Site Preparation and Hive Placement

Setting up your hive site is about giving your bees the best possible environment - and yourself the easiest possible management. Get this right, and you'll save yourself headaches down the road.

Choosing Your Location

Before you start assembling anything, think about what makes a good bee yard. This is where common sense matters as much as technique.

Forage and Water

Your bees need food within flying distance. The area should have good forage for nectar and pollen throughout the season. There are online tools to map bee forage resources in your area - worth checking before you commit to a spot.

Fresh water is non-negotiable. A creek, drip system, or water feeders nearby. Bees will find water somewhere, and you'd rather it be close than have them flying into your neighbor's pool.

Sun and Wind

Cardinal direction matters - you want maximum sun on the hive entrance during the day. Southeast or south-facing is typically preferred (Jason notes he needs to double-check the exact recommendation from a specific podcast, but this is the general principle).

Windbreaks make a difference. A fence line or tree line that blocks direct wind impact protects your hive without shading it completely. Think about prevailing winds in your area.

Shade vs. sun is climate-dependent. Full sun might be too intense in some areas; partial shade helps in others. Know your local conditions.

Drainage and Level Ground

Don't camp in a flood zone, don't put your hive in one. Avoid low spots where water pools after rain. It's common sense, but easy to overlook when you're excited about that perfect sunny spot.

Level ground is critical for comb building. 

Here's why: bees use gravity to draw comb. They hold each other's legs and hang straight down like trapeze artists in what's called "festooning." This is how they build perfectly vertical comb. If your hive tilts, their center of gravity is off, and you get weird crosscomb - like trying to build straight while standing on the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Use an actual level tool. This isn't optional.

What You'll Need

Keep it flexible. Beekeepers use all kinds of setups, and if you feel like you need one specific configuration, that's a turn-off. Here's what works:

Foundation Options

Ground cover (recommended): Tarp or semi-permeable material

• Moisture protection
• Small hive beetle control: Beetle larvae drop from the hive, burrow into soil to pupate, then return as adults. A barrier stops this cycle. They land on the tarp, wander around, get picked off by birds, or can't find their way back. It also helps with ants.

Hive stand: Something to lift your hive 5-12 inches off the ground

• Reduces ant and mouse access
• Options: wooden pallets, paving stones, cinder blocks, garden bench, freezer racks (Jason's favorite - Dunnage racks from restaurant supply, stainless steel or aluminum, perfect height, built-in rails for strapping)

Heavy base (for windy/hurricane-prone areas): Cinder blocks work great

• Place underneath as foundation
• Can also place on top and strap through for hurricane-proofing

Security

Straps: Ratchet straps > the included nylon straps

• Primal Bee provides straps, but ratchet straps hold tighter and don't slip
• Place straps on the SIDES of the hive, not front/back - this keeps them away from the entrance where they'd disturb bees and startle them when you remove the strap

For extreme wind: Add a third strap longitudinally (like a belt around multiple hives) to bind everything together

Setup Process

Step 1: Prepare the Ground

Flatten and level your location. Use your level tool. Remember: tilted hive = wonky comb.

Step 2: Lay Down Ground Cover (If Using)

Tarp or semi-permeable material goes down first. Secure it with bricks or landscape staples so it doesn't shift.

This creates your beetle barrier and moisture protection.

Step 3: Position Your Hive Stand

Heavy base first (cinder blocks or your chosen foundation), then your support structure across the top.

Don't use the term "beams" or "rails" - most beekeepers don't use that language. Think: pallets, pavers, stands, racks, benches. Whatever elevates your hive 5-12 inches and stays stable.

Make sure everything is level. Check it twice.

Step 4: Assemble Your Hive Completely

Put the entire hive together BEFORE placing it on the stand. This is way easier than trying to assemble it in position.

Step 5: Position and Secure

Place your hive on the stand. If you're managing multiple colonies, position hives with no gaps between them - this maximizes thermal benefits.

Strap it down vertically from outer cover to bottom board. 

As a slight deviation from the chart diagram - position straps on the BOTH sides, not blocking the entrance. In high-wind areas, add that horizontal strap around multiple hives like a belt.

The Bottom Line

Good site prep is about:

• Giving bees access to food and water
• Protecting them from wind and weather extremes
• Making your life easier when you need to work the hive
• Preventing pests from setting up camp underneath

The exact setup doesn't matter as much as these principles. Wooden pallet? Great. Fancy stand? Also great. Freezer rack from a restaurant supply store? Jason's favorite, and it works perfectly.

Level ground, good drainage, sun on the entrance, straps on the sides. Get those right, and you're golden.