Dogs around hives in backyard

[drmanhadan]

I've got two long-haired dogs. One has black hair and one is a sandy color. They would be kept 5-6 feet away at all times by a thin fence for gardens (has holes in it and is made of a flexible plastic). They are relatively medium-sized and are very smart animals. I've heard stories about bee's not liking black animals, but they are all concerning the dog's disturbance of the hive. If they are kept back and maybe learn their lesson from a sting or two, should I consider them an issue?
--The hive would be in a sideyard, which then connects to a backyard.

[SantaFeBeek]

I have four dogs that are around the hives, and actually sleep under them in the shade, daily. My hives are a few feet off of the ground, though, so that may make a difference. I think all of them have probably been stung at one time or another, so they don't bother the bees and the bees don't really pay attention to them. One of my dogs is totally black, as well.

[CaBees]

My bee yard is right outside my fence and theoretically the dogs (2 goldens) could sit a foot away (deer fencing) if they wanted to. The bees do not bother them. The cats hang out by the hives quite a bit (lizard hunting) and again, no bother. The only time I keep them away is when I'm working the hives....

Now if I could only figure out how to keep the scrubjay away....

[indypartridge]

All three of our dogs were initially curious about bee hives and stuck their noses in the entrance, and that was all it took. They haven't bothered the colonies, nor been bothered by bees since, including the black lab. Not unusual to see cats sleeping on top of a hive.

[tsmullins]

I've heard stories about bee's not liking black animals

FWIW,

In the past the bees would put one in my neighbor's gray/black ACD, Annabelle , if she walked in front of the hives. She learned quickly not to walk in front of the hives. My Airedale will walk around the hives, but, if you start working the hives, he stays about 50 or so feet behind the hives. Our white Jack Russell will walk in front of the hives at will. To my knowledge, the Jack Russell has never been stung.

Shane

[Mbeck]

I would only be concerned if the dogs couldnt get away from the bees. Are they confined to a kennel run close to the bees?

[WildernessWill]

My 100 lb black lab is finally learning not to chomp at the bees. Its kind of nice cause they bees will attack him and not me when i am digging or working in the garden. When i work the hive, he gets locked in the house. I think the long fur helps with reducing the amount of venom injected.

[Gary L. Glaenzer]

My little Pinscher 'Ace' continues to try to 'make friends' with the bees

About once a week he comes to me whining and I scrape the stinger off his nose

Next week, same story..........

[Vermillion]

I have 4 who follow me down there, one is a small black smooth coat, and she has been stung. She is more careful now. My ridgeback mix is a bee chomper, but I do tell her NO when I see her looking ready, so she is getting the message. I have not had any problems with bees bothering the dogs, or bothering me because of the dogs. The black one has learned her lesson.

One thing I did do when I got the bees set up was put white PVC on the ground (some I had leftover from a project) to delineate an area that I could point to and say "outside" to the dogs. Now they stay outside of that perimeter, and I was able to take the pipes away. They walk around the area as if the pipes were still there, at least while I am watching!

[doggonegardener]

My TBH are set up off the ground so the entrances are about 2 1/2 feet above ground level. My dogs are one white and one dark brindle. They have not been bothered by the bees. They took a couple of stings in the nose during my package installs when there were a lot of bees in the air and some in the grass. Other than that we have had no trouble and the dogs and the bees are in immediate contact except for the hives being a bit elevated.

[drmanhadan]

they are confined to a 1/8 acre back yard, separate from my sideyard where I'll be keeping my bees, but still readily accessible.

[GLOCK]

My Doberman Pinscher can chomp a bee faster then it can sting thats for sure just last week we where up by my hives playing thing on a string {thats his favorite game} when a honeybee came at me like a Comicazi on a mission well my dog came to my rescue and chomped her in mid jump . He hates bees but does not go looking for them they harass him i think it might be his color. He's been stung a few times .
I think with the more bee's you have the more things get stung and time of year matters also i know in the hot months my bee's get bitchie.

[bhfury]

My Doberman Pinscher can chomp a bee faster then it can sting

My Queensland does the same!!!

[Corvair68]

My dog has been pretty good about staying away from my hives, but... One day while I was doing inspections I had a hive that got pretty irritated with me, and there were several unhappy bees on me as I was walking back to the house. I passed the dog on the way and all the bees jumped off me and decided to get her instead.

[Ben Brewcat]

My red dog snaps at anything flying by, and never gets stung. My black cat sleeps on the tele cover and is fine. My black-and-white (but mostly black) pointer/lab mix gets tagged anytime he comes within about 15 feet. Same story at two of my outyards with two other, dark dogs. I can't figure it. I mow right up to those colonies, weed whack around them, I do everything wrong and they're fine and gentle. But my one dog, and my host's dogs, sure get the snot stung outta them.

[Michelle Pensa Branco]

Well, we have a Portuguese water dog who is as black as a dog gets - so far he's shown no interest in the hive and they've shown none in him. When the package arrived, he did take one sniff at it - and then shot me a look like, "You're on your own with this one" and sat high up on the hill while I hived them.

[BSAChris]

I have one big yellow lab who follows me to the hives every time, I don't think she's been stung yet but she snuffles around without bugging the bees. I have a black cat who follows too and slinks around between the hives. Also a ginger cat who sleeps in the long grass next to the hives. None of the animals seem to mind the bees, and the bees don't seem to mind them.

[Scrapfe]

I have a Sheba Inu who though he was a bee vac, chasing, chomping and catching foragers in a feeding frenzy, every time I he got close to a hive. I don't know when it happened but after I moved the bees into the back yard, dog learned his lesson. Now you can't pull him past a bee hive with a log chain.