Is it safe for me to have a beehive?

[Dishmop]

they soil washing and cars

so do bloody pigeons and seagulls that the neigbours throw bread out for.

A neighbour who whinged about mess on her car has now come a bit unstuck with her complaint. I agreed earlier in the year that I would sit and talk with anybody who had complaints... The council organsied an independant negotiator... Out of 60 houses there was 2 who has something to say.

The negotiator person visited these people in thier homes... One who complained about mess on car has now changed her story of last year of "oh I dont mind them if they come in the house" to "they come in the house all the time, and you cant open the door or windows" When I asked her if the mess on cars has decreased recently she said "I dont know really, I'm not there all day" Which means her car is also not there. The negotiator pointed out that she couldnt remember seeing bees in her garden or house when she had visited her.

 

[user 6228]

0m - Much of the time, no problem. Especially *before* an inspection you can walk right up and you'll be ignored. After one you might be harassed or stung.

5m - Much of the time, no problem. Pretty much the same as the above. In a very secluded spot with very high barriers and folk only occasionally passing by, it may be OK.

25m - Line of sight with a tetchy colony, a single bee flying straight at you and stinging is a possibility. Not with most colonies or most of the time, but some of the time. Behind a tall barrier helps. With half a dozen average local mongrel stocks, classic artificial swarming, open line of sight at 10-15m, and people regularly moving around unprotected, then I'd say that stinging of the innocent could be an annual event. At 25m it would be less frequent. Add a high hedge or fence (3-5m) and you reduce it but don't eliminate it.

100m - Most people would regard that as safe. However at my work I remember an occasion where people were getting stung that far away across a field from a set of colonies and the whole field was placed out of bounds. I was attacked about 50m away over a 5m high hedge. It turned out that there was a lot of robbing going on.

Bee poo splatter radius? Cars and washing in early spring might be vulnerable up to 50m away.

Get the mildest of highly bred queens and you might be totally safe at 0m even when working the colony .... until the queen is replaced by her daughter. So full colonies in gardens that are not very large nor very secluded? I don't think so.

Thank you for the full reply. It even fits in with my very limited experience. I will recommend to my sister in law she needs two areas in her gardern one at 25m for bees to observe (with a 2.4m screen she can erect if necessary) and reserve another with a usually unprotected human free surrounding 100m radius, for those colonies on an ASBO, should she ever need one.

 

[Stiffy]

Hi Frichieb,


Bees in gardens are in my opinion not a good mix.

PH

Find a friendly local farmer or put an ad in free paper for a suitable site away from people. It might mean having to make a short journey to check them but will be worth it, people with land are usually more than happy to help were bees are concerned.
I run a few hives and have one that is an absolute pig to work and even fully kitted I get at least 5 stings.
I would suggest that all the people who advocate keeping bees in gardens go and meet a really nasty colony, I think they would change their minds pretty quickly.
Its a great hobby but has responsibilities to other people around you.
S

PS my stroppy hive will be re-queened this autumn ready for next year

 

[Cazza]

Thank you for the full reply. It even fits in with my very limited experience. I will recommend to my sister in law she needs two areas in her gardern one at 25m for bees to observe (with a 2.4m screen she can erect if necessary) and reserve another with a usually unprotected human free surrounding 100m radius, for those colonies on an ASBO, should she ever need one.

IMHO, 25m is too close. 100m is more like it if you have the space.
My bees are in my garden but I have 2 acres to play with.
They are kept around 100m away with several hedges in between.

Cazza

 

[Poly Hive]

People do keep bees in gardens iwth no issues. Fact.

I have kept bees in out apiaries for over 25 years with no issues bar one disaster that was vandilism by a farmer. Not going into details here but my AMM went up in smoke.

I did have an experience in a garden. It cost me severl hundred pounds and could have been a lot worse and I consider myself to be a competent person with bees.

The colony went berserk while taking off a nucleus. I was very lucky that apart from my poor wife and the neighbour no one else was affected.

If you think a berserk colony is going to restrict it's attacks to a few yards/ metres then sorry but you are in la la land.

A colony on a war footing is a seriously intimidating and dangerous situation and a mere hood type veil will leave you in a real mess. I happened to be wearing (because it came to hand) my heavy duty all in one veil which is designed for Africanised bees.

Be under no illusions at all that an aroused colony can and will sting any and everything it can find. Humans/pets/livestock are all fair game to them.

Garden beekeeping anyone?

PH

 

[New Bee 2]

 

[richardbees]

My bees are within 15ft of the nearest front door/kitchen window BUT there is a brick wall with an 8ft screen of scaffolding netting on top between us. Occasionally (like this year) I get a hive of really vicious bees but they never go over the barrier.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don't cross roads any more in case I get knocked down by a bus.

 

[tonybloke]

I don't cross roads any more in case I get knocked down by a bus.

well, that was a tangent!!

crossing roads without looking, and not using designated crossings may increase the likelihood of getting hit by a bus.

 

[user 6228]

A strong, powerful colony gone angry is a truly terrifying thing.

I'd never try it, nor recommend it.

Some people buy Rotweillers and actually let them in the house.

But then Lassie (a collie) is an intelligent powerful hunting animal quite capable of killing humans (a collie is possibly more dangerous as they often far more intelligent than alsations/rottweilers and prefer sneak attacks).

Animals are animals - you mitigate the risk by understanding their behaviour and your own and acting accordingly. A bee colony is 5 kilos of venom dispensing biomass. But I would no sooner approach a dog that was not showing the correct behavioral signs than a bee colony.

In order to be safe, persons here have said need to be able to "read the bees" and also to say "not today" when you are uncertain of their behaviour.

Having all your experience of seeing bees as once a week 3 or more miles away, seems dangerous in another way in that you cant follow the above advice. It will take years to learn to read the bees and you will be tempted to carry on regardless despite the signs the bees are giving.


Derek - savaged by a dog when aged 4.

 

[Moggs]

How many people who are advocating bees in the garden have actually been on the receiving end of a very defensive colony? On Saturday, our allotment bees took a mind to have a go. Fortunately, the allotment site was quiet. Just as well, or the other tenants would have seen my two daughters running for the cover of the car. They were pulling some spuds 30 metres away while my wife was inspecting the hive. I picked up five stings. I would imagine that the majority of the determined bees got through and there weren't many that followed us - such was their determination to make their point! Thankfully, my daughters escaped unharmed.

As PH says, bees in the garden? It's not "if", it's "when"....

 

[Beezy]

How many people who are advocating bees in the garden have actually been on the receiving end of a very defensive colony? On Saturday, our allotment bees took a mind to have a go. Fortunately, the allotment site was quiet. Just as well, or the other tenants would have seen my two daughters running for the cover of the car. They were pulling some spuds 30 metres away while my wife was inspecting the hive. I picked up five stings. I would imagine that the majority of the determined bees got through and there weren't many that followed us - such was their determination to make their point! Thankfully, my daughters escaped unharmed.

As PH says, bees in the garden? It's not "if", it's "when"....

I don't understand how you can say that keeping bees in the garden isn't safe but then keep a defensive colony in an allotment? The hives in allotments near me are in the same proximity to the allotment growers as my hive is to my neighbours. On a summer's day you're generally going to get more people in an allotment than you're going to have neighbours in the immediate surrounding gardens.

I think it comes down to common sense. Having bees try and sting someone who's 30m from the hive is unacceptable in my view, and I would requeen immediately.

 

[user 6228]

I don't understand how you can say that keeping bees in the garden isn't safe but then keep a defensive colony in an allotment? The hives in allotments near me are in the same proximity to the allotment growers as my hive is to my neighbours. On a summer's day you're generally going to get more people in an allotment than you're going to have neighbours in the immediate surrounding gardens.

I think it comes down to common sense. Having bees try and sting someone who's 30m from the hive is unacceptable in my view, and I would requeen immediately.

Or is it inspecting a hive when other people are in the line of sight of the bees that is unacceptable?

A hypothesis : If you are provoking the bees (an inspection) , they are going to defend against what they see moving in their line of sight.

In a garden you might have more control over who is visible to the bees when you muck them about than on an allotment, and then again you might not.

A question: What do you have as a defensive contigency against a mass attack by a colony?

A spray attachment on a garden hose is the only thing that comes to my inexperienced mind, which would be difficult to arrange at most out apiaries, but easy in a garden.

 

[madasafish]

As most new beekeepers almost certainly keep bees in their gardens, then if it is true that gardens are the wrong place, why are the BBKA - and other associations - not discouraging people from keeping bees if they can only keep them at home?

Reality is: many people have two choices:- keep bees at home or
don't keep bees..

Why? Distance to and availability of rural sites...

Definition of safe distance from an angry bee? 2 miles radius - the distance a bee might fly..?

That rules out most of England as a suitable site for beekeepers...

 

[Mint]

Our two hives at home are about 1 metre and 1.25 metres from the house respectively. We have only had one small incident of defensive bees, but nothing came of it.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Reality is: many people have two choices:- keep bees at home or
don't keep bees..

This is true, but unfortunately it relies on people making a decision before they have the necessary experience to make an informed judgement.
It is human nature for people to convince themselves that everything will be OK. Once someone has decided they really want to keep bees it is unlikely that they will decide not to do so for safety's sake.

 

[Moggs]

I didn't say that keeping bees on an allotment is, per se, any safer or any more advisable than keeping bees in a garden or anywhere else. My intention was to illustrate the changeable nature of colonies of bees. Neither do I need to be reminded about the risk of opening hives when neighbours/ daughters/ other passers-by are in the vicinity, nor do I see the need to requeen this colony, though thank you Beezy for your advice.

GreatBritishHoney has a very good point to make - optimism bias.

 

[drstitson]

the other danger of keeping bees is the wrath of one's OH when they discover ANOTHER large package from Thorne's when they get home from work.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

the other danger of keeping bees is the wrath of one's OH when they discover ANOTHER large package from Thorne's when they get home from work.

Get them sent to your place of work then smuggle in at your leisure

 

[user 6228]

the other danger of keeping bees is the wrath of one's OH when they discover ANOTHER large package from Thorne's when they get home from work.

I thought the biggest danger of having bees in the garden is getting obsessive about them