10 Acres in Leesburg available for hives

[grunerhaven]

We have a 10 acre property in Leesburg, and are interested in having hives on our property. We have a wildflower meadow started, and plan to increase the wildflower meadows this spring. Near our house we have a bee and butterfly garden, with no pesticide use. We do keep horses on our property, but there are areas where a bee hive could be undisturbed. Please contact me if interested. (I know its late this year, but for next season).

Thanks!

Adrianne

[Bret Fisher]

Adrianne,

Your property sounds like a good location for keeping bees, but do keep in mind that honey bees can forage for up to a few miles from their hive, so it's important to consider any commercial agriculture operations nearby that may be less careful about their use of pesticides.

I could not tell for sure from your note if you are interested in becoming beekeepers yourselves or only want to offer your property to a beekeeper looking for additional sites to host his/her hives. If the former, please consider taking a beekeeping class over the winter to learn more about all that is involved. The class is not limited to future beekeepers, nor is membership in the Loudoun Beekeepers Association. Our own class schedule for next year is not posted yet, but it will likely be similar to the 2016 schedule:

http://www.loudounbee.org/the-association/beekeeping-classes.html/

I've attached a PDF guide called "Beekeeping Basics" that I've found very useful and recommend to all new beekeepers and those just interested in learning more.

My own backyard hives keep me plenty busy and do quite well on our wooded 10 acres in very northern Prince William county, so I am not in a position to tend to additional hives. Keeping bees has become a fascinating education and fun hobby for me, so I tend to encourage others to learn more and consider keeping bees themselves if their current lifestyle and location support it.

Best of luck!

Beekeeping Basics_agrs93.pdf