Host Our Beehives on Your Land: Better Pollination, Local Honey, No Work for You
Do you have a piece of land near Montreal with a sunny corner you don't use much? We're looking for landowners who would like to host some of our beehives. You provide the space, we do all the beekeeping, and you share in the honey. Your gardens, orchards and wildflowers get a busy team of pollinators, and you don't need any beekeeping experience.
We're now looking for sites for spring 2027. The hives would be placed on your land in May 2027.
Why host beehives on your land
- Better pollination: a strong hive sends out thousands of foragers every day. Fruit trees, berries, squash, cucumbers, melons, clover, sunflowers and many wildflowers all depend on insects to carry pollen from flower to flower. More pollinators usually means better fruit set and fuller harvests in your garden, orchard or fields.
- Help local pollinators: honey bees, wild bees and other pollinators are under pressure from habitat loss and pesticides. Giving a home to healthy, well-managed colonies is a concrete way to support them.
- Honey from your own land: you get a share of the honey your land helps produce (more on that below).
- No work and no equipment for you: we bring the hives, the bees and the know-how, and we take care of everything.
- A front-row seat: it's fascinating to watch bees at work, and we're always happy to answer questions when we visit.
What we're looking for
- A site ready for May 2027. We're planning our new apiaries for the 2027 season and will bring the hives in May, once the weather has warmed up and the spring bloom has started.
- Room for at least 5 hives. Five hives in a row, with space to work around them, fit in an area of roughly 10 m by 5 m. More space for more hives is welcome.
- A maximum 30-minute drive from Lachine. Think of the West Island, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Île-Perrot, Châteauguay, the South Shore or Laval, for example. If you're not sure your land is close enough, just ask.
- Access by road. We need to be able to drive a vehicle to the hives, or very close to them, from spring to fall. A full honey box can weigh 20 to 30 kg, so we can't carry them across a long field.
The ideal spot for a hive
Here is what a good apiary site looks like. Your land doesn't need to tick every box; we'll look at it with you and find the best spot.
Sun and orientation
Bees love morning sun. Ideally, the hive entrances face south-east so the sun warms them early and the bees start foraging sooner. A little shade in the late afternoon, from a tree for example, helps on the hottest summer days.
Shelter from the wind
Our winters are long and cold, and the coldest winds usually come from the north and west. A row of trees, a hedge, a building or a fence on those sides protects the hives all year round.
Dry, level ground
The hives sit on sturdy stands 30 to 45 cm off the ground, so the ground underneath should be firm, level and well drained. We avoid low, wet spots and frost pockets, where cold, damp air settles and stresses the colonies.
Distance from roads and homes
In Quebec, a hive can't be placed less than 15 m from a public road or a dwelling, except in specific cases set out in the regulations. We plan the site with these distances in mind, and we look at where people, children and pets spend time so the bees' flight path stays clear of them.
A flight barrier
A hedge or fence about 2 m high a few metres in front of the hives makes the bees fly up as soon as they leave. They then travel well above head height, which keeps them out of the way of anyone walking nearby.
Water nearby
Bees drink a lot of water, especially in summer, to cool the hive and feed the young. A pond, stream, ditch or even a basin nearby is ideal. If there's none, we can set up a water source so the bees don't go looking for one at your pool or your neighbour's.
Flowers all season long
Bees forage within a radius of about 3 km around the hive. Fields, hedgerows, woods, orchards, gardens and wildflower meadows that bloom from spring to fall are perfect. Willows, maples and dandelions in spring, clover in summer and goldenrod and asters in late summer make for a happy, productive hive.
Few pesticides
Some pesticides are very harmful to bees. If crops near the site are sprayed, we'd like to know so we can plan around it. If you grow crops yourself, we can talk about timing treatments outside bloom or in the evening, when bees are not foraging.
Room to work
We need about 2 m of clear space behind and beside the hives to open them, move boxes and work safely, plus a spot to park the vehicle close by.
What we take care of
Everything to do with the bees is our job:
- Setting up the hives and stands and bringing in healthy colonies.
- Regular inspections from spring to fall: colony health, queen, space, swarm prevention.
- Pest and disease monitoring and treatment.
- Feeding when needed and preparing the hives for winter.
- Harvesting the honey, extracting it and putting it in jars ourselves.
- Registering our hives with the Quebec ministry of agriculture (MAPAQ), as every beekeeper in Quebec must, and labelling them with our name and address.
We coordinate our visits with you and keep the site neat.
What's in it for you: two ways to share
You choose the arrangement that suits you best:
- A share of the profits: you receive a share of the profit from the sale of the honey produced by the hives on your land.
- A share of the honey: you receive a percentage of the honey crop from your hives, extracted and in jars, ready to enjoy, share or give.
We agree on the details together, in writing, before the hives arrive: the share, how and when it's paid or delivered, and how either of us can end the arrangement. Since hives are best moved in early spring or late fall, we plan any move for those times.
Common questions
Will the bees bother us?
Bees out foraging are focused on flowers and rarely sting unless they're stepped on or trapped. Good placement, a flight barrier and calm, well-managed colonies make a big difference. If anyone in your household has a known bee-sting allergy, please tell us so we can decide together whether hosting hives is a good idea.
Do I need to do anything?
No. Just give us access and let us know if anything changes on the land, like construction, spraying or a new fence.
Do I need beekeeping equipment or experience?
Not at all. The hives, bees and equipment are ours, and so is the work.
How often will you visit?
Regularly during the season, more often in spring and early summer when colonies grow fast, and only occasionally in winter. We plan visits with you.
Interested? Tell us about your land
Fill in the form below to offer your land for spring 2027. Tell us where it is, how much space is available, how a vehicle can get to it and what grows on and around it. If you have photos of the site, you can send them to info@mielbrut.com.
We're choosing our sites for spring 2027 over the winter, so the sooner you write, the better. We'll get back to you and arrange a visit to see the site together before the hives arrive in May. In the meantime, taste what our bees make in our collection of raw Quebec honey.
