• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

carolina honeybees logo

For the Love of Beekeeping & Bees

Header Left

Header Right

Header Left

Header Right

  • Home
  • Bees
  • Beekeeping
  • Beeswax
  • Honey
  • Bee Gardens
  • Class & Books
    • Beekeeping Class Combo
    • Beekeeping Journal
    • Buzz into Beekeeping
    • Flowers for Your Honeybee Garden Book
  • Search
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Home
  • Bees
  • Beekeeping
  • Beeswax
  • Honey
  • Bee Gardens
  • Class & Books
    • Beekeeping Class Combo
    • Beekeeping Journal
    • Buzz into Beekeeping
    • Flowers for Your Honeybee Garden Book
  • Search
honeybees

What is an Apiary-How Beekeepers Use Them

Home » Bee Farm Blog » Beekeeping » What is an Apiary-How Beekeepers Use Them

January 8, 2021 //  by Beekeeper Charlotte

This post may contain affiliate links. Full Disclosure Read Here
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Table of Contents

  • What is an Apiary?
    • How to Pronounce the Word Apiary
  • Why is it called an Apiary?
    • How Bee Yards Benefit Beekeepers
  • How Apiaries Benefit Crops
    • Apiaries on Wheels
    • Moving Bee Yards to Follow the Crop
    • Advantages of Mobile Apiaries for Small Scale Beekeepers
  • How to Start an Apiary
  • Final Thoughts on What is an Apiary

What is an Apiary?

An apiary is a place where beehives are kept and managed by a beekeeper.  Keeping honey bees is one of the oldest hobbies on the planet.  Some beekeepers keep bees for fun and for others it is a serious occupation.  Each beekeeper is responsible for the bees in his/her apiary.   Let’s explore this strange word and understand why it is used in beekeeping.

picture of a beekeeper inspecting a hive in his apiary

How to Pronounce the Word Apiary

Sometimes confused with the word aviary (which refers to a place for birds) an apiary involves honey bees.

In fact, the base of the word apiary comes from the Latin word for bee – which is “api”. The proper pronunciation of apiary is :  ei·pee·eh·ree.

Why is it called an Apiary?

The word apiary is often erroneously associated with apes or monkeys.  No, that’s not true. To understand the use of this word in reference to bees, first we need to look at the origin. 

Apis mellifera is the latin word for honey bee. This first word is the genus “Apis” meaning bee and the second word “mellifera” means honey bearing.

The term apiary is used to describe a word used to describe a plot of land that contains beehives managed by a beekeeper. 

Apiaries are not natural, they are man made. This is because in nature you do not find honey bee colonies living close together. By spreading out over more land, there is less competition for food.

In a natural settings, it is rare to find more than 2 honey bee colonies within a square mile of land.

picture of a group of beehives, what is an apiary

How Bee Yards Benefit Beekeepers

Another term commonly used among beekeepers to describe their apiary is “bee yard”.  This makes perfect sense because an area where hives are placed is often a nice flat location that is easy to access.

An apiary can be any size from 2 hives for a hobby beekeeper to a thousand hives for a commercial beekeeper. Most large beekeepers haves more than 1 bee yard or apiary.

From earliest times, beekeepers learned that having hives located close hive management easier.  Feeding bees, inspecting hives, gathering honey all tasks are easier when the bees are in one location.

The factors involved in finding the best location for your hives are very important for any apiary set up.

Also, the number of available foraging plants, water sources etc all must be considered when deciding how many hives to have in one place.

The honey produced from one apiary may taste different than that of another.  Why?  Perhaps, different types of nectar producing plants are nearby.

Honey can vary in taste and color from one bee yard to another.  Also, the same apiary can have honey that looks different from season to season.  Weather conditions affect that amount of nectar produced by local flowers.

How Apiaries Benefit Crops

Honey bees contribute billions of dollars in benefits to agriculture each year.. Commercial bee yards are placed near crops such as: strawberries, blueberries, oranges etc. 

In the US, it is common for large beekeepers to move beehives from one location to another to provide pollination for farmers. Hives are loaded onto big trucks at night and moved to the new field.

Apiaries on Wheels

In parts of Europe, it is more common to see true apiaries on wheels where the beehives are part of the mobile vehicle. Sounds like a honey bee RV to me.

picture of colorful hives on a truck for moving to new location

Moving Bee Yards to Follow the Crop

Some commercial beekeepers have another reason for using temporary apiaries. Special types of honey is harvested by moving hives from one location to another.

Sourwood honey is produced in the Appalachian mountains-while Tupelo honey is being made in the swamps of Georgia. As the bloom slows in one location and starts in another the bees follow.

Advantages of Mobile Apiaries for Small Scale Beekeepers

For the crops that need insect pollination, having an apiary situated nearby is a valuable benefit to the farmer.  This is also a way for beekeepers to earn money.

Even a small-scale beekeeper may earn some dollars from placing hives near a local strawberry field etc. 

However, it is always important to discuss pesticide use with the farmer before placing bees.  Pesticides kill many bee colonies each year.

Likewise, some beekeepers in my region take a few hives up into the mountains to make Sourwood Honey each Summer.

How to Start an Apiary

If you have an interest in having your own apiary, these are some tips to consider as you begin.

  • join a local beekeeping club
  • take a beekeeping class
  • read some top beekeeping books

Like many projects, success in beekeeping depends a lot on the prep work. Learn, learn and learn some more before your bees arrive and your chances of success increase.

Final Thoughts on What is an Apiary

Beyond the origin of the word apiary which refers to the scientific classifcation system, the term can actually mean different things.

One apiary may be 2 beehives sitting in the backyard of a suburban home. While another apiary can be thousands of beehives sitting in an almond grove.

What is an apiary? It is a place where a beekeeper cares for his/her bees. It’s that simple.

Beekeeper Charlotte

Category: BeekeepingTag: Bee Yard, Beehive

About Beekeeper Charlotte

Master Beekeeper, Charlotte Anderson shares her love of all things honeybee. She helps others become better beekeepers and teaches new beekeepers how to get started. Her mission is spreading awareness of the importance of honey bees. She is a former Beekeeper of the Year in South Carolina.

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

picture of adult honey bee with varroa mite on thorax

When to Treat Bees For Mites?

queen honey bee surrounded by workers

Queen Bee Life Cycle-Facts Beekeepers Need to Know

How To Paint a Beehive – Quick Easy Tips

finding a marked queen bee is easier

How to Find Your Queen Bee

queen bee and workers on a frame in the hive

Interesting Facts about Queen Honey Bees

color variations in 2 types of honey bees

Choosing the Best Types of Honey Bees

developing queen cell in capped stage on frame

4 Stages of Queen Cells

queen honey bee swarm cells on frame

Queen Cells : Do They Mean Trouble?

single honey bee queen cell hanging on a frame in the hive

What to do With Queen Cells?

picture of drone brood in beehive

What to do With a Drone Laying Queen Hive

picture of bullet shaped drone brood in drone layer hive

The Drone Laying Queen Hive

picture of bee brood on a frame of honeycomb in a hive

Bee Brood – Everything You Need to Know

Previous Post: «picture of bee brood on a frame of honeycomb in a hive Bee Brood – Everything You Need to Know
Next Post: Baked Honey Chicken Tenders Recipe picture of golden honey chicken tenders on a blue plate»

Primary Sidebar

picture of beekeeper charlotteHi, this is Beekeeper Charlotte

Welcome to my site. Want to learn more about bees? Let’s get started.

To learn more about my journey to becoming the first female Master Beekeeper in my state?

Learn More About Me

buzz beekeeping book

Latest Posts on the Blog

picture of adult honey bee with varroa mite on thorax

When to Treat Bees For Mites?

queen honey bee surrounded by workers

Queen Bee Life Cycle-Facts Beekeepers Need to Know

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure Policy

Carolina Honeybees, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  Affiliate links to Amazon or any other company do not cost you anything.

We are also affiliates for other reputable companies and may earn a commission from sales resulting from a link. See full disclosure policy on Privacy Page. Privacy Policy & Affiliate Info

VISIT MY ETSY SHOP

Visit Carolina Honeybees on Etsy

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service

Copyright © 2021 Carolina Honeybees · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.