Hives in gardens

[ma1308]

I have looked at my garden and taken what steps that need to taken to get the bees up in the air, six foot fence all the way around 10 foot Buddleias surrounding beehive, water in the garden and my wife is currently adding more nectar flowers and plants all ready for next spring.

so straight faced what bees when asked lol

 

[VEG]

ma1308 you said you dont have bees yet. I can guarantee that when you do keep them people will find out even from other family members. You will at some time have a honey crop once you start selling or giving it away people will find out.

 

[Winker]

Oh, and I am sorry but murder charge?

I think I have slipped to an alternate reality where the Daily Mail is indeed statute.

Sheesh.

Quote:

"He told me he could do what he liked as it was his own garden and it was none of our business. We were regularly stung and he said we would have to get used to it

Sound farmiliar ?

 

[MandF]

Oh, and one other thing... you really ought to understand what that ASBO means.

The suggestions were for the OP to NOT have the hives in a garden due to these potential "rogue bees". You have given us one case where a neighbour was repeatedly stung by someones bees.

If the conclusion was that "rogue bees" are possible, and dangerous, then the result of that case (if were a proper criminal case not just some neighbourly dispute) would have been the banning of keeping bees in scottish gardens.

It wasnt, it banned THAT BEEKEEPER from keeping bees. Ie the court decided that THAT BEEKEEPER was the problem, not bees.

 

[MandF]

Civil law is quite different from criminal law!
With civil cases probability comes into the frame ! If neighbours get stung by honey bees and you keep honey bees next door , the court will take the view that in all probability the bees that stung your neighbour were yours and find in their favour ! The precedence has been set on more than one occasion .
VM

Show us the cases then! The burden of proof in civil cases is indeed less onerous, but there still needs to be SOME proof.

The only case I know of, which I believe was thrown out, was that recent one where a neighbours dog got into someones garden, knocked a hive over and got stung to death. So pretty obvious in THAT case which bees did the stinging.

And I would like to know, if the court "found in their favour", what the "crime" would be and what the resultant "punishment" would be for the beekeeper?

Maybe the price of a antihistamine tablet?

 

[MandF]

Quote:

"He told me he could do what he liked as it was his own garden and it was none of our business. We were regularly stung and he said we would have to get used to it

Sound farmiliar ?

No, not to me or the OP. Whats your point? I think you are arguing with the wrong person here!

 

[ma1308]

VEG, I don't have any onsite as of yet I have purchased an hive that will be delivered with its contents of bees next March I am just preparing the garden for them, this decision was not been taken lightly it as taken me 3 years to get to this stage.

As for the honey the Bees will keep it or I will give it away to friends and family, I am not keen on honey I am just fascinated by the life of the bees.

 

[MandF]

Quote:

"He told me he could do what he liked as it was his own garden and it was none of our business. We were regularly stung and he said we would have to get used to it

Sound farmiliar ?

Oh, and that also constitutes a criminal offense does it? Attempted murder?

As I said, sheesh.

 

[MandF]

Oh, and it is also worth noting here, for ma1308 and anyone else reading this in the future because they are trying to decide if it is indeed "safe" to keep bees in gardens - our association apiary is in a urban garden. It is bordered on 2 sides by residential gardens. It has, on average, 9 or 10 hives during a season. It has been there for some 50 years I think.

Go figure.

 

[TBRNoTB]

Have four hives in my garden - no problems so far

Mind you, it is a ten acre garden.

 

[milkermel]

Wow I have missed a load of fun by having to work today!

I love having my 5 hives, but I have got stung enough times by just getting into their flight path to know that If I move into an Urbanised area it just isnt worth the fuss and bother. lets all take a step back, To me bee keeping is ment to be a relaxing enjoyable hobbie, giving me a few hours each week when I dont have to think about milking cows, cleaning house feeding husband, doing paperwork etc etc etc.
If every time my girls got teasy I had to worry about the neighbours then I am sorry the bees would have to go.

Its the sort of attitudes I have just read that make me glad I rent my house, I had an experience of someone next door who said it was their property and could do what they wanted. Which included blasting music through the walls at 8am when I had come back from night shift, It wasnt nice - I had done nothing to cause this behaviour. Just glad we rented as we left inner city Bristol and came to cornwall where people are just a little bit more mellow.

Life is TOO short to create problems that can be avoided

 

[MandF]

VEG, I don't have any onsite as of yet I have purchased an hive that will be delivered with its contents of bees next March I am just preparing the garden for them, this decision was not been taken lightly it as taken me 3 years to get to this stage.

As for the honey the Bees will keep it or I will give it away to friends and family, I am not keen on honey I am just fascinated by the life of the bees.

Dont worry mate, as I said before, just be prepared to requeen at some point down the line if the bees get overly aggressive - its not nice trying to work such bees so this is as much for your benefit as anyone elses.

If you are ever in SW London then I'd be happy to show you our little apiary, replete with neighbours of all ages ;-)

 

[ma1308]

Thanks MandF, it helps

 

[Poly Hive]

Is there case law? There sure is.

PH

 

[MandF]

milkermel, thats cool - thats your choice, and as you said, this is a hobby so shouldnt be stressful (well, not all the time )

However, I can stand in front of either of my hives and not be bothered at all by my bees. I did have a week or so in the summer where one of the hives sent out the odd rogue guard bee that were defending their area more aggressively, and followed... but I killed the few that did this, and after that week they have settled down again. Occasionally by that hive I will get pinged, or a guard buzzing around me, but when I walk off i get left alone.

I wouldnt want to keep bees in my garden that were constantly aggressive - but I will try requeening before taking the decision to either quit, or have an out-apiary.

Im not suggesting one should keep bees and sod the neighbours. I am suggesting that it is entirely possible to keep bees in an urban garden and happily co-exist with little Timmy, tiddles the cat, postman pat, windy miller, and anyone else who wants to walk past the end of my garden

 

[MandF]

Is there case law? There sure is.

PH

Still waiting to see it.

But lets get this straight - it needs to be where a "reasonable", "responsible" beekeeper, keeping bees in their garden, got successfully sued by a neighbour who got stung by their bees.

 

[victor meldrew]

No, not to me or the OP. Whats your point? I think you are arguing with the wrong person here!

I think I'm also arguing with the wrong person.
I was quoting civil not criminal law !
I think you are emulating the troll
VM

 

[Swarm]

I love having hives in my garden, it's fairly large and they are about 40 yards away from the house. They've been great for years but this year we had followers, just the one hive, only for a short time, but they'd stay with you even as you went indoors. Once queenright, they were peaceful again, however it made me reconsider things. My neighbours are fine, I would not want them to be hurt by my hobby, so I've started moving the hives out.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's a bit sad - there seems to be an 'anti bees in the garden whatever the circumstances' vein running through here
People do keep bees in the garden (and I don't mean a 40 acre deer park)with no problems and some do get problems - responsible beekeepers would then move them if a recurring problem occurs: Irresponsible beekeepers will be a nuisance wherever the have their hives.
I'm sure the OP is not the latter or he wouldn't have bothered posting the question he's just asking for advice on keeping bees in the garden not a tirade about how irresponsible he's being.
I have three hives in the garden (big garden but not massive) my neighbours know and they're happily awaiting a pot of honey.However if a serious problem rears its head I have more than one alternative site to choose from, but I won't move them until there is a problem - is that irresponsible? if so, i'd better resign my commission and start riots for a living

 

[Poly Hive]

I am pointing out, as I have done since the beginning of this excellent froum the pitfalls of blithely assuming that keeping bees in a garden is all sweetness and light.

Who is most likely to lose control of a colony? The experienced person or the beginner?

I lost control of one and believe me although it cost me a lot of money I got of lightly.

All I am saying is beware, and responding to challenges being issued.

Namely is there case law? Yes there is, and in the book I have there are very similar issues to this discussion. So be doubly careful. The law is on the plaintiffs side not the beekeepers.

And no I am not typing out reams of legal findings, google it if you are keen.

PH