Hengest
New Bee
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2013
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Wiltshire
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 1
Hi all
Question about guard bees and flight paths and garden usage.
I have been buzzed a few times digging the garden around 10 yards away from the bees and stung a couple of times - didn't hurt as much as I would have thought so maybe I didn't get the full load but there was a stinger on (not in) my arm.
I'm not sure if these were guard bees telling me to clear off or whether I am in the bees flight path. Would foragers sting like that?
Either way I need to take some action here else I'll not get to pick my strawberries!.
At present the hive is about half way down the garden looking out over the garden with a 6' wall behind and 40 ' of garden in front before the boundary wall which is about 3'. By the time they reach this boundary they are well up.
Options I have considered are(in increasing order of drasticness) :-
a) Turn the hive round to face the wall...
b) have a temporary movable (or permanent) screen a few feet in front of the hive leaving the sides of the apiary open)to screen me while I work ( will they go up and over or just around?)
c) Completely screen the apiary 6' all round
d) get the bees into the furthest corner of the garden and screen completely
e) Get an out apiary
Any advice gratefully received.
Question about guard bees and flight paths and garden usage.
I have been buzzed a few times digging the garden around 10 yards away from the bees and stung a couple of times - didn't hurt as much as I would have thought so maybe I didn't get the full load but there was a stinger on (not in) my arm.
I'm not sure if these were guard bees telling me to clear off or whether I am in the bees flight path. Would foragers sting like that?
Either way I need to take some action here else I'll not get to pick my strawberries!.
At present the hive is about half way down the garden looking out over the garden with a 6' wall behind and 40 ' of garden in front before the boundary wall which is about 3'. By the time they reach this boundary they are well up.
Options I have considered are(in increasing order of drasticness) :-
a) Turn the hive round to face the wall...
b) have a temporary movable (or permanent) screen a few feet in front of the hive leaving the sides of the apiary open)to screen me while I work ( will they go up and over or just around?)
c) Completely screen the apiary 6' all round
d) get the bees into the furthest corner of the garden and screen completely
e) Get an out apiary
Any advice gratefully received.