Angry farmer wants me to move hive

[adrian wilford]

agree, ive had 3 visits from the environmental health team, whilst sympathetic to keeping bees, they did insist that i do something to stop them shiting on my neighbours car, merc in fact
and quoted an earlier injunction against a beekeeper whose bees had stung a neighbour, whose side are they on? it appears, complain and they have to be seen to be taking action on behalf of the complainant.

 

[Hivemaker.]

funny this has come up now as my girlfriend is into horses and in the last weeks horse and hound mag there was a letter from someone saying her horse had died from bee stings. Turns out there were hives near her horses field for ten years, never had been a problem. Went to the field one day to find the horse covered in stings. Vet came out and treated it but it died in the night, they reckon from a heart attack. This maybe rare but it may cause any horsey people to question you about your hives in the near future if they had read it. We have just found a new place for our hive and the owner of the land has horses and it was the first question she asked.

Two Horses were badly stung,the other one lived though...and one of the two owners ended up in hospital as well,allergic to bee stings, and got several while trying to hose the bee's off the horses.

 

[Chris B]

The horse death incident is a rarity. To put things in perspective here, there are one or two deaths each year of walkers trampled by cows on public footpaths. But anyone suggesting cows shouldn't be kept in fields would just get laughed at.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Coming from a farming family (but with boot certainly in the other camp in this case) Maybe this farmer is acting in the usual manner that the best form of defence is attack? he is trying to make the best financial return on his land and you are a perceived nuisance and it's easier to push you off than work a decent compromise (even though you and the bees may not even be a problem) take a deep breath (hopefully he will too) and try and find the middle ground.
Farmers will always believe that bluster is a lot easier than discussion. but after five minutes they're opinions may have changed (if not, stick to your guns because they will back down)

 

[Skyhook]

Try to think of the farmer as an issue to be managed, like varroa. If you think of him as a person you're likely to get angry at his unreasonable behaviour (well I would) and if you can maintain a calm detachment you stand a chance of him backing down as he realises he hasn't a leg to stand on. If you lose your rag as well, you'll get nowhere.

Good luck

 

[Glyn]

He sounds like an arsehole. Whilst it's galling to let arseholes get their way, getting embroiled in a shin kicking contest with one will do you no favours - he'll still be an arsehole whatever the outcome, and you'll have to spend considerable time fighting with/talking to/thinking about said arsehole. It's like going to the park and setting up your picnic next to the only pile of dog ****.


I'd imagine that moving the hive will be less hassle than standing your ground, and then you can tell him to foxtrot oscar with relative impunity.

Just my 2p.

 

[pipewrench36]

Surely if your bees were there first it is up to him to make suitable arrangements regarding the horses if he is concerned about them. I cannot see that he has any right to demand you move them as they are on your property and not his. I would have thought that if he moves horses into aforementioned stable and the horses get stung, it is his fault as he was aware of the bees existance and he positioned the horses in range of the bees and not you.
As has already been said, he has more chance of getting s**t from a rocking horse than winning this in court.

 

[johncorne]

Maybe you need to mention how you have been collecting Ragwort seeds if he starts getting nasty!

Jc

 

[Luminos]

I keep two horses and two donkeys, within five metres of my hive, though not in the same field. The horses and donkeys are very excited by my beekeepers suit, but not at all interested in the hive or the bees.
They are much more worried about horseflies than bees.

Most (kind) horse owners use a special insect repellant on their horses; I also use mesh coats on mine which defeat insects, whether horsefly or other.

Go and speak to the farmer in person. Explain why you cannot easily move your hive; (3 feet, 3 miles etc). He needs reassurance that the bees will not harm the horses.
Even if you do not get anywhere, you will at least prove that you are not afraid to go to him and discuss it face-to-face.

You must try to find an amicable solution; it's easy to threaten with barristers and courts, but, whatever the outcome, you still have to put up with your farmer as a neighbour.

 

[biggles]

I've had up to twenty five hives within 10 meters of my eight stables and I have never had any trouble.
He's talking from an uneducated point of view, but unfortunately it's not going to help you. Maybe a calm chat to him and take him somewhere where horses and bees are close.

I hope you find a hassle free answer.

 

[Hombre]

I don't suppose that you like the idea of the smell of horse poo invading your house from the stable either.

I don't suppose that he has ever considered that, or anyone else.

Good luck, pease keep us informed.

 

[peterbees]

I would say move the hive and be done with it. What is the point of getting into a feud with your neighbour? He'll still be your neighbour. You might well find somewhere better, where you can increase to 5 of 6 hives in a few years.

 

[Stiffy]

Dan,

Unfortunately though for you he wouldn't of needed planning permission to site the stables there but I doubt any one who agree to back him taking you to court.

I would check with your local planning office as an equestrian business is unlikley to be classed as farming and he may need planning approval for the stable.
Cheers
S

 

[666bees]

It would be a stupid farmer who would kill your bees off. Think (open all his gates , losen water trough pipes, bore hols in plastic ones, cut any round bale silage bags). Farmers need good neighbours. Ask he has some land you can move them to.

 

[hedgerow pete]

well i have read the thread from start to finish and personal i would handle the whole situation slightly differently, so heres hedgerows great plan.

in the middle of the night move live bee hive to some where else replace with empty be hive and torment the farmer every time he goes past by standing next to it flailing your arms about in a bee mass stinging , lol

train bees to attact the farmer?

being serious now, once a plonker always a plonker, i thing you will find this guy was not having a bad day but a normal day.

we have what is known normaly in the country side as a complete pratt, born as one lived as one and will die as one and no one will change him, seams to be more prevelent in the cites than the countryside.

first rule is dont rise up to him and make recordings over ever thing he does, note book, cctv, audio tapes etc.

second thing i would do is to install a cctv set up as these people will over spray or petrol bomb, we are dealing with a stroppy 4 year olds mentality here , spite full and viccous.

I would send a letter to the local police station explaining how you were verbaly intimidated by the conversation and asking if there come around next time to have a quite word with him, there is no way you will ever win or you will ever get him to pull his neck in either so lets just cover our backsides here. by doing this we have done several items, one is we now have a record with the date of the start of said conflict and by getting to the police first we are now the inocent party looking for help rather than him complaining to the police.

i would also raise some sort of barrier between the bee hive and his fence mainly to stop him throwing stones at it.

I would also send him a letter with the following items in it some where.
further to our conversation, blah blah date,

tone of voice is very offencive, unactseptable behavour, aggresive arm movements,

all corrispondance vie letters from now on

our land is seperated by a hedge and the law.

what is does on each others side is there own business.

would like to see writen report from bee keeper, including name and address.

would like to see more than three document cases of bees attacting horses in this area

basicly call his bluff big time.

what will happen is that he will either back down or step up.
the next level will be him complaining to either the council or the police, also expect him to complain to his mates on the parish council as well.

now this is where the moving of the hive to another area helps as they will come round , you point out the hive is empty he looks the plonker he is every one goes home and the bees move back a week later.

argument wise he will have to go for the endangering horses and riders, the recent articale mentioned above will be rammed down your throat twenty times so get hold of why it happened to counteract it.

yes you can be ordered to move your hive from your garden if there is reason to prove endangering the public, which these plonkers will do to you, i would not suggest that you fight it as the costs involved get very big very quickly

 

[stilllearning]

blimey a lot of beekeepers don't like farmers , leaving gates open etc would do more harm than good...farming is quite a close community. i have a very good relationship with a lot of my farmers is i need them more than they need me. i think you'll find that there are two sides to every story i very much doubt the original poster has been completely blameless in all this

 

[susbees]

blimey a lot of beekeepers don't like farmers , leaving gates open etc would do more harm than good...farming is quite a close community. i have a very good relationship with a lot of my farmers is i need them more than they need me. i think you'll find that there are two sides to every story i very much doubt the original poster has been completely blameless in all this

Gates? Who needs gates? We regularly have the odd stray bullock or a few sheep that have just jumped over a fence, and sometimes into the apiary. Mind our top fence round the wood's a bit wonky but we just get sheep in not out. So much to do, so little time

 

[666bees]

Who doesn't like farmers? My friends and relations are farmers and they would not behave like this pratt. Thing I was pointing out is farmers need good neighbours/local people and behaving like this does not build bridges. If he had any manners at all he would have spoke to him politely and even offered him somewhere else to keep the bees if he was really that concerned. If it was me a few more hives would now turn up. Where does the beekeeper live, my bees might need a holiday. lol

 

[dan1]

update

Thanks for the replies. I have written to him explaining I found his manor aggressive and hectoring + have tackled each of the issues he raised and attempted to reassured/refuted his claims (molasses study and DEFRA wildlife incident info useful here, thanks). Also a warning about criminal action to my hive as he has form. I also managed to meet the proposed horse renters who were very nice, didn't know much about bees but weren't particularly bothered by them, offered to show them the hive, gave them my mobile no. in case of problems (and a copy of letter to farmer!). Had a further irate call from him having been shown letter today but told him I would only communicate via letter now as incapable of reasonable discussion. Watch this space!

 

[Ambodach]

I think you will find that although this may be a Permitted Development, it does have to be taken through the Local Authority as the usage is not agricultural. The farmer will be making money out of this building from a non-agricultural source and both the LA will want to tax him on this and so will the income tax people. I suggest you give your local Planning Department a call and see if in fact the farmer can make this conversion without approval - and certainly you may be able to get some of your own back by fingering him for taxes.

Rob