Hilary Kearney, the professional beekeeper behind Girl Next Door Honey, has built a thriving business focused on bee-centric programs, from natural beekeeping classes to live bee removal. A passionate advocate for understanding honeybees, she believes a solid grasp of their behavior leads to better beekeepers. In her latest book, Heart of the Hive: Inside the Mind of the Honey Bee and the Incredible Life Force of the Colony, she explores honeybee biology with a mix of scientific insight and the magic that makes beekeeping so captivating. Here, Hilary shares expert tips to create a successful apiary garden, blending practical hive placement and plant palettes with a deep respect for bees’ natural instincts and needs.
Before breaking ground on your apiary, Hilary suggests running through these key steps to not only familiarize yourself with your garden’s potential but also to fully understand the wonderful world of bees. When it comes to placing beehives, location depends on your tolerance for bee activity and how you plan to use your space. While every garden is unique, this important list of requirements will help you check off your list for a safe and functional setup.
Pollinator Planning
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Research ready. Read books and take classes rather than relying on the internet if possible. Hilary warns that keeping honeybees is not like setting up a birdhouse, as you have to manage your bees regularly. While it can take years to learn how to properly care for honeybees, it’s better to start building your understanding from reliable sources.
Wonders of the wild. Many beginners get caught up in what equipment to buy, but Hilary believes one must first understand honeybee behavior and biology to become a better beekeeper and make informed decisions when putting together a setup.
Mindful mentorship. Find a beekeeper you admire; an experienced guide will have more localized and specific knowledge of your climate. Online courses are also a great option—Hilary teaches students all over the country with an online mentorship program that advises on climates adaptation when needed.
More the merrier. Involve a friend, family member, or partner. A second person can help you research and make decisions and will be an extra set of hands when working with the bees.
Substance before style. Hilary advises to listen to your specific situation before leaning into aesthetics. Where the classic Langstroth beehive consists of a series of boxes that stack vertically on top of each other, the design might be too cumbersome for those unable to repeatedly lift heavy objects who might want to opt for a horizontal style, such as a Top Bar hive that is better suited for their needs.
Hive How-Tos
Photography by © Tosca Radigonda. Excerpted from QueenSpotting © by Hilary Kearney. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
Quiet corners. Position hives away from high-activity zones. Placement near busy pathways, children’s play areas, garden space, neighbor property lines, or pools might attract more action than desired.
Easy to access. Regular hive visits are essential, and extra space might be needed when carrying heavy equipment to and from your apiary. No ground space? No problem. Beehives can also be placed on a rooftop if heights aren’t problematic for you.
Stay grounded. Hives need to be on flat, level ground to keep the bees building their comb straight, in addition to providing a comfortable, safe area for you to work on.
Sunny side up. Unless your climate is regularly over 100°F, your hives will do best in full sun, as shaded areas are prone to more pests and can develop mold issues. Plus, bees are sometimes crankier in the shade.
Plant-free zones. Beekeepers need to protect their bees from ants. To do so, Hilary suggests placing hives on stands with legs, then creating moats or other barriers that prevent ants from climbing them. Keep neighboring plants pruned so branches do not touch the hives and become bridges for the ants to bypass your barriers.
Room to roam. In the unlikely situation bees become defensive, they may attack nearby animals. Avoid runs or caged areas, and always provide an option for outdoor pets to run away to escape stinging bees.
Buzz-Worthy Build
Hilary Kearney
Size and site selection matter. Once you’ve chosen a hive design, set it up in your apiary to visualize the space you’ll need, allowing room to move around and maintain the hives. Hilary recommends keeping three to four feet between colonies for easy access and positioning hives so bees have a 10- to 15-foot flight zone in front, away from paths, high-traffic areas, or plants that require frequent upkeep.
Two is better than one. Hilary recommends beginner beekeepers start with at least two colonies, which will allow you to compare and observe a broader range of behaviors within colonies.
Forward-facing. Keep in mind that most bee activity happens at the hive entrance. It is a good practice to face multiple hives in the same direction to keep the flow of traffic, allowing you to stand in the back during inspections without disturbing any of their flight paths.
Consider a flight screen. Hilary built a space-saving 6.5-foot divider using a 72-inch aluminum window screen framed in redwood, reducing the space needed in front of her hives. The screen forces bees to fly up and over, raising their flight path above head level and creating a clear, peaceful walking path in the adjacent garden.
Bee-Spoke Styling
Hilary Kearney
Keep it fun. Hilary encourages fun design elements in the apiary. In her own backyard, she built custom stands for each hive using turned chair legs for a whimsical, elegant look to match her 1887 Victorian carriage house. Don’t be afraid to turn your hive into a work of art, paint a mural, add custom handles, or even consider growing a mini living rooftop garden.
Prolong the pollen. When choosing flowering plants for bees, look for plants that bloom for long periods of time or throughout the year. Hilary has chosen sunflowers, borage, cosmos, open-style dahlias, blanket flowers, and lavender for her Southern California garden.
Plant placement. Bees like to have large groupings of the same flower type. For best results, cluster three or more of the same plant together in your landscape design. Hilary created long raised beds between the apiary and outdoor living space, mixing in large groupings of flowers with veggies in each bed.
Beneficial blooms. It’s not just about planting flowers: Hilary maximizes her offerings by also planting flowering trees in her parkway. Mature flowering trees are one of the best floral sources for bees, providing thousands of flowers annually without any maintenance. Try also rethinking hedges by planting flowering shrubs such as ‘Moonlight’ grevillea, ‘Strybing Beauty’ mallow, and Mexican elderberries that provide privacy and pollen.
Buy the Book
Heart of the Hive: Inside the Mind of the Honey Bee and the Incredible Life Force of the Colony. Copyright © 2024 by Hilary Kearney. Cover photograph © Eric Tourneret. Published by Storey Publishing.
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