Many problems that present as disease or pests are in fact conditions. Managing the environment is therefore a health measure.

Damp — the most important factor

Damp underlies chalkbrood, stonebrood, septicaemia, nosema and most winter losses.

• Dry, well-draining ground
• The hive off the ground
• Tilted slightly forward so condensation runs out
• A roof that does not leak
• Ventilation not entirely closed off

Sun and shelter

• Morning sun gets the bees flying early
• Midday shade in warm regions saves the strength that otherwise goes into cooling
• Shelter: Wind costs heat and hinders returning bees

Vegetation around the hives

• Keep it short; long grass holds moisture and bridges for ants
• No vegetation reaching the hive
• With small hive beetle the soil type matters: soft ground favours pupation

Water

A source of your own prevents the bees going to swimming pools and drinking troughs — and limits exposure to puddles on sprayed fields.

Provide it before the colonies arrive; once accustomed, bees are hard to redirect.

Layout

Not in a straight row. Drifting weakens the middle colonies and moves mites and disease between hives.

Different orientations, colours and landmarks reduce it.

Hygiene at the apiary

• Clear up spilt honey and extraction waste; they attract robbing and pests
• Leave no comb in the open
• Close the hive of a dead colony immediately
• Do not leave old hive parts standing at the site

Forage

Staggered mowing, late-flowering species and single-flowered varieties improve nutrition — and with it resistance — more than any supplement.