Bees in the Garden Experiences

[felixflyer]

Hi

I really want to start beekeeping next year. I would like, eventually, to get some hives on farmland and start queen rearing, breeding etc. I can see myself really getting into it.

To start with however i'd like to spend a while with just 1 or 2 hives, preferably in my garden where I can learn the ins and outs. I will be joining the local club too although I do prefer to self learn things via books, school of youtube etc.

My garden is fairly small, approx 8m wide and 25m long. At the back I have kind of a shelter, just 4 posts and a flat wooden roof with a paved floor. I am thinking this would be ideal but I have some questions.

Is a shelter a good thing? It would obviously keep the hives dry but do the bees like not being able to fly straight up from the entrance? Its only about 2.5m wide so they wouldn't need to fly far out and its about the same in height.

The hives would back against the wall so they could face south. This would seem ideal but at the other side of the wall the neighbours have a new baby. I have read various things about bees not being a nuisance but what is the truth in this? Would they be noticed behind the hive over a high wall or do they always go out from the front?

Also, my own children would be in my gardan and although they are all excited about getting bees and getting involved, would this likely make the garden out of bounds? I was thinking I could put some kind of screen up so the bees would have to fly over it between that and the roof. Would this work?

I appreciate any advice as if this won't work I might need to go off site from the start.

Regards

 

[Wingy]

Ok the garden is not unrealistic but there are a few considerations.
As a complete novice I would recommend joining your local association and getting some hands on experience before taking the plunge.
Books are good but there are contradictions, practices advance and move on and bees don’t read the books or follow their instructions.
There are more than 1 or 2 ways to do everything you need to do correctly but many ways to mess up as well.
Your set up sounds ok but I would suggest leaving room at the rear of the hives as it’s best to work from the back of the hive.
Remember if you intend to keep 1 hive you need enough equipment for at least 2, consider swarm control.
Talk to your neighbours and have a back up site where you can move your hive to at short notice should the need arise.
Get gentle calm bees from a known & reputable supplier
And most of all enjoy

 

[enrico]

Get an apiary that is not in your garden. All bees have bad hair days. All bees swarm and whilst it is not dangerous it is frightening for those that have never seen one. 20000 bees flying in your garden and then over your neighbours will not work. Where will they go? Next doors chimney, you can bet on it. Be sensible and start in the corner of a farmers field. You will regret having them in your garden. I have an acre and even then I have days when I am very wary.
Start by doing a course, at the very least go with a beekeeper next spring to see if YOU can deal with hundreds of bees flying round you.
Don't run before you can walk but please go ahead with it in a sensible place and you will have years of fun!
E

 

[mike99]

Hi. After a course with a retired Beekeeping inspector and joining a local association I started keeping bees this year. They are in my garden. It's sheltered and about 80' long. the Hive is south facing near the house end of the garden behind the garage. We have had no issues so far. The bees tend to have a flight path across the garden and as long as you keep out of the flight path, they don't even notice you. I mow the grass in my suit as they don't like the vibration of the mower but I only put the veil up as a precaution when I get really close to the hive as they start to get a bit defensive.
We have a dog but no kids. The next door neighbours have one 4 year old and on the other side a one year old. Again, no issues apart from the dog getting stung on the foot by standing on one of the girls that was in the grass.
I would like to try to get two colonies next year so whether they stay in the garden or not is a question I have to deal with.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Hi Felix and welcome I've three hives in my garden, about 25ft from the house , my garden has a 8ft fence one side and a evergreen hedge the other side, my garden is 20ftx200ft . My girls fly up and over the fence and hedge and don't really bother the neighbours. I've screens round the out side so you can walk past them without getting in there fliet path,
I've also a shelter but this is used in the winter and eventually will be a bee shed. I live 400/450metres up on a hill so I find the shelter.helps with the wind ect..
If I was living lower down I wouldn't bother with the shelter.
Having out apairy sites is a must in my eyes if you keep bee's in your garden.
Reasons for this queen less hives, after swarming .
New queen's brood very defencive . There's many reasons...
I would try and find a friend beekeeper and spend a season with them first before you decide .
Or get in with your local association, but do spend time with bee's first before you get your own.
Cheers mark..

 

[Ian123]

Hi first off it’s possible to keep bees in that size garden however it’s far easier to deal with issuses if you have the expertise to be able to deal with problems that may crop up. Whilst books and the web are great there are some complete wack jobs out there and without practical experience then it’s hard to tell apart/compare. Make contact with a local group and attend a winter theory course, follow up with a spring practical. At least this way you will get hands on and also learn what kind of disturbance opening a hive can cause and be able to put that into the context of your garden/situation. Importantly all bees are not the same and all bees will have an off day. If you acquire a well tempered hive then a level of management/handling skill to keep them that way would also be needed. In short practice elsewhere before getting into a situation you are not equipped to deal with at home.

 

[Beefriendly]

Does your garden abut neighbours gardens and do they spend time in them? If so it's a big NO and even more so if they have kids. You will end up with bees stinging them after disturbances like weekly inspections. As Enrico says all bees have "off days"
If your garden backs onto fields...then fine.

 

[felixflyer]

Thanks guys, sounds like the garden would be a bit too risky. I will start looking for a farmer that will allow me to use some land. I'm surrounded by farms so there are plenty around. Would have been nice to have some I can watch while in the garden though and get the kids into.

I am joining the local club also.

 

[Wingy]

I have 1 hive in the garden (next year it will be 2) I also have an out apiary.
The garden hive is so gentle it’s unbelievable, I do inspections in short sleeves with a head veil sometimes even wear shorts. The dog has sat inches from the hive looking in and never been stung. I mow the grass around the hive sometimes even bumped the hive with the petrol mower, no issues. My 8 year old and friends have played all summer less than 15’ from the hive we are talking running around, paddling pool, swing & slide. If stood in their flight path they sometimes go around and sometimes bump into you, pause and then continue.
So yes with the right bees it is enjoyable
I have a mentor and assisted with over 100 hives for the past 2 years so lots of experience in a short time.

 

[MartinL]

. . . there are some complete wack jobs out there and without practical experience then it’s hard to tell apart/compare. .

Some of the "experts" on youtube are complete idiots Beware!

I'd get a few books (available on fleabay) & study them over the winter. You'll find there will undoubtedly be some variance in the information in the books, but it will be reasonably accurate (as opposed to the bunkum from nutters eager for their 15 mins of fame on the internet)!

Then sign up for an introduction with your local association early next year for practical understanding of what the books have described.

Good Luck

 

[enrico]

My bees are quiet too but get one bee stuck in your hair when you are a child and the garden will be not be a pleasant place to go. It is possible to put a nuc in your garden for a while to watch the bees and if your out apiary if over three miles away then you can move them back and forth as you want. Come back to me in three years and tell me if it was a good idea!
E

 

[madasafish]

We have 8 hives in our garden- but 50m away from the house. When I had a bolshie hive, the bees chased me - and anyone else within 25m - away - and stung if they caught you..not once or twice but multiple times. Not enjoyable.

That is what happens when you get a bad hive - and it happens. Even the best of bees have off days.

Not recommended in a small garden unless you have high walls, no children and no/very forgiving neighbours. Oh and know what you are doing beekeeping wise.

Edit: I have a polyhive with clear CrownBoard slightly nearer the house so visitors can see the bees in action. They are VERY well behaved - but I take care no-one intrudes on the flightpath. Little children love seeing them. I take great care children are with and under the control of parents.. for obvious reasons...

 

[Bakerbee]

Hiya, i have 3 hives in my garden. I started with one last year, and boy was it a baptism of fire. They were grumpy mongrels that chased you after closing up and leaving the hive, never mind about their behaviour while inspecting. That said i quickly requeened with some of hivemakers bees which are besutiful calm buckfasts and they are a joy to have. Our garden is large and backs onto fields. I do have the apiary area fenced off and luckily their south facing is facing away from our patio area. I also have rules about having our hives at home. I never go into the hive without good reason. I also never go into hive on a bad weather day if i can help it. More caution to be given when theyre prepping for winter ect.. It is very satisfactory to be able to wonder out and watch the fronts of the hives regularly. Ive msnaged to nip problems in the bud from regular observations of their behaviour which i glad about. We have kids dogs grandkids snd chickens all live happily together. Good luck.

 

[Millet]

Thanks guys, sounds like the garden would be a bit too risky. I will start looking for a farmer that will allow me to use some land. I'm surrounded by farms so there are plenty around. Would have been nice to have some I can watch while in the garden though and get the kids into.

I am joining the local club also.

The garden is a bit risky... i have three nucs in my mothers garden which is a small garden.. the only reason they are there is because my other stronger colonies where robbing them to death.. if i want to inspect them i have to move them to my main apiary 65 mile away as they have mental bees in them at the moment however they are ok if i do not open them up but it is not practical for me and they will be moved come spring time.

 

[felixflyer]

I decided to try and find a local farmer instead. And I have already had 2 offers.

Looks like i'm going to be a beekeeper

 

[madasafish]

I decided to try and find a local farmer instead. And I have already had 2 offers.

Looks like i'm going to be a beekeeper

Well done.. I hope you have lots of storage space, lots of money and hair. When you have finished learning, you will have less of all three.

 

[thedozzer]

This is our first few months so not speaking with any real authority, but thought we would share our experience with bees in the garden so far.
We picked up our nuc for a gentleman that had 8+ them on the roof of his garage next to his house, he had no problems apart from them trying to raid his bee shed with used suppers in. we have moved them in to our garden about 20ft from the back door into a full hive, 2 months on with the number of bees doubled and still no problems.

2 of the people we have been to get supplies from who seem very experienced have them in their garden, and one who is the head of the local association had them by his back door.

We have been told, it will depend on the nature of the bees, and there reaction to stimulation, with ours you can walk past the front of the hive, they just go round. and even after an inspection you can sit having a cup of tea 10ft away with no problems. so it would seem that it depends on the nature of the bees and think we have been very lucky with the bee's nature.

 

[enrico]

This is our first few months so not speaking with any real authority, but thought we would share our experience with bees in the garden so far.
We picked up our nuc for a gentleman that had 8+ them on the roof of his garage next to his house, he had no problems apart from them trying to raid his bee shed with used suppers in. we have moved them in to our garden about 20ft from the back door into a full hive, 2 months on with the number of bees doubled and still no problems.

2 of the people we have been to get supplies from who seem very experienced have them in their garden, and one who is the head of the local association had them by his back door.

We have been told, it will depend on the nature of the bees, and there reaction to stimulation, with ours you can walk past the front of the hive, they just go round. and even after an inspection you can sit having a cup of tea 10ft away with no problems. so it would seem that it depends on the nature of the bees and think we have been very lucky with the bee's nature.

I can do that 364 days of the year. The other one ....... Maybe not

 

[thorn]

I've had hives in my garden for eight years, with no trouble save for the odd occasion when one has become caught in my wife's hair while she's been pegging the laundry out. There was also the one that went for my daughter's boyfriend, but that was as a result of long training rather than bad temper.

I also have an apiary about ten miles from home. It's so much easier to look after the home apiary, as everything I need is to hand.

The one thing to ensure is that there's no-one in your garden or the one next-door when you're inspecting. Even well-tempered bees can be upset by a moment of clumsiness and take it out on anyone in the vicinity, as a friend of mine found out. His hives had an eight foot hedge between them and the pavement. One early evening he was inspecting and they became angry. Several passers-by were stung. The hives were moved instanta.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I decided to try and find a local farmer instead. And I have already had 2 offers.

Looks like i'm going to be a beekeeper

Make sure there fenced in well sheep + cows can be a pain .
Good luck for the future there's great advice on here from the wise.