# Does anyone rent land for their bees?



## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Mine will be on someone else's land in a week. He told another beekeeper I know that he was looking for someone to put hives on his property. It's five acres and I plan to keep around 10 hives there. I told him I'd give him some honey. All on a handshake.


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

I just pull up to a property that looks good and setup some hives. kinda like bee squatters. heh heh

If I can place them so they aren't seen easily by the owner, even better. ninja beekeeping at it's best.

why pay when you can hijack your bee yards?

Big Bear


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

bigbearomaha said:


> I just pull up to a property that looks good and setup some hives. kinda like bee squatters. heh heh


I encourage all Maine beekeepers to follow Big Bear's example. Hopefully, I can snag some free hives left at my place! :lpf:

I am ahead of my curve as far as beeyards go. I've had more than enough unsolicited offers so far. Seems a lot of people like the idea of having bees on their place. A person who runs the store where I get my coffee every morning asked if I wanted to put hives on her place. I placed 5 colonies there this spring but it looked like it might be a bit much, since the owner has gardens and a small orchard and a pond there near their house. I reduced them to three hives and there hasn't been too much bee traffic to cause a problem. Be sensitive to the owner's use of the property.

I have an offer to use part of a pasture which will work out well next spring. I'll set 20 to 40 hives there depending on how the increases go and if the swarm goddess smiles on me. I had another offer that I haven't followed up on yet. 

Wayne


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

bigbearomaha said:


> ninja beekeeping at it's best.


You're kidding, right?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

NorthernIllinoisPlumber said:


> how do you pay them if they require it?


1 case of quarts for my 25 colony apiary. Then there's the dairy farmer who has a sweet tooth for Genny in bottles.


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

Michael Palmer said:


> Then there's the dairy farmer who has a sweet tooth for Genny in bottles.


I miss northern NY.

Wayne


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## stripstrike (Aug 29, 2009)

Michael Palmer said:


> Then there's the dairy farmer who has a sweet tooth for Genny in bottles.


Ten cent wings and dollar drafts of Genny. A ten spot would cover you for a weekend in college. Was it really twenty odd years ago?

I'm shooting for a couple hives on land that is leased to the town by the County Sheriff's department next year. The fields are expansive. We haven't discussed any payment except the benefit to the community gardens there in increased pollination. Could be a nice location if it comes together.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

A pound of honey per hive annually on a handshake agreement is common around here.


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

> You're kidding, right?



You mean it wasn't obvious? 

Big Bear


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

we give two ice cream pails of honey per yard to the land owners. Some are suprised and some do not want that much. We want to stay in their good books. I mean we take a small part of the land for the yard but we also drive on the land to get to the yards. And we winter them in the yards, have space to place bales around the yard and space to keep the bales over the summer...mostly along a bush line but still.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

stripstrike said:


> I'm shooting for a couple hives on land that is leased to the town by the County Sheriff's department next year. The fields are expansive. We haven't discussed any payment except the benefit to the community gardens there in increased pollination. Could be a nice location if it comes together.


I would be surprised if they let you for liability reasons. But, no harm in asking. 

I found a 26 acre property next to a freeway and the owner just wanted 10 of the acres cut so we did. So that was the swap. I gave him some honey also. I did give him a liability waver so if my kids got hurt cutting the grass that I would not sue him.

Thinking of tilling it and planting clover but, don't really know how to farm.


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## rjphil (Feb 13, 2009)

stripstrike said:


> Ten cent wings and dollar drafts of Genny.


Oh man, if you're talkin' Cream Ale, I'm so there! (Pardon the flashback to college daze).


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

rjphil said:


> Oh man, if you're talkin' Cream Ale, I'm so there! (Pardon the flashback to college daze).


Or maybe Genny Bock. Mmmm. Bottom of the barrel.


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## kbenz (Feb 17, 2010)

lol.... don't you mean Genny screamers:lpf: ( next day anyway). $1 drafts?? 20yrs ago we were doin .10 wings and .25 drafts $5 and you got yer belly full and a nice little buzz goin


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## hilreal (Aug 16, 2005)

Quart of honey per producing hive.


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## Jeff G (May 12, 2010)

If you are having trouble finding a place to place your hives, do what I did and run an ad in the local paper. I had offers for 10 locations in a week for free. I just had to decide who had the best site and would be easiest to work with. I do give them a taste of honey but that is not why the do it. There are a lot of people out there that just like the idea of having bees and helping them survive.


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

We garden and can. I give out homemade pickles, jams, salsa, spagetti sauce, peaches, heirloom tomatoes.

It's like cheating!


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## Ted n Ms (Apr 25, 2008)

I give my land owners one gal. per year. Honey not moonshine....thats for me.


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## Dreyadin (Sep 5, 2010)

Wow... so um.. how many hives would you put on a 75 acre farm (that hasn't seen a drop of pesticides since the late 80's) of which about 40 or so is tilled (alfalfa) and the rest has old orchards and left wild?


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## stripstrike (Aug 29, 2009)

EastSideBuzz said:


> I would be surprised if they let you for liability reasons. But, no harm in asking.
> 
> I found a 26 acre property next to a freeway and the owner just wanted 10 of the acres cut so we did. So that was the swap. I gave him some honey also. I did give him a liability waver so if my kids got hurt cutting the grass that I would not sue him.
> 
> Thinking of tilling it and planting clover but, don't really know how to farm.


I was concerned I'd get the liability issue from them also, but I got the approval today, no rent due! The immediate area is about 45 square acres and is chockablock full of goldenrod, loosestrife, and old growth farm fields. Should be a great opportunity to let bees be bees.


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

Dreyadin said:


> Wow... so um.. how many hives would you put on a 75 acre farm (that hasn't seen a drop of pesticides since the late 80's) of which about 40 or so is tilled (alfalfa) and the rest has old orchards and left wild?


25 or so should be good


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