Could you host a hive?

I'm always looking for places to keep hives on Mersea and very close by. If you think you've got a suitable spot then please get in touch!

The benefits to you

You get to enjoy watching the bees. I love to sit in my garden and watch my bees coming and going.

Your garden, and everyone's around you, will benefit from the bees too. You will be helping nature!

If you're interested in the bees, you're welcome to join me when I open up the hive.

And you won't have to buy any honey! I will let you have honey from your garden!

What is a good location?

A quiet spot in a garden, or a nice hedgerow on a farm. Your garden doesn't have to be huge, but you'll want an area where you don't have to keep walking past the hive. That 'dead space' at the end of some gardens is perfect!

Some shade (the ultimate location gets early morning sun to warm them up in the morning, and then shade for the rest of the day).

A garden I can access without too much trouble, and be relatively easy to get heavy supers of honey through. And of course you'd have to be happy with me turning up regularly in the summer.

Somewhere that isn't too accessible / visible - unfortunately hives get stollen!

Are they good tenants?

Every colony (think hive!) is different, and has different characteristics.

Generally bees are calm and predictable, and will only react if you threaten their hive.

Obviously if I'm putting a hive in someone's garden I choose a colony that is calm - like I do with my own garden hive (I call them my 'pet bees'. They're so calm my cat could walk up to the front of the hive and put her face right up to the entrance).

But queen's change, and bees can get stressed (like the very hot spell we've just had, which deprives them of nectar). You'll learn how close you can walk to the hive, and when to keep clear. You'll learn their mood!

If you have a dog that runs right up to the hive they might get stung - but they quickly learn!