bees stinging family

[psafloyd]

I have one hive which will sting without warning or provocation if anyone approaches within 20 feet or so.

That is an accident waiting to happen, Little John. You must have a remote space for them.

 

[Little John]

If you don't, there's going to be a crowd of angry foragers with nowhere to go!

Only if you do a 'Paul Daniels' (using sleight of hand, as it were) by moving the hive whilst the foragers are out, or by moving the hive to another position during the night (say). Why would they not return to the old site should either of these happen - having been tricked like that, they don't know that the hive's position has changed.

But - as that article shows - bees are incredibly fast learners of new events. So - providing that they are given non-ignorable clues that their home has moved position - or at least that something significant has happened to their nest site (such as the placing of a large branch of dense foliage in front of it), then they'll quickly re-learn the new hive position.

For some reason people seem to assume that bees have a more-or-less indelible memory when it comes to their homing response. If this were so - then swarming bees would never get to relocate to anywhere new !

 

[Little John]

That is an accident waiting to happen, Little John. You must have a remote space for them.

Remote ? Tell me about it. I live in the heart of the south Lincolnshire Fens - it doesn't get any more remote than this - well, only on a moorland site, perhaps.

LJ (surrounded by fields and fields of cabbages ...)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

providing that they are given non-ignorable clues that their home has moved position !

Great big sign with 'new location' writen on in red and a BFO arrow pointing to where the hive has been moved to?

 

[Little John]

Great big sign with 'new location' writen on in red and a BFO arrow pointing to where the hive has been moved to?

7,400 posts in 3 years ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Oh dear - didn't reralise we were rationed

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Personally i am always amazed that there are not more problems between neighbours and bee keepers. I would never keep bees in my very large garden, a sting bloody well hurts, by definition many bee keepers will be stirring their bees up on warm days at weekends.

I don't find the pain significant but the itching for a couple of days is annoying.

 

[Ben90]

Personally i am always amazed that there are not more problems between neighbours and bee keepers. I would never keep bees in my very large garden, a sting bloody well hurts, by definition many bee keepers will be stirring their bees up on warm days at weekends.

I have 2 hives in a suburban garden. Only person who's ever been stung by them to my knowledge is me, not even my family who share the garden have been stung by them. It's normal to see washing on the lines out in the garden with the bees zipping in and out and the only small complaint I get once every couple of months about them from my family is about having to re-wash something because of bee poo.

They're gentle bees, though, and if I had a sense of a change in temperament I'd go and buy new queens.

I don't think keeping bees in a garden is anywhere near as dangerous as people think it is, provided you take some basic precautions for it.

 

[davnig]

Personally i am always amazed that there are not more problems between neighbours and bee keepers. I would never keep bees in my very large garden, a sting bloody well hurts, by definition many bee keepers will be stirring their bees up on warm days at weekends.

just takes some common sense

- high hedges/fences
- delay inspection if neighbours are out and about, happened just last week, neighbour was mowing his lawn so I just waited half an hour, then he was gone, inspected, no problems
- have a backup plan, just in case

 

[REDWOOD]

Personally i am always amazed that there are not more problems between neighbours and bee keepers. I would never keep bees in my very large garden, a sting bloody well hurts, by definition many bee keepers will be stirring their bees up on warm days at weekends.

I have 2 hives at the back of someone's garden, well about a few yards further on and amazingly no stings to anyone as one colony is very protective but no followers, by the time I'v entered their garden all the bees have gone

 

[MartinL]

7,400 posts in 3 years ...

Yes!
Accurate ones too! (mostly)

Must take a peek at the "Fountain of knowledge" in someone's 868?


Cabbages you say??

 

[steve56616]

Bees can cope with a move of two or three feet.
They will fly out tomorrow without looking round, forage and fly back to where the hive was. If it has been moved any distance you will find your entire foraging force milling around an empty space five feet from your neighbours' garden.
Move it back if you have indeed moved it any distance.

Then while you are looking up re-queening look up three feet three mile rule

Three feet/ three mile rule I have found is a myth. My bees go back to wherever I've moved them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

My bees go back to wherever I've moved them.

Even 500yards?

Three feet/ three mile rule I have found is a myth.

It's a guide...it's not written in stone.
For instance a geographical barrier such as a forest or mountain could significantly reduce this distance.

 

[steve56616]

Even 500yards?



It's a guide...it's not written in stone.
For instance a geographical barrier such as a forest or mountain could significantly reduce this distance.

I moved three hives in October to our new house in the next street. Ive moved them from one end of the garden to the other and recently moved some hives to my new out apiary about 1/2mile away. Every time they have been fine with using the branches in front. Cant even say I kept them in for 24hrs

 

[MartinL]

. . . . . . . . . . they have started stinging the family in a house next to meadow.can i move my bees further down the meadow or will this not solve the problem.

Have asked this before but here we go again,

Was it ALL the family or the more inquisitive, (youthful) members (and the dog) getting stung??

In what direction is the garden, (from the hive)?

Is it open/level ground?

Is there a barrier between the hive and the garden or open/chain-link fence?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I moved three hives in October to our new house in the next street. Ive moved them from one end of the garden to the other and recently moved some hives to my new out apiary about 1/2mile away. Every time they have been fine with using the branches in front. Cant even say I kept them in for 24hrs

Well I'll be blowed
I"ve only ever moved hives 300 miles so probably not qualified to give advice

 

[REDWOOD]

Siting a hive is one of the most important decisions you will make when starting beekeeping, do your homework and get it right first time and there will be no need to move them later. There is lots of info on starting an apiary on the BBKA website.

 

[steve56616]

Siting a hive is one of the most important decisions you will make when starting beekeeping, do your homework and get it right first time and there will be no need to move them later. There is lots of info on starting an apiary on the BBKA website.

I agree unless your indecisive like me and change your mind and decided you need the site for something else or even move home lol

 

[REDWOOD]

Found it;

 

[drstitson]

if you had access to a whole meadow why did you locate the hives beside their property?