neighbours liveing next door who are not happy

[susbees]

@skydragon: whilst I agree totally that followers and aggressive bees are no good in a garden (or even on a farm, field, orchard etc if there is a lane, footpath etc nearby) surely requeening is an essential part of dealing with the situation removing them to a remote apiary through this process?

 

[tkwinston4]

Now you have the Bees sorted buy a:-

ROOSTER A BIG ONE!

BUsy Bee

 

[Rosti]

Susbees, you are right in that re-queening is a valid response to an unruly hive. The key point in Skydragons assessment that I think you have not fully considered is, that by the time you have identified the situation and taken steps to correct it, the damage with regard neighbour relations, local disruption and may be worse a stinging incident; has already happened and you are then in Ryan's situation that goodwill has been lost and you have gathered the heigtened awareness from which it is probably impossible for most to recover from.

I think Skydragon has given a sober and accurate observation. If you feel able have bees at home (your location and skill could support it) do so, but have plan B ready to go and act on it pronto! More to the point reflect on the damage / injury your bees could cause to local relationships and individuals, is that something you are prepared to accept? decide this in advance!

 

[skydragon]

Rosti is right. (and you are too, but I suggest that you can't afford to have bad temepered bees in a garden, even if only for a few weeks, whilst you sort out a new queen).

My neighbours know that I still have one hive in my garden and are totally comfortable with this...in the knowledge that it will now be removed to a remote apiary the moment it displays any aggressive tendancies.

It may be that I circulate hives between my garden and remote apiary (keeping just one or two in the garden) in the knowledge that the only ones moved to my garden will be good tempered ones (which will be evicted again the moment they turn nasty).

 

[dudley]

Not the most subtle of approaches! If the bees had been even noticed before this event then they would not have placed the Wendy house there, so this needs to be talked through.

Ignorance is a dangerous thing. Can you move the hives foot at a time away from the playhouse? Put up some trendy sparrow screen or whatever it's called and ensure you provide plenty grubby water for your bees to drink. Is there open country in any direction?

(And yes I am the female parent of several so ought to be prone to disproportionate acts of protectiveness...well I am...over drugs and motorbikes anyway which do way more harm than bees).

I was reading this reply by susbees and noticed the mention of "grubby water". When I walk around my farm feeding our pigs I notice my girls lining up along the gully that takes the pig slurry to the drain and see them drinking from there.
Is this another way of making honey roast ham?
Steve.
Ps. Dont tell my local bee inspector or honey customers.
pps. I do have ornamental and natural ponds around the farm too, so it's their choice to be drinking pig slurry.

 

[Dishmop]

Put the hives in a shed or disguise them as behive style composters....

 

[gavin]

I'm glad that Ryan has arrived at a good solution. You have to look several years ahead, and you can guarantee that at some time you *will* have bees that will chase and sting people over tens of metres, if only for a couple of weeks a year when the are queenless or there is robbing going on.

I have a decent sized-garden in a rural situation and started with bees in the garden. One year they stung the neighbour - over a hedge and over a large shed. He was actually quite good about it but feared for his grand-daughter when they visited. I then went for a couple of years trying hard to find a time when they weren't in their garden but the sun was out - far from easy with that couple! Sunday mornings were my best bet, if it wasn't raining.

The bees are now in a lovely old orchard not far away where I can spend quiet time with them, increase the number of stocks, play around with selection and the like and most importantly never worry about stinging anyone except myself and the odd beginner that drops by to learn about beekeeping. All those beginners get my stories of bees in the garden and some of those of others who have attacked at 100m or so. I'm firmly of the opinion that beekeeping is just not an activity for urban gardens unless you really do have a spot with plenty of space and very high barriers all round.

But I do use the garden for the odd nuc at times, they are usually no problem.

G.

 

[kazmcc]

I can see this dispute from both sides. It was only until recently I was terribly afraid of bees, well, anything that buzzed. I had no understanding of them other than they died when they stung and wasps didn't. If I would have had my children in the garden stuck in a wendy house and there were lots of bees in the air between us ( and I imagine the children wouldn't have been happy at this either ) then I can totally understand how distressing for parents and children that situation could be. I would have been very upset at this, in my own garden. Although probably wouldn't have reacted with such venom.

On the other hand, I really wish my bees were closer so I could watch them inning and outing. My garden would be the ideal place ( for me lol ) but on this occasion, and after reading the details given, I would have to say I agree that they would have to be moved ( the bees that is ) Every child should be able to play freely in their own garden without fear, whether that fear is justified or not, it is still fear and affecting this family. My children were recently afraid to play out, not because of bees, because of the drug dealer and his scum next door, so I know how upsetting it is when your children are not able to enjoy the fresh air on a sunny day. I disagree with the way the neighours are going about it, but they do have a point.

Hopefully your bees will be happy in their new environment, sounds like bee utopia I hope your grandad isn't too upset about the whole thing too. A man of his age ought to be able to live without this type of aggro. Ryan, I think you have made the right decision. Any more hostility will just affect your grandfather, and he is the one who has to live there after all. I can understand you would like to give them a peice of your mind, but put yourself in their shoes, lack of understanding a swarm, it would have been terrifying if you didn't know what was happening, and there is always the risk it could happen again, even the best beekeeper will make a mistake at some point, and bees can change their temperamnet for a range of reasons. Better to give your grandfather peice of mind, and explain to the family next door that you were sorry they were distressed by this, explain why it happened, explain you are moving them, but in the meantime, if they would like to come and have a look they would be welcome. You never know.....I became hooked as soon as I saw my first hive and they may just come around. If not, it's off to bee paradise.

Kaz

 

[BlidworthBees]

. My children were recently afraid to play out, not because of bees, because of the drug dealer and his scum next door, so I know how upsetting it is when your children are not able to enjoy the fresh air on a sunny day paradise.

Kaz

Now this actually sounds like an ideal opportunity to put an bad tempered aggressive hive in the back garden.
Keep kiddiwinks temporarily indoors and let the Buzz Squad deal with the druggies.

 

[freckledbeck]

I think most people keep their bees in fairly close proximity to people, even if as someone said before, they are only by a footpath. How many people have access to a totally secluded spot away from anyone?
Many posts in this thread could put people off keeping bees, because of the 'worse case scenario', which could happen but with good management and proper education, can probably be avoided.
There are risks to most things in life!

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I might be wrong (I often am) but once a bee leaves your garden/property isn't it considered to be wild and therefore beyond your control?

 

[Dishmop]

Bees will swarm wherever the hive is.

I was recently told that there had been 2 swarms in the high street in Louth.

So did they come from somebody's garden 200 yards down the road or from 2 miles away which would be well away from any residential areas?

My understanding is that as a swarm doesnt have a hive to protect, they are not aggressive but then Joe Public doesnt know that so one can understand mass hysteria and worries of being dragged off by a few thousand bees.

Dogs and cats know what bees are, and if they dont, they will find out.

Havent had neighbours cats in my garden since I have had my hives.

Children,,,, well,,, different matter... There are children and then there are children.

Any child under the age of understanding is not going to be crawling up a tree or into a bush where a swarm might be.

An older normal child (the type that doesnt scream and run all around the supermarket) who knows what a bee is and has been told by parents not to touch because it will sting them, will therefore not approach a swarm (or a single bee) which is probably out of reach anyway.

The much older child is likely to be scared s******* and keep well out of the way.

"Your bees keep coming into my garden"

"Well, you tell your cats not to come into mine and I will tell my bees not to go into yours"

 

[gavin]

"Your bees keep coming into my garden"

"Well, you tell your cats not to come into mine and I will tell my bees not to go into yours"

I was starting to warm to the idea of keeping bees in the garden again, until I remembered that our cat used to sleep on the hive sometimes ...

 

[shonabee]

I think most people keep their bees in fairly close proximity to people, even if as someone said before, they are only by a footpath. How many people have access to a totally secluded spot away from anyone?
Many posts in this thread could put people off keeping bees, because of the 'worse case scenario', which could happen but with good management and proper education, can probably be avoided.
There are risks to most things in life!

I totally agree that there's a risk involved in a LOT of apiary sites and it really can't be totally 100% avoided in most cases. Risk is a fact of life, after all!
But I think there's a difference between bees being vaguely near a right of way, road or footpath and near someone elses' garden. When mine are feeling a little edgey, they'll come out and have a look at you. If you move away, or keep going, then they're quite happy, but if you hang around they get way more uptight. Also, most folk are far less defensive of local footpath than they are of their own garden, so would feel less hassled by bees nearer a footpath.

 

[kazmcc]

Now this actually sounds like an ideal opportunity to put an bad tempered aggressive hive in the back garden.
Keep kiddiwinks temporarily indoors and let the Buzz Squad deal with the druggies.

You don't happen to have a particularly moody colony of bees spare do you Blidworth? That was the first thing I thought about when learning about bees. These losers are still there, but they don't bother us anymore as they have been warned from the counciland busted a few times.... but still, the thought of them running to and fro, waving their arms around frantically with a cloud of peed off bees around each of their heads does amuse me, I must admit

 

[Queens59]

I might be wrong (I often am) but once a bee leaves your garden/property isn't it considered to be wild and therefore beyond your control?

As long as they are in your sight they are yours, but the second you can't see them...they are wild.

 

[Dishmop]

Poor a gallon of syrup in their garden....

 

[Dewin Dwl]

Ryan, Are you in a local beekeeping association? If not, find it and join.
If you ask for help, someone in the assocaitaion will come forward with advice and may even help you locate an out apiary.

Sounds like you've got someone right prats for neighbours. Scared of aa neighbours bees but happy to put their kids ina car and drive somewhere. No idea about real-risk.

Best of luck.

 

[Rosti]

.... but still, the thought of them running to and fro, waving their arms around frantically with a cloud of peed off bees around each of their heads does amuse me, I must admit

Dare I say ... and not that I could ever condone such action, but! We are mid wasp season. If you were to have an unfortunate and extreme twitch as you were in your garden with a big blob of jam on your fingers and said jam flew over the fence landing quietly in a bush (unseen) I don't think it would take the jaspers long to find it - or said drug baron!

If you do have a pet drug dealer next door could you check his price on Fumidil B please, I think I might need to treat for Nosema this autumn, my usual dealer, a Mr Thornes, is quite expensive, thanks awafully!

 

[kazmcc]

Dare I say ... and not that I could ever condone such action, but! We are mid wasp season. If you were to have an unfortunate and extreme twitch as you were in your garden with a big blob of jam on your fingers and said jam flew over the fence landing quietly in a bush (unseen) I don't think it would take the jaspers long to find it - or said drug baron!

If you do have a pet drug dealer next door could you check his price on Fumidil B please, I think I might need to treat for Nosema this autumn, my usual dealer, a Mr Thornes, is quite expensive, thanks awafully!

Rofl, idea! Saying that, the big lump walks round with so much food sticking from his gob, I'm suprised they haven't found him already. You've got me thinking now

I'll ask what his prices are on the Fumidil.....don't you hate it when your regular dealer raises his prices