How many hives will I need ?

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi mbc
I just watched "Queens I Have Known" on you tube https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAfM1ZI8I8
Welsh queens get a good endorsement
Well worth a watch especially some of the queen rearing bits
I think you are right about areas with more community spirit


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[mbc]

Thanks for that DR
By his own account Atkinson failed to improve those Welsh queens as he started from too narrow a base with too few sex alleles, shame really as his ideas showed promise, though from his book "background to bee breeding" a lot of the beekeeping sounds overly complicated.

[Calum]

Hi everyone as the title suggests how many hives will I need to to say cover an orchard that has say 300 apple trees on it ? This will aid me in knowing roughly how many hives I will need to have to cover a few orchard's that I hope to cover this year..

Thanks again for your replys

Hi
it depends a bit on what else is available and the weather, but I think 4-5 should do the job.
http://www.bio-biene.com/3.html recommends 3-4 per Ha for apples.
(their source Quelle Wissenschaft DBJ 2011)
Nice list of whats needed per ha for different crops.
Of course colony strenghts and weather are probably big variables for the results - I assume these are based on carnica colonies.

[prakel]

"Queens I Have Known" on you tube https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAfM1ZI8I8

Excellent link DR, a very enjoyable talk with some great practical tips unobstrusively dotted throughout.

[Calluna4u]

Bearing in mind Gwizzle's location I suspect these are not likely to be serious modern commercial orchards. Perhaps I am wrong, but most of what is left in Scotland are old relics of times gone by, heritage trees. Perhaps they are now being harvested again for the relatively new Scottish cider brands like Thistly Cross who I believe will come and collect your apples if here are enough. Whatever, I suspect it unlikely to be a place where there is commercial pollination going on or a contract available. Probably a damn good bee site though.

Back to my original response, we do not have enough information to make informed advice about how many colonies.

[Calum]

Bearing in mind Gwizzle's location I suspect these are not likely to be serious modern commercial orchards. Perhaps I am wrong, but most of what is left in Scotland are old relics of times gone by, heritage trees. Perhaps they are now being harvested again for the relatively new Scottish cider brands like Thistly Cross who I believe will come and collect your apples if here are enough. Whatever, I suspect it unlikely to be a place where there is commercial pollination going on or a contract available. Probably a damn good bee site though.

Back to my original response, we do not have enough information to make informed advice about how many colonies.

I'll chance my arm.
i'd put down 4 strong colonies per Ha. (see my previous quote & link) of planted trees. It is better than none, and not overkill - they shouldnt starve assuming there is enough other forage round about.
Placing less than 3 anywhere would be a waste of time going to visit them additionally to your main sites.
good luck
Calum