Garden

[MartinL]

Do you have a Garage? does it have a flat roof?

Nice thought, I keep 2 large & healthy colonies on a flat roof.

However, it's New Build.

Flat roofs?
Garages?
I think you'll find they both died out about the same time as tank-tops & legwarmers?

 

[JWF]

I currently have 8 colonies in my garden. The are at least 100ft from the nearest houses, and surrounded on all sides by hedges which are 7ft tall.

I do have to be very careful when inspecting and as far as possible I avoid opening the hives when the neighbours are enjoying their gardens.

Despite my best efforts I have car least one swarm per year, and this has unfortunately resulted in my neighbours getting stung earlier in the year, including the kids.

Personally, I wouldn't keep bees in my garden if it was any smaller, as I think the risks just become much greater the closer they are to people/houses. I also think that I currently have too many at home and would like to downsize my home apiary to four colonies max, just to make life a little simpler.

 

[Anduril]

For me, this is how not to keep bees in a garden https://youtu.be/YaUN_6SmWE4

 

[madasafish]

I currently have 8 colonies in my garden. The are at least 100ft from the nearest houses, and surrounded on all sides by hedges which are 7ft tall.

I do have to be very careful when inspecting and as far as possible I avoid opening the hives when the neighbours are enjoying their gardens.

Despite my best efforts I have car least one swarm per year, and this has unfortunately resulted in my neighbours getting stung earlier in the year, including the kids.

Personally, I wouldn't keep bees in my garden if it was any smaller, as I think the risks just become much greater the closer they are to people/houses. I also think that I currently have too many at home and would like to downsize my home apiary to four colonies max, just to make life a little simpler.

I too have 8 colonies in our garden..about 70 meters from our house. Lots of swarms in early days.

I have been obsessed with keeping calm and agreeable bees so in the 8 seasons of beekeeping my wife has received one sting, offspring none and neighbours one.. I on the other hand..

Calm bees are possible to buy: just don't accept any English mongrels as most are not worth their keep.

 

[Okotmike]

I say go for it! Speak to your neighbours, they most likely will be fine with it. A little guard to keep the toddlers out and your good to go! Good luck


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[pargyle]

I say go for it! Speak to your neighbours, they most likely will be fine with it. A little guard to keep the toddlers out and your good to go! Good luck


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Not good advice ... I keep bees in my gardenbut it's a big garden and my apiary is in a corner bounded by a 6 foot wall, a workshop, a greenhouse and a 6 foot fence. Their flightpath is not across my neighbours land and my bees are well away from where we tend to sit out. I have a pond by the patio and the bees do frequent this and my wife is always perturbed by them coming and going.

Best advice is to find an out apiary BEFORE you attempt to keep bees in your garden .... there will be times when you want/need a second or even third apiary so best find them sooner rather than later.

 

[Softley]

Not good advice ... I keep bees in my gardenbut it's a big garden and my apiary is in a corner bounded by a 6 foot wall, a workshop, a greenhouse and a 6 foot fence. Their flightpath is not across my neighbours land and my bees are well away from where we tend to sit out. I have a pond by the patio and the bees do frequent this and my wife is always perturbed by them coming and going.

Best advice is to find an out apiary BEFORE you attempt to keep bees in your garden .... there will be times when you want/need a second or even third apiary so best find them sooner rather than later.

I agree with pargyle.

I keep two hives in a garden that sounds similar to yours. But...

I was tempted to put bees in my back garden when I first started out; I'm glad I didn't. I make mistakes. We all make mistakes, more so when we're learning. The way we handle bees has a big effect on their temperament. Learning how to properly handle bees comes in time, but whilst you're gaining that ability, it's best that bees are kept in an area away from others, at least by more than a skinny six foot fence.

You'll know when the time is right to put hives in your garden. Your children will also be a little older and I'm sure they will have gained a little experience themselves, with your bees, wherever they may be. The colonies I keep in my garden can (most of the time) be inspected without wearing any protection. Not all bees are like that and some colonies just don't want people nearby. Gain the experience, find the right bees and your garden will be as good as any small apiary (and as a bonus, your neighbours will remain your friends).

 

[Eyeman]

Like others I started with bees in my garden. Kept upwards of 8 colonies. Luckily never had an issue with neighbours despite living in centre of suburbia.
Now I move 2 nucs into garden early spring for polination and keep them ticking over by splitting and re-queening till July- then back they go to out-apiaries.
Otherwise the garden in used as a quasi-quaranteen area for newly acquired swarms.