We are moving to the alvord desert area and have kept bees in the past. I'm curious of your thoughts on how a honey bee hive would thrive in that high desert environment? Any thoughts or advice you have here would be great!
The Alvord desert isn't going to be a great place for honey bees. Bloom is going to be quick and short and many of the plants don't put out gobs of nectar and pollen. You could do it, but it will be challenging.
But might we be able to twist your love of bees in a different direction? The desert, ironically, is a center for native bee biodiversity. This is because the short pronounced blooms are great for short-lived solitary bees. OSU has the only Master Melittologist program on the planet. We would train you on how to find the cool bees of Harney County.