Curious livestock inspecting a freshly strimmed apiary in the Salisbury Plain area!

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APIARY CONSTRUCTION

 When a suitable new site is found, the first major job is to construct the Stands upon which the hives will sit. These need to be completed so as to be level, with a very slight gradient sloping forward. This is to ensure that any moisture collecting in the hives will gently drain out instead of collecting inside and causing excessive dampness.

Raw materials for the Stands

(certain locations warrant the inclusion of paving slabs for the bases)

Preparing the base

Apprentice completing a Stand without paving slabs 

Finished Stands, with the spirit level to check final position

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Below are featured more images from new sites that have gone up in readiness for the 2013 season - the first shows clearly the groundswork needing doing in some locations, to create the open space necessary for the Apiary...

Initial inspection in a wooded enclosure - checking for our ease of access, and also for the balance of sunlight that will be able to penetrate into the clearing and enable the bees to navigate their way to and from the hives.

Despite our age of advanced technology, some tools never lose their usefulness!

And other modern tools, like this heavy duty strimmer, play their part too..

The first Stands go in...

...with more following, until the required number of Stands has been erected.

The basic building blocks of a new Stand - Stand-frame, concrete breeze-blocks, plastic Hive bases; these allow room for the MD Hive, plus space at the front for an alighting platform, preventing congestion of bees in the entrances during the busy honey-flow periods.

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Below, images from another new site constructed near Wimborne Minster.