Bees and noise/farm machinery

[BernardBlack]

Ok, so I'll be getting the field my bees are in prepared soon. Hope to get drains cleaned out and eventually ploughed/disked/rotivated etc.

Are there any issues for the bees here? I heard somewhere that the noise and vibrations from tractors etc annoys them? And the machine drivers might be at risk as the bees could attack the noise source?

What possible precautions should I take?

 

[domino]

I use to keep bees next to a bust London commutator train track with no issues. I do wear a face net when mowing the grass next to them, but rarely have an issue.

Depends how far away they'll be and what sort of bees you have I'd guess.

 

[tonyofarr]

We have bees in 3 apiaries where tractors are used to make hay, and the bees have never been a problem. When we use the mower in our orchard (has 12 hives) they go ballistic and try to sting the mower for at least an hour after it was used if you leave it there. I think the pitch of the engine has something to do with it because they are not fond of the strimmer either but we have never had a problem with any vehicles.

 

[user 6228]

dont operate anything that sounds like a wasp(strimmer) or a bear (axe)

 

[user 3509]

Our bees go ballistic when the strimmer is used to clear the apiary site and they also hate it whenever a chinook helicopter flies over. It must all be to do with the vibration.

 

[madasafish]

I strim round my hives with an electric strimmer and cut the grass with a petrol mower. Apart from my horrible hive, no problems.

Some hives don't take kindly to strimming their hive stands though...

 

[Cussword]

I strim with my smock on, but the bees really don't seem to care.
Although, I'm never going to try it without the smock, clever buggers them bees.

 

[Teemore]

I had some colonies in a filed of oil seed rape and it was harvested on Saturday with the chisel plough following on the heels of the combine. No probles regarding bees and machines. In the past two years these colonies were on a site that was within a field or two of the same growers OSR - I am following his crop rotation. The site they were on was right beside one of his slurry storage tanks and when he mixed the slurry, the tractor mixing and pumping the slurry was parked within 2 meters of the hives. No problems highlighted and I did keep asking...
I strim around apiaries with a petrol strimmer and wear a cheap smock when doing so but never have problems with defensive bees. Not about to start strimming without some sort of veil protection though!!
Unless the machine drivers are getting out and standing in the flight path of your bees, I don't think they will have any problems. Most of the work will be done by people sitting inside vehicle cabs.

 

[For want of a better word]

Our bees go ballistic when the strimmer is used to clear the apiary site and they also hate it whenever a chinook helicopter flies over. It must all be to do with the vibration.

Dayglow jackets as worn by most council employees in Plymouth ( The ones filling in the potholes ).. seem to not get a good reception from bees...
Which is why I would like to see the "Traffic wardens".. or Civil enforcement Officers.. dressed like all the other council manual workers!!

Yeghes da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

That's why traffic wardens have a yellow band on their caps - to stop people parking on their heads.

 

[user 6228]

I think it's the electric strimmers that get warm reception. They do sound more like wasps