The purpose of this set of guidelines is to establish a reference for good honeybee management practices.

Areas of Beekeeping Management to Consider

  • Hive Siting
  • Flyway Barriers
  • Hive Carrying Capacity
  • Colony Temperament and Behavior
  • Considerate Hive Management
  • Swarming
  • Provision of Water
  • Disease Control
  • Our Values

Hive Siting

Ideally, maintain at least 10 feet of space between the hive entrance and fences, walkways, or other locations in which the bees’ flight path will create a nuisance to neighbors and/or the public. Orient the hive entrance such that the flight path avoids areas of foot traffic, and directs bees away from places where people and animals congregate or traverse.

Flyway Barriers

Placing screening, foliage, shrubs, trees, fencing and barriers in front of the hive entrance will force the bees to leave the hive with an upward trajectory, minimizing human and animal contact. This is especially important in urban or suburban apiaries, where lots can be small and population dense.

Hive Carrying Capacity

Beekeepers are advised to closely observe their apiary locations to determine the carrying capacity of the area and to limit the number of hives accordingly. Signs of oversaturation in an area include slow colony growth, poor honey production, and excessively defensive behavior.

Colony Temperament and Behavior

Bees that are consistently defensive should be relocated or re-queened.

Considerate Hive Management

Beekeepers should perform hive manipulations as quickly as possible with minimum disturbance to the bees, following these guidelines:

  • Work hives when foragers are out and the hive is calm.
  • Avoid working hives when neighbors are nearby or the bees are defensive (for example, during the summer dearth of forage, or if the hives have been worked recently — some hives can be somewhat more defensive than usual for a day or two after being opened).
  • Robbing leads to defensive behavior, avoid working hives when robbing is a risk.

Swarming

Honeybee colonies should be managed to minimize swarming. Beekeepers whose hives have swarmed should take reasonable measures capture the swarm, to prevent it from becoming a nuisance.

Provision of Water

Beekeepers need to provide a suitable source of continuously available water for their bees such as a water bucket, bird bath, fountain or similar. Bees prefer still water to running, don’t mind ‘dirty’ water (mud, algae, rotting leaves, etc), and need rocks or organic material at the edge of the water they can hang onto when drinking.

A water source should be in place before new colonies are installed.

Disease Control

Beekeepers should monitor and manage disease and pests to ensure colony health. Beekeepers should take remedial action to prevent spread of disease.

Our Values

The Beekeepers’ Guild of San Mateo County encourages sustainable beekeeping and supports efforts to increase locally adapted bee populations through propagation of the healthy, gentle and productive local stocks.

We advocate protection of the bees’ habitat and the planting of pollinator friendly flowers, trees, shrubs to provide an abundance of pollen and nectar for honey bees and native pollinators without excess water usage.