Neighbours bonfire

[Michael Palmer]

Had an apiary once where the farmer tore down a small barn and piled it 100 feet from the hives. Yep, he torched it in the middle of the day. We were on our way back to the area when we saw the smoke. By the time we reached the apiary, the fire was enormous. Hot! Following day, when the the bees should have been flying well, there was nothing. No bees in the air from 25 colonies. All the field bees had been lost. No damage to the woodenware. Bees recovered and the colonies survived. Very close call.

 

[oxnatbees]

I had hives on an allotment. Every year a vast bonfire of wod, plant matter is burned and once this was about 25m from my hives. The wind intermittently blew dense smoke over them, they seemed unbothered.

I suggest you talk to the neighbour, explain the bees died and ask what he burned so you can both learn from the experience. Anything that killed bees may not have done him any good. Was there a lot of heavily creosoted wood? Plants / grass treated with pesticides? Was he using the fire to try and destroy some kind of chemical or old weedkiller? Just discussing the issues, and expressing concern about possible impacts on *his* health may open his eyes to the impact of his actions and improve things long term.

 

[Ian123]

I’d eat my hat if the fire had any detrimental effects on the bees and on more than 1 occasion I’ve stood there with an enforcement officer telling him they must be exaggerating as I have bees there so I wouldn’t make the fire to large Your neighbour is entitled unless in certain areas to have a fire. Provided he’s not causing you nuisance, proving nuisance is rather hard.

 

[drex]

My hives are on my allotment and are regularly subjected to bonfires. Never seems to make any difference. In the summer they continue to fly to and fro through the smoke. It is still too cold for them to take syrup in these parts.
Not a lot you can do to help the bees at the moment. I would just leave them .
Perhaps a polite word with the neighbour would make you feel better.

 

[Into the lions den]

Have had whole apiaries enveloped in the smoke from wildfires on the moors...in one case for several days and they had to take their chance as the fire service would not let us in to try to recover them. The fire did not take out the apiary as there was a public road the fire did not jump, but the bees were enveloped in dense smoke for almost a week as deep seated peat fires are long lasting. The fire reached about 40 metres away.

The bees were fine. There was plenty heather in the other direction too and their health and performance did not seem greatly affected.

We have our regular bonfire near to the main queen unit.....but it is only lit rarely once there is enough to make a decent fire.

*If* the bonfire killed these bees...which seems a pretty unproven event as the evidence on the thread does not make a full case either way.....then I would suggest they were perhaps burning some things they should not have...like plastics? Proving it was the neighbour's fire to blame will be difficult and it sounds as if you have fractious and combative neighbours..which will only get worse.

 

[Nannysbees]

Sounds familiar,have a neighbour about 20 houses away was burning all sorts, we could see huge plumes of black smoke daily, god knows what he was burning.Washing would have to be redone on a daily basis, drove me nuts.Phoned the environment dept at the local council and they sent a letter, no fire since.

 

[madasafish]

Our garden bonfire are in a bin at the bottom of the garden less than 3 meters from the nearest hive . Sometimes it burns for hours.
Never had any issues in 10 years of bees.. (with bees or neighbours)

 

[hemo]

Did the colony receive any varroa treatment late summer ?

One suspects the fire is co-incidental and as humans do, they look for a reason why. The obvious is the neighbour with said bonfire, you are/sound very upset or angry but best to hold back until the aftermath is checked for any other possible cause.

First place to start is a colony autopsy, treatment regime and good clear pics of the frames bees were on.

 

[BugsInABox]

Provided he’s not causing you nuisance, proving nuisance is rather hard.

Yes unfortunately it's much easier to be a nuisance than have nuisance behaviour addressed by the authorities. What happened to the days when people would be embarrassed by the fact someone thought they were a nuisance even if it couldn't be proven.

 

[Erichalfbee]

When I lived in the Lake District in a small extended hamlet of maybe 10 houses I kept a cockerel with the hens. Before I got him I canvassed the neighbours most of whom were some distance away. No body had an objection. A month after he found his voice I had a visit from Environmental Health to say somebody had complained. Beats me, country life and all that? Rather than put him in a pot I used to gather him up from his ladies at night and pop him in his night time quarters in the undercroft to be released to crow his heart out in the daytime. He lived happily like that for ten years and I never did find out who dobbed me in.

 

[BugsInABox]

When I lived in the Lake District in a small extended hamlet of maybe 10 houses I kept a cockerel with the hens. Before I got him I canvassed the neighbours most of whom were some distance away. No body had an objection. A month after he found his voice I had a visit from Environmental Health to say somebody had complained. Beats me, country life and all that? Rather than put him in a pot I used to gather him up from his ladies at night and pop him in his night time quarters in the undercroft to be released to crow his heart out in the daytime. He lived happily like that for ten years and I never did find out who dobbed me in.

The efforts you went to make my point. I suspect others would argue their rights and and keep the cockerel. Shame they couldn't just talk to you though. Cest la vie.

 

[Pete Nicholson]

Have had whole apiaries enveloped in the smoke from wildfires on the moors...in one case for several days and they had to take their chance as the fire service would not let us in to try to recover them. The fire did not take out the apiary as there was a public road the fire did not jump, but the bees were enveloped in dense smoke for almost a week as deep seated peat fires are long lasting. The fire reached about 40 metres away.

The bees were fine. There was plenty heather in the other direction too and their health and performance did not seem greatly affected.

We have our regular bonfire near to the main queen unit.....but it is only lit rarely once there is enough to make a decent fire.

*If* the bonfire killed these bees...which seems a pretty unproven event as the evidence on the thread does not make a full case either way.....then I would suggest they were perhaps burning some things they should not have...like plastics? Proving it was the neighbour's fire to blame will be difficult and it sounds as if you have fractious and combative neighbours..which will only get worse.

“it sounds as if you have fractious and combative neighbours”

yes, but I do not think they are cognitive of their actions wrt. my bees! Unfortunately when one tries to enlighten, one is met with aggressive response !
One of the reasons I am considering giving up or moving - but why should I have to choose either option?

 

[Erichalfbee]

The efforts you went to make my point. I suspect others would argue their rights and and keep the cockerel. Shame they couldn't just talk to you though. Cest la vie.

Life’s too short. It was easy enough to house him over night. I quite liked seeing the joy on his little face every morning when they were reunited.

 

[Repwoc]

When I lived in the Lake District in a small extended hamlet of maybe 10 houses

Where was that Dani?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Where was that Dani?

South Lakes.
A place called Garth Row on the Shap road out of Kendal.

 

[Repwoc]

South Lakes I know less well. I was brought up in North Cumbria West Carlisle. My brother lives in Wasdale. A beautiful part of the world.

 

[ericbeaumont]

All I can say is that the colony seemed fine before
post bonfire bees dispersed across brood chamber and appeared agitated.

Tempting to conclude that smoke was responsible for the apparent change, Pete, but beware of a rush to make 2+2=5. Wait until it's a good time to inspect (by which JBM means pull out frames to assess) and go from there; warmer next week.

I encourage you to abandon any thoughts of compensation (zero chance) or local authority redress, or to challenge your neighbour, because more will be lost between neighbours than gained.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Tempting to conclude that smoke was responsible for the apparent change, Pete, but beware of a rush to make 2+2=5. Wait until it's a good time to inspect (by which JBM means pull out frames to assess) and go from there; warmer next week.

Also be aware that one reason for the colony looking less populous through the crownboard is, they are out foraging. Even around here with an average temperature of 11°C I have a heavy stream of bees flying to and from the hive, and if they are piling in pollen, they will probably be nowhere near the top of the frames.

 

[Erichalfbee]

South Lakes I know less well. I was brought up in North Cumbria West Carlisle. My brother lives in Wasdale. A beautiful part of the world.

Yes beautiful. Stans hero Joss Naylor lives there. Stan used to be a fell runner. Mad!

 

[Pete Nicholson]

Tempting to conclude that smoke was responsible for the apparent change, Pete, but beware of a rush to make 2+2=5. Wait until it's a good time to inspect (by which JBM means pull out frames to assess) and go from there; warmer next week.

I encourage you to abandon any thoughts of compensation (zero chance) or local authority redress, or to challenge your neighbour, because more will be lost between neighbours than gained.

Thanks for your reply Eric and totally agree - move forward and assess