Garden size?

[simonrp]

What is the considered opinion on the minimum size of garden for two hives
without attracting major hassle from neighb?ours

 

[Outlander]

I would think that would depend on your neighbours wouldn’t it. Some people have small gardens and get by with two hives with little or no trouble. On the other hand I have heard of people having large gardens and have problems with the neighbours. You can have docile bees but if you have neighbours that don’t like bees or you then you’re in trouble.

 

[Beanwood]

Rather than size, I'd say distance from neighbours is the bigger question. Nice docile bees can be kept quite close, but they can turn tetchy in five minutes flat, then 50 metres away might be cutting it fine!

 

[jackbee]

You want them to be far enough away from your back door so that you can at least still use some of your garden without rousing the guard bees. Mine are about 25/30m and are fine (at moment )

But as has been sad - that can depend on the bees - choose carefully with good provenence (but can't be guranteed).

Also a hedge/fence between them and the garden section you want to use will help. And 6ft+ fences/hedges between you and neighbours essential.

 

[itma]

...
Also a hedge/fence between them and the garden section you want to use will help. And 6ft+ fences/hedges between you and neighbours essential.

You can screen them with netting on some sort of trellis, but a *high* hedge is the best recipe for minimising any disturbance to the neighbours.
That and being slightly paranoid about swarm prevention!

You don't have to give up very much area to them, they will happily ascend and descend at a steep angle.


/// Oh and Simon, in case you haven't spotted it yet, the standard advice for garden bees is that you *must* have a Plan B - an alternative apiary (more than 3 miles away) to which they can be banished should they misbehave or go into a serious strop for any reason ...

 

[farbee]

You can screen them with netting on some sort of trellis, but a *high* hedge is the best recipe for minimising any disturbance to the neighbours.
That and being slightly paranoid about swarm prevention!

You don't have to give up very much area to them, they will happily ascend and descend at a steep angle.


/// Oh and Simon, in case you haven't spotted it yet, the standard advice for garden bees is that you *must* have a Plan B - an alternative apiary (more than 3 miles away) to which they can be banished should they misbehave or go into a serious strop for any reason ...

Would a couple of meter from a 10 fence be enough for them to fly over?

 

[itma]

Would a couple of meter from a 10 fence be enough for them to fly over?

Many would think it plenty ...
This thread covered it - http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=19091

 

[ratcatcher]

Would a couple of meter from a 10 fence be enough for them to fly over?

I would say put them closer to the fence, leaving a 12" to 18" gap between hive and fence will make them fly up, a couple of meters and they will turn left or right

heres one of mine, watch at 3.39 you'll see the opening is around 12" from an anderson shelter, up,up and away



http://youtu.be/mzfqG3L5V7k

 

[jackbee]

Mine are about 2.5m from fence but they have chosen to turn around, and fly across garden and over 6ft fence other side of garden - bees - never do what they're suposed to!!

Might be because of trees to side which stop them going up high enough but am getting them chopped down in winter so we'll see what happens next year.

 

[BeeJayBee]

We have two colonies about 3ft from a deciduous hedge that's about 10ft tall, when trimmed. There are also shrubs in front of them, to the south of the hives. The bees fly up and away and spiral downwards on their way home.

The neighbours know the hives are there and, even so, put a trampoline the other side of the hedge. It's well used, sometimes by very many, fairly noisy, children. There have been no problems, but during the winter we'll be moving the hives to join others which are further down the garden.

We have out-apiaries available if needed.

... you'll see the opening is around 12" from an anderson shelter, up,up and away

*Off topic

I thought Anderson Shelters were built below ground and had a corrugated iron roof that was usually covered with soil.

 

[Andy Duff]

BEES AND GARDENS IS JUST A NO. WHEN BEEKEEPING GOES WRONG IT CAN BE A DISASTER. BEES AND PEOPLE DO NOT MIX. Anaphylactic shock is no joke and neither are severe reactions to bee stings. I will start a thread on this, when I can give full details.

 

[VEG]

All been said before Andy it is just some dont want to hear it as, it isnt a problem until it becomes one

 

[Andy Duff]

All been said before Andy it is just some dont want to hear it as, it isnt a problem until it becomes one

This one could have been fatal.
Cheers Craig

 

[Poly Hive]

All been said before. As said some are just deaf until it all goes pear shaped.

Called denial, or it will never happen to me as I am so full of ego regarding my expertise: of two seasons....with two nucs.

Aye well...

PH

 

[garlicpickle]

I started out with them in the garden as I'd been lulled by reading online that it was perfectly safe as long as your bees were docile etc etc. My garden is about 80ft and surrounded by 6ft fences and trees. But once I saw the alarmingly large cloud of bees generated by doing a simple inspection and being chased back to the house by guard bees once or twice, I didn't feel comfortable having them there and found an out apiary after a month.

I'd love to have my bees in the garden so I could sit down by the hive and watch them going about their business. And if I need to A/S my colony next year I may bring a nuc upto the garden away from the apiary for a few weeks while it's small and manageable. But as soon as it increases in size and activity it'll go back down there.

 

[eleanor20]

It really depends on your garden. If you have a patch behind your terraced house or semi, no matter how long I would say no but I have almost an acre , a square plot, surrounded on 3 sides by fields, the other a railway line. I keep my hives inside a walled garden which is away from any entrances/windowd to the house. I guess I am lucky but its probably further away from people than most people's out apiaries!

 

[garlicpickle]

It really depends on your garden. If you have a patch behind your terraced house or semi, no matter how long I would say no but I have almost an acre , a square plot, surrounded on 3 sides by fields, the other a railway line. I keep my hives inside a walled garden which is away from any entrances/windowd to the house. I guess I am lucky but its probably further away from people than most people's out apiaries!

I would kill for that sort of garden

 

[SteveJ]

I've kept Bees in the garden fo the last couple of years.

View attachment 7335
There is a seven foot fence down the side of the road and they are surrounded by tall shrubs. Never had a problem with them or the Neighbours. In fact one neighbour didn't even know we had them until she saw me moving them away.

SteveJ

 

[user 6228]

What is the considered opinion on the minimum size of garden for two hives
without attracting major hassle from neighb?ours

hmm its not size and it not even it being a garden ... listen to the folks who have trouble their out-apiaries and the farmer getting worried about their livestock or the farmer over the fence, public footpaths etc etc...

keeping lots of thing that sting means a risk of aggro anywhere out apiary or garden ... unless you can arrange that any stinging event is so far a way from your hives it cant be traced back to your hives or your hives implicated.
considering your bees can cause analyphylatic shock 3 miles away
Looks like a very tall order...


So have a plan-b or just be lucky. or bee keep not so far from someone so the blame can redirected

 

[simonrp]

Well I'm convinced!!
No bees in the garden then.
Now the search for an out-apiary begins.