[JoshW]

Have you ever had your hives on the land of a landowner who you upset or who just became unreasonable?

It has been raining off and on for over a week now and supposed to rain off and on until at least next week.

I had to get out to my hives to put supers on as they were getting crowded. My bees are on a grass field with a dirt road. To avoid putting ruts in the dirt road which they use for access to their field I drove my half ton along the very edge of the grass field, very slowly and upon my return trip followed the same path.

This morning I receive a text asking why I was checking my hives when it was wet and that I was destroying their cattle feed, and that he didn't know what to think.

As he owns a large portion of the land in my area, I offered to purchase him a few hay bales. He declined and said it was all fine, he was just surprised.

I am sure by the end of next week you wont even know I drove on the edge of the field. I felt it was an over reaction, but I am not a cattle farmer and don't grow hay. For the record the only reason I drove on it was to protect the road and thought nothing of it due to it only being hay.

Its his land and I will be more inclined to contact him before going on his land in any less than perfect weather in the future.

 

[StewRoten]

I think I would visit when he could walk the area and get some sense of what his expectations are.

 

[Vance G]

Tearing up roads does close some land to bees. It is a rough one and you may need to let him get it out and then try to explain why you did what you did.

 

[Lburou]

It is clear that your intent was saving the road, but tracks in a field impact his crop (probably a higher priority than tracks in the road). I can see how he would be upset. You just need better communication with him.

 

[ginkgo]

Since your intentions were good, hopefully communication will fix. But I have been in the farmer's shoes, very upset with a relative who decided it would be better to make new tracks / ruts randomly across fields -- and never drive in the same place twice -- rather than make ruts in the road. So I have criss-crossed, torn up fields all along the side of the road.

The road is there to receive vehicle damage. That's the point of the road. If the road will be TOO rutted by travel, then it's too wet, stay out of field.

 

[burns375]

I don't think he understood why you didn't take an established road vs driving thru the field. I would also be confused why. I would talk it out, determine what he prefers and an apologize.

Eric

 

[Tim KS]

I felt it was an over reaction,

I farm, have cattle, raise grass & feed for livestock etc. and I think you are correct....he over reacted......at least in my opinion. I'm assuming that you didn't spin tires and sling mud everywhere and cut up his field.

Hopefully at little time and an apology from you will make things better. Have a reasonable chat with him when he's cooled down and let him know why & when you did what you did. If he's still hostile about it, then I'd move my bees to someone's land who might appreciate the bee's work & rewards a bit more.

 

[Ian]

In every case, take the road. Never drive through a farmers field. Even though your hay crop damage would of amounted to the change you have in your pocket, the optics is what gets ya. He would never of approached you about it, texting allows us to speak without thinking...
I would not think another thought about it.

 

[sqkcrk]

Reading emotion in text is difficult. Go talk to the landowner.

 

[babybee]

I would just tell him how dire your circumstances are. The bees needed supers now and rain, rain, rain in the forecast. So you made a decision, but next time you will call him and consult him first.

 

[Tenbears]

Speaking as a farmer I can say sometimes you need to nip things in the bud, often making a small displeasure known in it's early stages saves you from having to deal with catastrophic issues.
You see it as saving the road, he sees it as going off roading through his cropland. I mean the whole reason we build farm roads is to save the cropland.

 

[Haraga]

I would bet by now the farmer has spread the word about your driving habits. The other farmers won't be be laughing at you. They will be laughing at the farmer for agreeing to let you on his land. Chances are that the others won't be making the same mistake. I don't like driving on my own crop and I hate it when someone else drives on it.
Did you super the hives when you were there?

 

[Roland]

And now you know why it is prudent at times to run the supers in on a wheelbarrow.

Without the landowner, we have nothing.

Crazy Roland

 

[dback]

Guess I'll be the contrarian here…….I once saw a beek lose an almond contract for driving into a wet orchard. I don't drive on anyone's wet ground without his blessing……..most especially a crop, wouldn't dream of it. Personally, I think you screwed up, it is his ground, he can react any way he wants…..I'd go to him with hat in hand and plead insanity……a wheelbarrow full of honey and tears wouldn't hurt also.

 

[Ian]

I think you guys are over blowing the whole thing...

first off it was a bit of grass, along the field edge, and he texted his displeasure... not like Josh drove through a standin crop of wheat

 

[jim lyon]

The landowner is always right. Like it or not, we are guests on their private property and must abide by their rules whether we think they are logical or not. These problems are best averted first by a lot of communication upfront. It's the cell phone age, as is evidenced by the text you got from him. I recently averted such a problem when I was an hour away from home and staring at a muddy access. In a couple minutes I was talking to the landowner, explained my situation and he gave me his blessing to do what I had to do. Perhaps had you done the same.....

 

[JodieToadie]

I think you guys are over blowing the whole thing...

first off it was a bit of grass, along the field edge, and he texted his displeasure... not like Josh drove through a standin crop of wheat

I agree with Ian. Perhaps the farmer was just having a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone. Josh happened to be an easy target. When a farmer starts the texting game with me I personally over-communicate until they are sick of me and I know their expectations. I am sure there are lots of other farmers that would let you have space if this particular farmer is unreasonable. Just apologize, explain your logic and ask what he expects in future. Farmers need to understand you are a business too and weather be ****ed have time constraints and need to access your hives. Supering 30 hives with a wheel barrow is not realistic nor practical.

 

[JodieToadie]

I think you guys are over blowing the whole thing...

first off it was a bit of grass, along the field edge, and he texted his displeasure... not like Josh drove through a standin crop of wheat

I agree with Ian. Perhaps the farmer was just having a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone. Josh happened to be an easy target. When a farmer starts the texting game with me I personally over-communicate until they are sick of me and I know their expectations. I am sure there are lots of other farmers that would let you have space if this particular farmer is unreasonable. Just apologize, explain your logic and ask what he expects in future. Farmers need to understand you are a business too and weather be ****ed have time constraints and need to access your hives. Supering 30 hives with a wheel barrow is not realistic nor practical.

 

[sqkcrk]

Can you share the exact text, please?

 

[mnbeekeeper]

hey Jodie tode, its not unrealistic at all to cart the supers into a yard. I have done it, sometimes I carry them by hand sometimes I have a dolly cart with me. like roland said we are nothing with out the land owners. but at the same time, I would have a understanding with the landowners that the bees need to be attended to when they need to be attended to and some times that means on a rainy wet week. I don't put bees any place I cant close to them 24/7. had a yard flood here last week saved the boxes and some bees. lost a lot of brood sucks cuz the basswood is going to start soon and that was a good yard for it. I also don't put bees places it floods!!! unless its a 100 year flood.