Dog and bees

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Saturn

New Bee
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Location
Fife, Scotland
Hive Type
None
I'm thinking of getting a beehive. I'm attending a course in January but I wanted some opinions on this. I have a large garden, but I also have a large, energetic dog. He's a husky cross, and is very inquisitive. Is it advisable to have the beehive in the large part of the garden he has free roam of? I don't really want to have to put up more fencing, and I'm hoping that he'll equate big buzzing box to bad. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Andrew
 
My dog always follows me into the apiary, but as soon as I take off the cover, she's out of there.
 
Dogs soon seem to learn to keep their distance from bee's,only the odd one or two that get killed by bee stings,same as horses and other livestock,even the odd human every now and again,not worth worrying about to much.
 
Yeah, as I say, he's a big dog (very big), so I think for the first couple of days when I get the hive, I'll let him investigate and develop a respect/fear of it. I'll leave the door open in those first days so he can run inside if he starts getting stung.
 
My inquisitive Parson s Russell took four ‘stings’ from the electric netting surrounding the chickens before realising what was happening but a quick ‘bounce’ on the nose from a bee and he has given them a wide berth since. I am sure there is something deep inside that tells them that they shouldn’t mess with bees!
I do keep him away from them when I look into the hives as I don’t want him to take the brunt of their anger.
Cheers
S
 
When a friend got a big black bouncy Lab puppy we decided that the puppy should be set free to explore where I keep the bees = a few yelps and the dog is now quite happy and knows the limits.
 
Unfortunately my Bullmastiff hasn't yet worked out 'flying, buzzy things = trouble' and tried to look in the hive with me...maybe yours is more intelligent??
 
My dog has never been stung but he keeps a sensible distance away. He always just lays down and stays calm whilst i am working with the bees. Like previous posters have said, they seem to know what's good and what's not.
 
My German shepherd can't resist trying to eat bees. For some reason the stings don't seem to bother her. Mostly she isn't quick enough to catch honeybees but she snaps up bumble bees unless I stop her. They've given her a fat lip or a thick ear on many occasions.

She can't get at the apiary at the end of the garden. Possibly if she got pursued by bees she'd go off them but I've got no reason to test the theory as she's not allowed up that end of the garden anyway (she digs up the vegetable plot and eats the strawberries....).

My last two dogs both ate bees given the chance. I don't know if there's some mineral in them that makes them persist in trying to catch them (like cats with spiders). Whatever it is, the cats don't feel the same: both keep a very respectful distance and run away when the lid's off the beehive. Having said that, my neighbour's cat likes to sleep on top of the long hive - presumably it's warm. So far she doesn't appear to have been stung.

There's no accounting for pets! I guess that the more hairy and thick-skinned dogs will care less about bees than ones with short fur or sensitive skin. In other words, not mine!
 
Don't worry about you dog, if it gets stung it will learn.

Animals are at one with nature. :)
 
We had guide dog puppies for a while and they were always eating bees and bumble bees - they didn't like wasps though...
 
Someone posted on here a while back saying that their dog had knocked over the hive and stand. Not good- from what you say I would definitely have a barrier, but to protect the bees not the dog.
 
Unfortunately my Bullmastiff hasn't yet worked out 'flying, buzzy things = trouble' and tried to look in the hive with me...maybe yours is more intelligent??

We used to have a fox terrier and while a wonderfully placid and forgiving animal with people and children, if it was small and moved, the red mist descended and she wanted to kill.

We had a hedge that would be covered in bees and wasps every summer yet she would spend hours snapping at them, neatly dividing them and getting stung in equal parts.

Sometimes nature ain't so clever.
 
My Cocker spaniel howls whenever I open the hive. He doesn't like the sound.
Unfortunately bees get stuck in his big ears and now he is really scared of them so doesn't venture near the apiary.




Ben P
 
My springer charged up to the hive the first day, snapped at a bee, got stung and has kept a respectful distance since. He will happiliy sit with me and watch the bees but if they are very active he backs off and if I put my beesuit on he knows to go to his basket or wait by the house.

The cat seems more nonchalant about the hiveand has not been stung1
 
I fenced a corner of the garden off for our hives. More out of concern that our bouncy German Shepher would knock them over that fear for his safety.

It worked fine, though I shouldn't really have bothered. Had to move the hives anyway, once I realised that a bad-tempered bee can fly faster than the average bed and breakfast client can run!
 
I fenced a corner of the garden off for our hives. More out of concern that our bouncy German Shepher would knock them over that fear for his safety.

It worked fine, though I shouldn't really have bothered. Had to move the hives anyway, once I realised that a bad-tempered bee can fly faster than the average bed and breakfast client can run!

Apparently, a bee can fly at around 20mph. I pity the foo' who try to outrun a bee. bee-smillie

From what you're all saying, I think I'll try introducing the dog to the beehive at first and see how that goes. He's a big ol' wimp (he was terrified of our little cat, and would always avoid her after an incident where he got swatted on the face with claws), so I think he'll be fine about avoiding them after the first time getting stung. I'm worried he'll knock the hive over, so if required, it'll only take me a day to put together a fence.
 
We used to have a fox terrier and while a wonderfully placid and forgiving animal with people and children, if it was small and moved, the red mist descended and she wanted to kill.

We had a hedge that would be covered in bees and wasps every summer yet she would spend hours snapping at them, neatly dividing them and getting stung in equal parts.

Sometimes nature ain't so clever.

Love that bit:.) can anyone tell me when children become people? My 19 y/o seems to be a little way off still although shes getting there, also have a nearly 9 y/o!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top