollinators locally.

Taking on hives of bees and keeping them responsibly is quite a cost, responsibility and time commitment, whether or not you ever actually take off any honey. Mick is right, it is like keeping livestock. There is a group of folk who have bees and for their own reasons leave them almost entirely alone to get on with it. My experience of friends who have attempted it, is that without exception their bees died out within a couple of seasons. Therefore I cannot honestly recommend it.

Unless you are really keen to learn how to manage bees (honey or no honey), I would simply concentrate on the planting for all pollinators. then you get a garden full of blossom and you should get great insect visitors to watch enjoying it. Sounds spot on to me.