Beekeepers always welcome the opportunities for new apiary sites.
What we can do on your behalf is to place an advert in our monthly Newsletter (we publish at the start of each month) and on our website. We have over 200 members across Oxfordshire so it is likely someone will express an interest.
Please tell us where the land is, for example the nearest village or town, and whether there are any restrictions on the use of the land, for example times when access would not be permitted.
If you are content for your contact details to be made available to all our members, we will include them in the advert. If you would prefer to keep your details confidential, we can ask our members to use our secretary as an intermediary. Please state which option you would prefer.
To advertise your potential apiary site on our website and in our newsletter please either complete the Contact Us form here with your relevant details or contact our Secretary directly at secretary@obka.org.uk
What makes a good apiary site?
Please be aware that when a beekeeper is looking for an apiary away from their home (we call them ‘out-apiaries’) they will need to consider a number of factors to decide if the location is suitable to keep bees. These factors include:
- General suitability of the site, for example is it near near a public road or footpath where people might be disturbed by (or disturb) the bees
- Access – is it possible to drive a car to reasonably near to where the hives will be located. There can be a lot of heavy equipment that the beekeeper needs to move to and from the site at different times of the year. More generally will there be any restrictions when the beekeeper can access the site.
- The number of hives that can be kept on the site. This number can suddenly increase if the beekeeper needs to ‘split’ one or more hives to prevent the bees swarming.
- The security of site – for example is there a locked gate to the area where the hives will be located.
- Protection of hives from damage by farm animals. Cattle proof fencing may be required if there are horses or cattle in neighbouring fields.
- Is there any likelihood that crops in adjacent fields could be sprayed and if so, would htere be a mechanism to alert the beekeeper.
- The nature of any payment for the apiary site – typically, beekeepers pay in jars of honey!
- Termination of arrangement
- Insurance