Beekeeping in a Built Up Area

[The Gardener]

I recently bought my first hive and bees at the beginning of July. While my garden is big enough to house them and there are plenty of open spaces nearby, I wonder if I've made a mistake.
I live in a semi-detached in a housing estate with houses on all sides of my garden. As you know, the bees seemed to pose no threat when they were going about their daily business. However, they recently swarmed and formed a terrifying sight to the unitiated. Even I had a little tremble! Fortunately, I had no angry neighbours knocking at my door, though I am led to believe they landed two streets away and give someone a nasty shock.
Am I deluding myself that I can keep bees in a built up area? I don't think it should be a hobby exclusively for country folk, but if I'm causing problems for my neighbours, I may have to give them away, even though I'd be heart broken.
What do you guys think?

 

[Tom Bick]

It is possible and plenty of people do keep bees in their back garden but for the novice with little experience it can be a bumpy ride with other problems other than swarming to deal with.
You will be advised to get someone with a bit of experience to fall back on when you encounter problems and also a plan b, a site where you can move the bees to if things start to get a bit spiky and the bees a bit grumpy

 

[The Gardener]

Thanks, Tom. Determined to keep the bees (as long as i can keep them happy and healthy), but realise i'm not in ideal situation.
Also, can anyone recommend good bee keeping books? I've got Bee Keeping for Dummies (of which I'm one), but find it sometimes gives conflicting advice.
Thanks

 

[user 6228]

... but find it sometimes gives conflicting advice.
Thanks

Thats a part of bee keeping .... conflicting advice.,,

 

[Cazza]

Thanks, Tom. Determined to keep the bees (as long as i can keep them happy and healthy), but realise i'm not in ideal situation.
Also, can anyone recommend good bee keeping books? I've got Bee Keeping for Dummies (of which I'm one), but find it sometimes gives conflicting advice.
Thanks

Not a great book that one. Look in the sub thread section under "beekeeping + media". Plenty of ideas there. Then order the one you want from the library. Much cheaper and you can usually have it on loan for weeks.
Cazza

 

[madasafish]

I collected a swarm from the rear of a shop in our local high street.. So beekeeping in built up areas - and swarming - is not uncommon!

 

[donaldb7340]

I keep mine in the back garden. I have neighbours on all sides and have always been open. They are interested and as long as you engage people they seem willing an keen to learn. Just inspect regularly and you should be able to control all the swarms! Oh... And give them honey!

 

[DarynWebb]

I'd always recommend an out apiary, you never know when or if you might need to move your bee's, it's handy to have a back up site.

 

[WelshPaul]

I agree I wish I had an OA at the moment as I've got rogue carni's coming to my garden and stinging me and the neighbours, hope its not my hive attracting them.

 

[astabada]

I keep mine in the back garden. I have neighbours on all sides and have always been open. They are interested and as long as you engage people they seem willing an keen to learn. Just inspect regularly and you should be able to control all the swarms! Oh... And give them honey!

Mine swarmed 4 times this year (I have 4 colonies..) and everyone has always been very understanding, even families with young kids (2 and 3 years old!).

 

[BeeJayBee]

Plenty of people keep bees in their gardens, I'm one of them.

My hives are facing a tall deciduous hedge, which makes the bees fly upwards and over adjacent gardens. Some people put panels scaffold screening round their hives, which has the same effect.

I do have an out apiary that I could move my bees to if any of the colonies turns rogue. Has your BKA got an apiary you can use?

Adding roughly where you are to your profile is a good idea.

 

[sandysman]

My advice is to think about moving them. Unless you have a very large garden you will without doubt get problems eventually. Example, a guy recently had a hive in an allotment, they were fine for a while and then things changed, the queen started to fail and they turned very very nasty. My friend an experienced keeper, went to help out and they were following him for 100 yards plus after he left the hive and attacked him at 30 yards when he approached. Several of the allotment holders were stung including the owner of the bees, several times.
There are numerous historic topics on this forum worth looking at if you use the search facility. Think, how would you feel if the neighbours children got badly stung.
Good luck with the bees but please don't adopt the attitude that your bees are gentle and won't sting. As an experienced beek on here once said"they aren't pets".
Sorry to be a Jobes comforter but a hive in a garden close to other properties is a ticking time bomb. IMHO!
Andy

 

[sandysman]

Look at the thread below this entitles"can location make bees aggressive" if you want a current example.
Andy

 

[itma]

You can keep bees in town.
These days, there seems to be more reliable, season-long forage for bees in town than in the countryside (where the norm can be brief massive gluts followed by long periods of not much at all).

You need to develop your beekeeping skills to reduce annoyance from swarms.
And try very hard to keep your neighbours on-side. Tall hedges, fences or trellis and mesh will reduce problems from a bee-line crossing neighbours gardens - get them high!
It is harder to keep bees in town -- because you have to act with enormous consideration for other people.
If you can't manage that, don't do it.
But if certainly is possible to do it - though it isn't necessarily easy.

And you definitely do need some form of a Plan B - for use before things get awkward (so you can bring them back!)

 

[richardbees]

Also, can anyone recommend good bee keeping books?

I strongly recommend "A guide to bees and honey" by Ted Hooper which I still use as a 'bible'

It helps with urban beekeeping to have a screen 6=8 ft high between your hives and the neighbours.....blue scaffold debris netting is cheapest....over the years I've used roofing felt draped over old gas piping and a living wall of Jerusalem Artichokes. This will lift the bees above head height and unnoticeable.

As said above - you have to keep the neighbours on-side.....

 

[Pendragon]

strongly recommend "A guide to bees and honey" by Ted Hooper which I still use as a 'bible'

I live on an estate and have a hive in the back garden - gentle bees (so far) I have a 8ft mesh structure with 2x2 timber to protect them from the football of my son and also to make them fly high over the garden. There is a 6ft fence on one side and 2 walls on the other sides with the mesh one so they are surrounded with high structures. No problems yet. It is amazing to watch them spiral down to the hive. I do have a hive in a farmers field and could put them there if problems arise. I also enquired on the local allotments and I could have a hive there if I wanted to but I decided this would be a final option. I also met 2 farmers whilst enquiring about the allotments who also offered room for a hive on their land. Lots of people are open to helping the bees at the moment because of all the publicity.
I read the Ted Hooper book but also looked on line on how to keep bees on an allotment or in the back garden. There is a lot of information out there. Trying to inspect when you know your neighbours are out was a useful tip. Good luck.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

"I recently bought my first hive and bees at the beginning of July. While my garden is big enough to house them and there are plenty of open spaces nearby, I wonder if I've made a mistake.
I live in a semi-detached in a housing estate with houses on all sides of my garden. As you know, the bees seemed to pose no threat when they were going about their daily business. However, they recently swarmed and formed a terrifying sight to the unitiated."

This July> that was quick.
Surprised Finman has not replied yet. Give them space and avoid the swarm instinct. I found the latest basic beekeeping books did not say much about giving the bees enough space. My local association also had problems this year with swarming from the hives at two locations.
I have two colonies in my garden which has hedges and fences that force the bees upward before they fly over the neighbours garden's. One is in the middle of a small shrub bed.

 

[The Gardener]

Thanks for all the advice.
I've got high fences all round the garden which force the bees upwards. And I've got a second site on standby if things turn wobbly.
I won't be adding a secondary hive as I originally planned. Think its best to hone my skills first and wait until I have more room.
Thanks for everything. No doubt I'll have more questions to come!

 

[Summerslease]

I have kept bees in my garden for four years. The first year they swarmed which was a nightmare for me and the neighbours. I recovered the swarms and pacified the neighbours. After that I took the following measures which have prevented any further swarms.

1. Changed from standard national brood box to 14x12 to give them more room.
2. Stopped panicking at the first sign of queen cells and made sure I had enough equipment to carry out an artificial swarm.
3. Carried out a split or artificial swarm at the first sign of queen cells.
4. Clipped my queens which gives me extra time to AS if I've missed a cell or two.
5. Bred my own queens from my most docile colonies.
6. Followed some of the advice on the forum- there is a vast amount of experience here and some is specifically relevant to my situation.
7. Read everything I could about bee management.

Hope this helps. Oh, and you might want to buddy up with an experienced beekeeper who has been through all this before.

 

[itma]

...
I won't be adding a secondary hive as I originally planned. Think its best to hone my skills first and wait until I have more room.
...

It may be just terminology, but you really do need spare equipment (at its simplest amounting to at least a spare hive) in order to perform a pre-emptive "artificial swarm" to prevent an actual swarm.

A second colony is your option, but for even a single colony a second hive is pretty much essential - and more so in an urban setting.