Heather
Queen Bee
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2008
- Messages
- 4,131
- Reaction score
- 128
- Location
- Newick, East Sussex
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 6
I cannot find if already reported but too important not to be somewhere. Copying in an email report from another Division.. I haven't managed to verify-
In an adjoining field one of the horses managed to jump into the section of the field where several bee colonies were kept, and it appears that a hive was knocked over and the horse was stung.
The horse panicked, and practically all the hives in the apiary were knocked down, and the horse was severely attacked.
This attracted the other three horses in the field to come over, and these too, were severely stung.
As a result, all four horses died of heart failure.
Our sympathy goes out to the members involved, and we would wish to avoid any such thing ever happening again.
This is a very tragic and rare occurrence, and in many places horses are kept near to bees without any problems, but there is an old saying "bees & horses don't mix", and it would seem that we need to re-learn a salutary lesson.
Under normal circumstances cattle and sheep are not bothered by bees at all, and it is fine to keep bees in an adjacent field.
It is vital , though, that your fences are very well stockproofed.
Many people with chickens keep them close to the bees, and there is no problem there.
With horses, it would be sensible to keep a field's distance between them and the bees, at least 100 yards, and to be aware of bridle paths, etc.
As we know, bees do not like some odours, particularly strong ones, which may contain scents similar to some of their pheromones. An example of this are the citrus type fly sprays, which are reputed to upset the bees.
If you handle horses, it is best to wash and change before handling the bees, just to make sure you are not taking any strong odours with you.
In an adjoining field one of the horses managed to jump into the section of the field where several bee colonies were kept, and it appears that a hive was knocked over and the horse was stung.
The horse panicked, and practically all the hives in the apiary were knocked down, and the horse was severely attacked.
This attracted the other three horses in the field to come over, and these too, were severely stung.
As a result, all four horses died of heart failure.
Our sympathy goes out to the members involved, and we would wish to avoid any such thing ever happening again.
This is a very tragic and rare occurrence, and in many places horses are kept near to bees without any problems, but there is an old saying "bees & horses don't mix", and it would seem that we need to re-learn a salutary lesson.
Under normal circumstances cattle and sheep are not bothered by bees at all, and it is fine to keep bees in an adjacent field.
It is vital , though, that your fences are very well stockproofed.
Many people with chickens keep them close to the bees, and there is no problem there.
With horses, it would be sensible to keep a field's distance between them and the bees, at least 100 yards, and to be aware of bridle paths, etc.
As we know, bees do not like some odours, particularly strong ones, which may contain scents similar to some of their pheromones. An example of this are the citrus type fly sprays, which are reputed to upset the bees.
If you handle horses, it is best to wash and change before handling the bees, just to make sure you are not taking any strong odours with you.
), nothing in the Daily Mail. Trying to stir up bee hatred by exaggeration I wonder...
