An apiary is a location where beehives are kept and managed. It can be as small as a couple of hives in a suburban backyard or as large as a commercial operation with hundreds of colonies spread across a field. The beekeeper who manages an apiary is called an apiarist, and the broader practice of keeping bees is known as apiculture. The United States alone had 2.71 million managed honey bee colonies as of early 2024, housed in apiaries ranging from hobby setups to large-scale pollination operations.
What an Apiary Includes
At its simplest, an apiary is any place with one or more beehives. In practice, a well-functioning apiary includes the hives themselves, a nearby water source, protective fencing or barriers, and enough open space for bees to fly in and out without bothering neighbors. Many beekeepers also keep storage nearby for their equipment: smokers, hive tools, protective suits, and spare frames or boxes.
The most common hive design is the Langstroth hive, a system of stacking boxes with removable frames inside where bees build their comb. It produces the most honey of any design because colonies can expand upward as the beekeeper adds more boxes on top. Most beginners choose Langstroth hives because they’re widely available and compatible with standard equipment.
Two alternative designs are gaining popularity, especially among backyard beekeepers. The top bar hive is a horizontal design that’s cheaper to build, easier for one person to manage, and closer to how bees build comb in the wild. The Warré hive uses stacking boxes like the Langstroth but takes a more hands-off approach: instead of adding empty boxes on top, beekeepers place them at the bottom of the stack to mimic how colonies naturally grow downward in hollow trees. Both alternatives prioritize colony health over maximum honey production.
Choosing the Right Location
Where you place an apiary matters as much as the hives themselves. Hive entrances should ideally face somewhere between south and east. An east-facing entrance means bees start foraging earlier in the morning, while a south-facing entrance extends foraging time during cooler months. Hives can sit in direct sunlight or along the edge of a tree line, but placing them deep in wooded areas limits flight paths and sun exposure.
Wind protection is important, particularly in winter. A line of trees, shrubs, or even a building on the north side of the hives acts as a windbreak and reduces colony losses from cold exposure. Bees also need a reliable water source year-round. This doesn’t have to be a pond or stream. A slow-dripping faucet that creates a puddle, a birdbath, or an ornamental fountain all work. Without a convenient water source, bees will find one on their own, which often means a neighbor’s pool or pet bowl.
Urban and Suburban Apiaries
Beekeeping isn’t limited to rural land. Many cities and suburbs allow apiaries, though local ordinances typically set rules about hive placement and density. A model ordinance developed for Pennsylvania municipalities offers a useful example of how these regulations tend to work: hives must be at least 10 feet from side and rear property lines (unless a flyway barrier like a tall fence forces bees to fly upward immediately), at least 50 feet from any existing swimming pool or kenneled animal, and at least 10 feet from buildings on neighboring properties. Hives aren’t permitted in front yards.
Hive density limits are common too. Under that same model, a property with at least 2,000 square feet of lot area can keep two hives, with two additional hives permitted for each additional 2,000 square feet. Your local rules will vary, so checking municipal codes before setting up is essential. Some cities require registration with the state or county agricultural office.
Seasonal Management
Running an apiary is a year-round commitment, though the workload shifts dramatically with the seasons.
Winter is the quietest period. Beekeepers leave their colonies alone, periodically checking food stores by gently tilting the hive to feel its weight, but never opening the lid. This is the time to order new equipment, repair old frames and boxes, and plan for spring. Many beekeepers place early orders for package bees (a box of worker bees with a queen) to ensure they’re first in line when suppliers ship in spring.
Spring is the busiest season. As flowers bloom and nectar starts flowing, colonies grow rapidly. Beekeepers inspect hives every 8 to 10 days, watching for queen cells, which are a sign the colony is preparing to swarm and split in half. Supplemental feeding stops once the main nectar flow begins, though poor weather stretches may still require it. This is also when new colonies get installed and existing ones are assessed for strength after winter.
Summer is harvest time. Strong colonies fill their upper boxes with surplus honey, and beekeepers pull those frames, extract the honey, and return the empty comb for the bees to refill. Fall is about preparation: ensuring each colony has enough stored honey to survive winter, treating for parasites, and reducing hive entrances to keep out mice and cold drafts.
Common Threats to an Apiary
The single most devastating threat to any apiary is the Varroa mite, a tiny parasite that attaches to bees and feeds on their body fat while transmitting viruses. Varroa mites are present in virtually every managed colony, and without regular monitoring and treatment, they will kill a hive. Most beekeepers test mite levels several times per year using alcohol washes or sugar rolls and treat when numbers exceed a threshold.
Bacterial diseases pose serious risks as well. American foulbrood is a particularly destructive infection that kills bee larvae. Dead larvae turn brown and develop a distinctive ropy, glue-like consistency. The bacteria that cause it form spores that can persist in equipment for decades, which is why many states require colonies diagnosed with American foulbrood to be destroyed by burning. European foulbrood is a related but less severe larval disease. Infected larvae appear melted or chewed down in their cells.
Nosema, a fungal gut parasite, is one of the most common infections in honey bees. It damages the bee’s digestive system, shortening lifespans and weakening colonies that can’t clear the infection on their own. Colonies under stress from poor nutrition or other diseases are especially vulnerable.
A Practice Older Than Written History
Humans have managed bees for thousands of years. The earliest known depiction of beekeeping comes from the sun temple of Pharaoh Newossere in Egypt, dating to roughly 2450 BCE. A relief in a room called “The Chamber of the Seasons” shows four scenes: a beekeeper working with hives, workers pouring honey into containers, others processing the honey, and finally a beekeeper sealing honey in a vessel for storage.
Ancient Egyptian apiaries used horizontal mud hives stacked in piles that could number in the hundreds, held together with mortar poured between them. By the end of Egypt’s Old Kingdom, honey production had grown large enough to become a traded commodity. During the Ptolemaic Period (304 to 30 BCE), the state taxed beekeeping and bee-derived products, and organized breeding programs operated in the Nile Valley. The tomb of the 18th Dynasty official Rekhmire shows honeycombs being gathered from large horizontal hives, honey poured into vessels, and sealed in diamond-shaped containers, a production process that would look familiar to any beekeeper today minus the modern equipment.