Bees on an island in my permaculture lake

Hi all,

After buying 27000 sqm (6.6 acres) I am planning a food forest with a lake taking 1/3 of the land.
In this lake I want to make an island exceptional for bees for some reasons.

Protecting the bees as much possible from our chickens and other animals
Protecting visitors
Providing the bees an abundance of water all around them during Thailand's dry season

but:
I have heard that some insects like Mossies do not like to cross water bodies, so I am a bit worried that the bees will feel not safe and make an escape too.
Anyone has an answer?

Cheers

Your bees will cross short distances of water to forage.

I’m more concerned by how you will care for them. How exactly do you access the island? How easy is it to live heavy boxes full of honey into your boat, take it across, lift out onto land, carry to where you need it etc… what if that box is full of live bees?

When planning an apiary for myself on of my most important factors I needing to get a trailer/vehicle/flat bed hand trolley right to the sides of the hives.

Michael Cox wrote:Your bees will cross short distances of water to forage.

I’m more concerned by how you will care for them. How exactly do you access the island? How easy is it to live heavy boxes full of honey into your boat, take it across, lift out onto land, carry to where you need it etc… what if that box is full of live bees?

When planning an apiary for myself on of my most important factors I needing to get a trailer/vehicle/flat bed hand trolley right to the sides of the hives.

The Island will be connected with a solid bridge

Due to the heat in Thailand you want to go with hives without top super because the bees will stay below anyway.
I am thinking about Tanzanian Hives with frames or the Thai ones which are only 1 level.

My chickens never seemed interested in bees. Other animals sure might be though. Skunks & bears come to mind.

Bees will not be concerned about flying over a couple acres of water. Your island sounds like a safe place for them.

If you move them by boat (or any vehicle really) strap the boxes & top together securely. I once moved one in the back of a truck. Hit a hidden pothole hard & the hive partly came apart. They were not amused. Not even a little.

Tanzanian hive looks similar to a Layens or improved Layens horizontal hive. We have a guy in Missouri that designed that, he’s from Russia and has a PhD in AgroForestry from University of Missouri.

Those hives look like the ones a group of us in the Kansas City Freedom Cell are planing to build this coming spring, along with swarm traps. Natural bee keeping sounds like the best way to go, catch natively adapted bees, use horizontal hives, deep frames, and the bees stay much calmer. Far easier to check the hives one frame at a time, less chance to crush a bee… also, Dr Leo promotes leaving enough honey for the winter plus an extra month, never feeding sugar water, and also paint each hive differently so it’s easier for the bees to verify they are returning to the correct hive! No more field of cloned white vertical hives…

Excited to get started this year.. I wish you great success and enjoyment! Oh yes, if you check out Dr Leo’s website (horizontalhive.com) he does have free plans to build hives, stands, frames, even beehive beds!