appeasing the neighbors

[paul4168]

I've had bees for several years; my neighbor decided to set up what looks like a box garden in his driveway; and bees are either being drawn to that or his garbage. Now I know the only thing I can do is set up a water source between my hives and his stuff; I have open water sources on my property but not in that area, and its an easy fix, but reality is that its not going to completely solve the problem because ten bees is likely a problem and they are always YOUR bees. I also seen him spraying his stuff to kill the bees on his property. I am also at least fifty feet off the property line and I am sure their are feral bees in the woods behind his house too (i've lost swarms and they ve gone somewhere). any suggestions from urban farmers? There are no legal issues; just want to get along and be left alone.

[Mr.Beeman]

Sounds like a neigborly education is in order. Bring a pint of your honey with you.

[alblancher]

It always surprises me how little understanding people have of honeybees. Of all the things that can be a problem in a garden, stinging caterpillars, wasps, yellow jackets, red ants and any number of other insects that bite, sting and impale, people always blame the honeybees.

[Beregondo]

Some people have a reasonable fear of bees - perhaps they've had an uncomfortable reactio to a wasp sting and don't know bees are different, for example.

Others have an unreasonable fear.

Sometimes those in the first group can be educated.
I have, for example, demonstrated that bees aren't out to get to people in the first group in th epast by laying my bare hand on the tops of frames and letting bees cover it.

When they see that I'm not stung, they often 'get it'.
(Note to the fearful - I'm not stupid, they wore proper gear)

The second group you're not likely to persuade.

Just being friendly and talking to your neighbor often is all it takes to keep good relations, though.

Often it results in the neghbor actively helping:
When I first started beekeeping I rented and couldn't keep bees at home.

When the folks next door found I was keeping my hives several miles away, they invited me to put them on their property right next door.

[BMAC]

Definitely go and talk to your neighbor. A gift of honey doesn't always help but it cant hurt either. I had a situation where I was living in an urban area and brought honey over to my neighbors as a gift. When they asked "what is the honey for", I told them its appreciation for being good neighbors with 3 beehives in the back yard. Well they took the honey and the man of the house came over screaming at me later that day about how he hates bees and shortly called the police to come over.

However its good to know where you stand with your neighbor, so go talk to them.

[Ross]

I had a neighbor chat recently when I sowed my 10 acres in crimson and ball clover for spring. She asked about why and told her it was for bees and to improve the soil. She got all worried about the bees I was going to bring in. Then I told her the bees had been on the property for 10 years. That kind of killed the conversation.

[paul4168]

Well I already gave a prophelactic jar of honey and it did not help.
I talked to him and he just thinks there are too many bees in his yard; so I pointed out that the bees may not be coming from me (not like I never lost a swarm to the woods behind my house); and that I would install another water source between our two houses.

hope a swarm does not end up hanging on his fence.

[BMAC]

Good luck. As previsouly stated it did not turn out well between my neighbor and myself. In fact it got down right ugly to the point where I started calling the police on him when he let his dogs run outside without being leashed. Something I never cared about the prior 10 years.

[Michael Bush]

> Then I told her the bees had been on the property for 10 years. That kind of killed the conversation.

That's my experience as well. When they realize they have been there all along and their illogical fears already have not happened, it's much easier...

[bobbarker]

I told my neighbors that I had hives back in the woods shortly after I installed them, because we have a very decent relationship, and they walk back there quite a bit, and allow me to hunt on their land. I got a , "Where are they?!? We don't want to accidentally get too close!" I just explained that they are big white boxes that they can't possibly miss, and unless they go kick said white boxes, they would be fine. They still seemed a bit skeptical, but they weren't nasty about it. I imagine they give my hives a healthy berth, and will be surprised when another 8-10 pop up this year!

[psfred]

I'm lucky -- not only do my neighbors think keeping bees is cool, several of them also have hives. I am careful to keep them as far away from the dog kennels as I can, as to neighbors have caged hunting dogs and I don't want them to get stung, but I've never had a problem.

One neighbor moved this year, and the new owners were quite interested in the bees, so I'm still good. Gonna keep three hives there, two or three more up the hill a ways to sort of spread things out.

Peter

[Michael Bush]

> what looks like a box garden in his driveway

Maybe they are gathering water from the wet dirt.

[lazy shooter]

We've become such an urban society that our youngsters and young adults have never interfaced much with nature. It seems all of the news in bad news, and occasionally wasp and bee stings get referenced in a bad light in the news media. Last summer there were a few reports of serious reactions to stings and spider bites.

The above being said, it appears we have grown a generation or two of people who have zero knowledge of how nature works. It's a sad day when you can't sell the benefits of having bees.

Until very recently, most people killed all the coyotes, snakes and other varmints. It has finally sunk in that those varmints are what keeps our rats and mice population to a livable population. In days gone by, it was kill all the predators and load up on rat poison.

We just have an uneducated urban populace. OK, my rant is over.

[alblancher]

Hey Lazy Shooter

Tell a kid that you want to take him out in the middle of nowhere, no phone, sleep on the ground, do his business in a pit toilet, wash up in cold water and see the look you get! The kids I know have no interest in a garden, or growing their food or listening to nature. What a shame.

[EastSideBuzz]

Most of my Neighbors hate me and like wise them but, they like my honey so they don't complain about the bee's. We all have 5 acre parcels so we are all several hundred feet away and that is the way it should be with neighbors. I could never do the apt or city dwelling way too close.

It does amaze me that kids don't learn about bugs or nature and think that concrete is an acceptable ground cover. Meat and veggie's come from Mc Donald's.

[Nature Coast beek]

So, let me get this straight...

Dude next door sets up a garden in his "driveway" and then proceeds to spray in order to kill pollinators ...?

"Sounds like a neigborly education is in order. Bring a pint of your honey with you." -- Mr.Beeman

You can't fix stupid. Tell him to stop planting things that "attract" your bees. Hey, at least that's employing similar "logic". I feel for ya, but as long as your within your legal rights, I'd tell him to pound sand if he wants to "discuss" your bees. One thing it does sound like you can be more proactive on is swarm control. In close quarters, I'd say that swarm prevention is critical. A swarm of bees just evokes a response similar to that of snakes in a lot of people. Oh yeah...get a trail cam up on that apiary. Good luck with your "neighbor".

[pcgirl]

And this is why my neighbours have not been told.