urban bees

[twgreen3]

I have been looking into getting started and was wondering how I would do it in my urban setting. I live in a neighborhood built in the 50's and all the houses are close together. I have a detached garage and wanted to put the hive there next to my little garden. I would prefer if the neighbors didn't know that I have a hive there but don't see any way around it.
I was wondering if anyone has tried to put the hive in a building with some sort of opening going outside. I know that there are observation hives but these don't look like they will produce much honey and are only for observation. Thanks for the help

[Eaglerock]

It might be to hot in the summer inside unless you had air going through. It is better for the morning sun to hit them to get them started. Inside they might not start working until later. Not that it can't be done.

Can you build a dugout, kinda, next to the garage, to hide them and yet be outside?

[Southern Bee]

I'm in a city also. I debated putting my hives inside some sort of enclosure, finally bought some lattice to make an enclosed arbor around them. I wanted to hide the bees from neighbors:shhhh: (and city officials) but I also wanted to keep my dogs away from them and make the hives less accessable to my 11 year old son and his friends. In the end I bought the lattice but never got the arbor built.

I currently have 3 hives in a 8' by 6' area along my property line, sitting between my shed and my neighbors shed. This particular neighbor knows about the bees and is my co-conspirator in keeping them hidden. I set the lattice at each end of the little area, to keep out the dogs, and we have let the bushes in the surrounding area grow a little wild. So far this is working out good, I had a city inspector come into the other end of the yard and never even noticed them. The sun wakes them and warms them in the morning, the sheds protect them from winds and the bushes and trees give them afternoon shade. I wish I could move them a little father away from my neighbors back door just to avoid trouble, but that is not an option right now. This is the same neighbor who knows about them, they are not afraid of them and say they enjoy watching them. The wife blesses my bees on a regular basis and asks the fairies to look after them :), they are looking forward to my first honey harvest with great anticipation.

Most sources advise you to inform all your neighbors about your bees and keep them happy with honey bribes but I have not told everyone. I figure what they don't know they cant complain about! A good neighbor one day might get a burr in their butt the next and decide they dont like you anymore. I have this one neighbor who is a nature lover and I thought she would be cool about the bees but now I am glad I never told her. Her dogs got out of her yard last week, utility man left the gate open, but she has decided it is my fault, that my dogs are a bad influence on hers. Guess the pups are whispering escape plans thru the privacy fence.

Anyway... I have the supplies for the arbor so maybe I will get around to building it eventually, hopefully before the lattice rotts.

Good luck with your bees when you get them! Oh, where ever you end up putting them, make sure there is a fence, wall, bushes, something, opposite their hive entrance so that when the come out they will have to rise up above head level to fly over it. This will ' head' off a lot of bee/human encounters. :D

SB:)

[MichelinMan]

Shame Shame. It's not nice to fool Mother City bylaws. Keep thing above board. Check your zoning rules. I can just see some little kids getting stung and your beeking experience could turn out a lot less pleasant than you thought. Can't get to a country setting nearby? Most farmers would be glad to let you set up on their lot.

[alpha6]

"I can just see some little kids getting stung and your beeking experience could turn out a lot less pleasant than you thought."

One you would have to prove it was a bee that stung him; two, that it was one of his bees, and three, bees won't sting unless you are messing with the hive 99% of the time and it sounds like he has that covered.

Don't change a thing you are doing. Good for you and your neighbor for taking the time to improve nature in your area.

[Southern Bee]

I live very near a large botanical garden that has hives, so who is to say it is not their bees doing the alleged stinging.

Oh it is legal to have hives in my city, if you have 5 ACRES OF LAND. Like the bees will really stay on those 5 acres.

I've have found a few bee hungry farmers and will happily be placing some hives there next spring. But this is my first year beeking, I am learning as I go, and it is harder to put the time into it that I want to when they are long distance. Besides it sure is nice to be able to strole out into my backyard and visit my girls:)

If I get in trouble :( I will face the consequences. Hopefully it will not come to that.

:cool:Thanks for your show of support Alpha6.

Sometimes ya just have to follow your heart and do what ya gotta do!
Becoming a backyard beekeeper this year was important for my soul ( :o hope that doesn't sound too corny) and has helped preserve my sanity.

[alpha6]

"If I get in trouble I will face the consequences. Hopefully it will not come to that."

Southern Bee, don't worry...the worst they can do is say you are in violation of city ordnance. Then sue the city for discrimination. Tell them that they have laws that favor the "rich" landowners ( 5 acres or more) and discriminate against the smaller people. That should send the city attorneys into a spin if nothing else. Then tell them there is a medical or religious reason you need to keep bees. Then if they try and make you get rid of them it is a violation of constitutionality rights (freedom to practice your religion as you see fit) and that should get them spinning again. They may just issue you a weaver and allow you to keep them instead of the legal battles that could come their way.

[twgreen3]

WOW. Not really looking for all that trouble. I just wanted a small hive to work in the garden because I have not seen a honey bee in my yard all year. I moved from the country where they were all over the place, now in the city I miss the little guys. I will be contacting the city offices to check out if I can have a hive or not. Thanks for the help.

[Eaglerock]

"I can just see some little kids getting stung and your beeking experience could turn out a lot less pleasant than you thought."

One you would have to prove it was a bee that stung him; two, that it was one of his bees, and three, bees won't sting unless you are messing with the hive 99% of the time and it sounds like he has that covered.

Don't change a thing you are doing. Good for you and your neighbor for taking the time to improve nature in your area.

I agree... I wonder how they would state that is was a honey bee and yours.

[Eaglerock]

WOW. Not really looking for all that trouble. I just wanted a small hive to work in the garden because I have not seen a honey bee in my yard all year. I moved from the country where they were all over the place, now in the city I miss the little guys. I will be contacting the city offices to check out if I can have a hive or not. Thanks for the help.

Nothing is easy when our government becomes involved.

[Southern Bee]

Twgreen3 Sorry,:( was not my intent to scare you off! For most of the cities in my area bees are NOT an issue. Just, unfortunately, the one I live in. Apparently they are welcome in most big cities. You can find them on the rooftops of NY, in LA, Chicago.....

You were asking about in your garage or near your garage. I only ment to tell you I had the same concernes and what my solution so far has been.

Definitely find out what your city codes allow, you need to know one way or another.

I decided, for me, not making the bees obvious to my neighbors was in my best interests. After all, dogs ARE legal in my city but that dosent stop people from reporting them as a nuisance.

If you want to keep bees :) then keep bees, find a way to do it.

I know the only thing I regret is that I didn't do it sooner. You know that old saying....'You never regret what you did, only the things you didnt do' Well I sat on the fence too long wishing when I could have been enjoying the bees. :)


SB

[peletier]

TW.....I keep 15-20 colonies on 3/4 of an acre in a suburban setting. I get away with it because of the layout of the property...back and sides wooded. Bees' flight path takes them up over the house and away.

Your bees will do very little foraging on your property or your immediate neighbors'. They'll travel to bigger pickins. Manipulate their flight path- UP - as quickly as possible. Use fencing, buildings, trees, shrubbery, whatever, to get them up. It won't hurt that they'll be screened from public view by these structures.

[Barry]

They may just issue you a weaver and allow you to keep them instead of the legal battles that could come their way.

Would that be a B. Weaver or R. Weaver? Are they in cahoots with city gov.? :shhhh:

[kirk-o]

I have 20 hives in Los Angeles.I just started.First at a Community Garden then branched out.All my bees are Feral Except one I made with a queen from Michael Bush.I have learned to get additional places to put my bees.I have people who sponsor locations for my bees.I have had bees right on Sunset blvd in LoS Angeles.It dosen't get any more Urban than that.You can check out my web site it might give you a few ideas that might help

www.kirksurbanbees.com

kirkobeeo

[AstroBee]

Twgreen3 Sorry,:( was not my intent to scare you off! For most of the cities in my area bees are NOT an issue. Just, unfortunately, the one I live in. Apparently they are welcome in most big cities. You can find them on the rooftops of NY, in LA, Chicago.....

...

SB

Nice to see another Hampton Roads beekeeper on Beesource! I'm in Suffolk, out in the rural area, but have talked to others in TBA who keep bees in Norfolk. (I'm just guessing that you're talking about Norfolk.) It was my understanding that the Norfolk city ordinance on beekeeping has changed within the past couple of years. A past president of TBA worked hard with city council to modify the ordinance. It was my understanding (I could be wrong) that he was successful in eliminating the "5 acre rule" and perhaps other things too.

Welcome and good luck with your bees.

[memcnult]

I live in an urban setting and have gone both routes -- when I first started beekeeping I lived in a rental and didn't tell anyone. I didn't have a great relationship with the neighbors, and I knew them to be uptight. The bees were between a shed and a fence facing a dead end - they had no where to go but up!

We bought a house, and since I am now an owner instead of a renter, neighbor relations are more important. I told my neighbors on each side of my yard, and all of them think it's awesome. We had three swarms this year (at least one of which was from another neighbor who has been 'secretly' keeping bees for who knows how long -- I outted her to the neighborhood without realized it had been a secret), and everyone was good natured about it. Swarm management becomes really important in an urban setting, and if you do decide to tell neighbors, prepare them for what that looks like and how to respond.

[Michael Bush]

I've kept bees in town most of the time I've had bees. There have been few problems and they were usually not that hard to sort out. I did not warn my neighbors, as they usually would freak out but once you have them they realize they aren't a problem.

[Shumpitron]

I started working in an apiary in downtown Philly this year and problems seem to be minimal. The hives are in a community garden and have been there for 20 years. Most cities don't have laws specifically against beekeeping downtown, so you should be good in that regard. I've been told that rooftops are ideal locations and am in the process for siting some hives next season. I say go for it and good luck!

[Hampton]

I too keep my bees in an urban area of Hampton Roads. Norfolk has not changed their code. All of the other cities allow bees but not Norfolk.

Go ahead and put in your bees. Give them plenty of protection and encourage them to get up just as previously posted.