HOSTING REQUIREMENTS
Location: I'm a one woman show, and would love to serve all of Spokane, however to properly care for my girls, I will be focusing my urban hives closer to home, North West Spokane, generally this means the Audubon, Downriver, and Shadle Neighborhoods. Rural hives require a bit less maintenance, so I can also place hives with hosts in the rural areas of Spokane County.
Space: For each Hive, you will need a space that is about 6'x10', with low daily pedestrian traffic. The hives themselves will take up about 2'x4' each (plus a little space for me to work), and it is best to give the bees an 8-10 foot "runway" in front of the hive to reach cruising altitude above people's heads.
Sunshine: The bees need at least a half day of sun. In the Spokane area, honey bees like a bit of shade to keep from getting too hot.
Water: Bees need water, if you can provide a bee waterer they will certainly appreciate it! If you can provide them with water, it might help keep them out of your neighbors pool. I can help you with this!
Forage: To stay healthy and thrive, honeybees need excellent sources of pollen and nectar, that are free of pesticides. We are very fortunate to have native land that provides an abundance of pollen and nectar so close to our lush urban landscaping. I have a long background in landscape design, if you would like to plant a pollinator garden to more closely observe your new bees, I can help with that! You might also visit honeybees favorite plants to learn more.
Accessible: The location must be easy for me to access without having to pass through any buildings, and in all seasons.
No Bee Allergies: Honey bees don’t like to sting, and severe honey bee allergies are actually relatively rare. Still, if you or your family are allergic to honey bees, you’re probably not a good candidate for being a hive host unless you have a very large property where the bees can be placed in a completely unused area.
No Bears: It's true, bears love honey, but they especially love the protein in honey bee larva! This love affair of theirs is no fun for me to manage, not only is it's heart breaking to lose a colony who I've nurtured and grown so attached to, and it's very costly, as bears can easily destroy an entire hive valued at $1-5k in minutes. If you have bears in your area, I encourage you to do all of the research you can before keeping bees on your property.