Courtesy of Howland Blackiston

      FIGURE 3-1: This gift basket of honey bee products will be given to each of my immediate neighbors. That’s sure to help sweeten them up.

Location, Location, Location: Where to Keep Your Hives

      You can keep bees just about anywhere: in the countryside, in the city, in a corner of the garden, by the back door, in a field, on the terrace, or even on an urban rooftop. You don’t need a great deal of space, nor do you need to have flowers on your property. Bees will happily travel a few miles to forage for what they need.

      Knowing what makes a perfect bee yard

These girls are amazingly adaptable, but you’ll get optimum results and a more rewarding honey harvest if you follow some basic guidelines (see Figure 3-2). Basically, you’re looking for easy access (so you can tend to your hives), good drainage (so the bees don’t get wet), a nearby water source for the bees, dappled sunlight, and minimal wind. Keep in mind that fulfilling all these criteria may not be possible. Do the best you can by

      Urban considerations

      (Many thanks to New York City–beekeeper Andrew Coté, author of Honey and Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper (Penguin Random House) for his contribution to this section and the “urban” call-outs throughout the book.)

      Just about all the considerations listed in the preceding section apply to urban situations. Here are a few more details for all you city beekeepers out there.

      Dealing with nervous neighbors

      Bees living near people can cause anxiety, particularly in the close quarters of city living. In an urban environment, there can be more tension than in the suburbs or in the country. Education is, of course, one of the best remedies for making neighbors more comfortable. And so is a tasty bribe. Give a jar of honey to your neighbors to sweeten their view of bees and beekeeping. Promise them that there’s more where that came from!

      With the gift jar, include a thoughtfully worded letter that explains what you are planning to do. Let them know it’s perfectly legal (assuming it is legal in your area). Explain the wonder of honey bees. Exude the virtues of pollination. Share the magic of how local honey fends off pollen allergies. Reassure them that bees rarely sting unless threatened. Give your neighbors time to get past the fear factor; let them digest what they’ve read and appreciate what they’ve tasted.

      City bees have the same needs as country bees

      Bees in urban settings need morning sun, dappled afternoon shade, a nearby water source (to keep the bees away from air-conditioner drips and leaky water towers that are surely nearby), and a buffer from the cold winter wind.

      Deciding where to put your hives

      Placement of urban hives is often tricky and a stumbling block for many metropolitan beekeepers. Don’t be one of those beekeepers who takes a course, builds a kit, gets a package of bees, and then realizes there’s no suitable place to put the bees! Do your homework upfront. Talk to neighbors with roof access, check in with community gardens or privately administered parks, ask a nearby house of worship or even a zoo for permission to establish your apiary. Knock on a lot of doors.

      Strike a deal with a community garden

      These are usually run by small neighborhood groups who are sympathetic to honey bees, welcome their pollination, and are likely eager to offer a home for your hives.

      Speak to your landlord about roof rights

      See if you can get access to your building’s rooftop and obtain permission to place a hive or two on the roof. Rooftop hives are wonderful in that they are out of sight to most residents, thus reducing neighborhood fear and lessening the chance of vandalism.

      Although a roof is a great location for urban beehives, there are safety issues to take into consideration.