For Texas Landowners
Information about hosting beehives for our landowners in Texas:
TIMELINE:
We place bees in January or March, remove in May
In January hives come from North Dakota
In March hives come from California after almond pollination is finished
We visit hives every 1-2 weeks to feed, make splits, requeen, etc.
The bees are shipped on semis under a net to North Dakota for the summer
Bees can typically be moved out from the location in 24hrs if needed
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE LANDOWNER?
A case of honey and/or barbecue sauce for each location
A gift of some sort (sweatshirt, t-shirt, hats, gloves, etc.)
Potential tax savings
WILL I GET STUNG?!?
Highly unlikely. Honeybees are very non-aggressive compared to hornets and wasps
Honeybees will only sting if threatened, i.e. getting caught in your hair/clothing or disturbing their hive
WHAT MAKES A GOOD LOCATION FOR BEES?
We need about 50 x 300 feet for 128-256 hives, plus room to turn around a truck and forklift
Relatively level and smooth
Not wet (we won’t visit if the roads are soft anyway)
Great locations: abandoned oil wells, pastures (cows & horses ok), corners of hayfields, etc
We need to stay 1.5 - 2 miles from another bee location (bees forage 2 miles in any direction)
