Bee and neighbor problem

5776 Views 24 Replies 22 Participants Last post by Intheswamp, Jul 11, 2014

nater37

Discussion Starter · Jul 11, 2014

I live in the city and I bought two 4lb packages this spring after losing my hive this winter. We had a wet spring and now the hives have exploded. I have a 8' fence and bees are blowing in and out over the fence all over my yard. I got to thinking I better make my neighbors aware so I did not get a bug bomb or something thrown over fence. All my neighbors except one, freaked out. He is kind of like Mr. Miyagi with his flower garden and was happy cause of all his plants. Now after two months of all of them knowing I have the bees, Mr. Miyagi got stung by a bee and he said "it was not a random bee". This bee came from my yard and attacked him while he was minding his own business. I tried to explain that foragers are working they don't have time to pick a fight but, he and his wife are truly mad and convinced I should do something like keep my bees contained in my backyard on chain and collar or something. I tried to bargain with him and say "we should really get some good honey from all of the bees" which, he will get some. I called the city and they said I was ok having the bees unless neighbors start complaining... Any suggestions are welcome

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WBVC

· #2 · Jul 11, 2014

To me it seems that bees usually leave you alone while they go about their business. Having said that 2 weeks ago I was stung on the neck while walking the back lawn where no bees are housed. It was a painful shock.

Do other folks in your neighbourhood keep bees? If so you could explain to him that others also keep bees and that they have a large foraging area. If you were to move your bees he would still be at risk of being stung. I would let him know you are sorry he was stung, that you really have no way of knowing if it was one of your bees or not. Given he is not stung on a regular basis you could put forward the argument that it may well have been an interloper bee as yours have been there a while with no prior issue.

Mr.Beeman

· #3 · Jul 11, 2014

Just tell him you do have the bees contained to your backyard. Also suggest it may have been a rogue bee from a wild hive. lol
If that doesn't work, give him a number of a good realtor. lol
Seriously though, you can't keep everyone happy no matter what you do.

angel

· #4 · Jul 11, 2014

Ask him what the bee looked like and when he describes it shake your head and say "naw, that's not one of mine". Done.

Barry Digman

· #5 · Jul 11, 2014

Unless there's a local ordinance that requires a homeowner to notify the neighbors that they have bees it seems to me that it's better left alone.

tabby

· #6 · Jul 11, 2014

A "bee" that attacks without provocation sounds like a yellow jacket to me.

dtompsett

· #7 · Jul 11, 2014

Random hits from foragers happens. I keep some hives 100ft from the house. Usually a couple times a year I get one pestering me, and usually once a year I'll get stung. No real reason, just a grumpy old field bee. It's not hot hives... inspector tells me he's amazed at how calm my bees are.

nater37

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 11, 2014

angel said:
Ask him what the bee looked like and when he describes it shake your head and say "naw, that's not one of mine". Done.

Pretty funny Angel

nater37

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 11, 2014

Mr.Beeman said:
Just tell him you do have the bees contained to your backyard. Also suggest it may have been a rogue bee from a wild hive. lol
If that doesn't work, give him a number of a good realtor. lol
Seriously though, you can't keep everyone happy no matter what you do.

Lol your right Beeman. Think they are a little angry anyhow. He moved here from Bosnia so he has more of a temper than what I use to

Needo

· #10 · Jul 11, 2014

I can sympathies with you on this one. The real question is what do you think is the right thing to do? Next, is to consider what is most expedient. Your solution is going to be somewhere between the two. Much of this will depend on your personality and what you consider is right.

By my way of thinking, since he was the only neighbor not freaked out about the bees to begin with, offer to let him observe a hive inspection with you. And, offer to help him start out a hive next spring. A bad tempered person that is sympathetic to your hobby could be a useful ally. This is in addition to the customary neighborly offering of honey if any is available.

I don't know if there is anything in the city ordinances concerning bees in town since I live just outside of town.

JohnMosher

· #11 · Jul 11, 2014

These are great posts, I wonder if he can really do anything. If there is no ordinance, then the burden of proof is on him that "your" bees are the ones harassing him. How many hives do you think are within a few miles?

Bees In Miami

· #12 · Jul 11, 2014

MY bees never sting.... or maybe I should say, PROVE it is was my bee...

Way too many stinging insects out there

As long as you are meeting your ordinances (obeying set backs, etc...) nothing the neighbor can do. Some honey does seem to sweeten the sting, though!!

As others have said, never volunteer info. Bees? What bees?? Out of sight,
out of mind...

I am exceptionally fortunate...my neighbors LOVE my bees, and their tripled crops of fruits since I brought the bees. I DO however, call every neighbor in our small hood when I am going to work my hives, or pull honey. I never anticipate a problem, but would rather they know, as opposed to them being out for a walk and having a hive get pissed. They appreciate the warning, though knock on wood, there has never been a problem.

With 18 hives in my 1 acre plot, there has only been one neighbor reported sting after 4 years plus. Again...It was NOT MY bee...lol Good luck!

scorpionmain

· #13 · Jul 11, 2014

angel said:
Ask him what the bee looked like and when he describes it shake your head and say "naw, that's not one of mine". Done.

I had a lady that I go to church with (knows I am a beekeeper) and lives like 4 miles from me, try to tell me "your bees keep flying into my garage".
I asked how many and she tells me, "3 or 4 in the past week!".
I kinda chuckle & ask her "what color were their eyes?", she says "Brown!".
"Naw, wasn't mine. My bees have blue eyes" and walked off.

Michael Bush

· #14 · Jul 11, 2014

I have one hive right now that one bee will come after me if I get withing 50 ft of the hive. I usually kill that one. But the next day another will do the same...

If your hive is facing toward the neighbor's property I would change the direction (90 degress at a time) to face away from it. If you don't have a fence for them to fly over, I would add a six foot fence. You can also consider requeening.

jla

· #15 · Jul 11, 2014

I had a neighbor call and ask me if I was "missing any bees?" Because there were a few at her house. I told her no, I had just counted all of mine and they were all there.

ncbees

· #16 · Jul 11, 2014

My neighbor said the same thing. "Your bee stung me." I asked him what color? He answer was, "black", and that they had made homes in his garden soil. I showed him my insect book and was able to educate him on honey bees and solitary bees. He now has no problem with my bees and is looking forward to some honey.

AstroBee

· #17 · Jul 11, 2014

dtompsett said:
Random hits from foragers happens. I keep some hives 100ft from the house. Usually a couple times a year I get one pestering me, and usually once a year I'll get stung. No real reason, just a grumpy old field bee. It's not hot hives... inspector tells me he's amazed at how calm my bees are.

This is absolutely true. Happens every year to me.

Let's be real. The chances that this sting came from your bees is pretty high. Is it a certainty - no, could he prove it in a court of law - no, but why would you want to "go to the mat" with a neighbor, particularly the only one who responded positively to the presence of bees? Having upset neighbors can really change the whole tone of your living environment, which at least to me would almost immediately deserve some action to change the scenario.

I seriously believe that you should follow the suggestions given by Mr Bush in his above post. Further, I'd try to get the colonies as far a feasibly possible from any lot boundary. Make flight paths such that you are the one in the flight path and not anyone else.

Scpossum

· #18 · Jul 11, 2014

I brand mine with my initials on their thorax. That way there is no mistaken identity.

TWall

· #19 · Jul 11, 2014

I have stopped telling neighbors I have bees. Some already know. Some figure it out. Some never notice. My hives in my backyard are inside a six-foot privacy fence.

Tom

Santa Caras

· #20 · Jul 11, 2014

tabby said:
A "bee" that attacks without provocation sounds like a yellow jacket to me.

BINGO!!!! The other day....I went into each of my 3 hives.....no gloves, no veil....in shorts n tshirt. I wasnt going into the brood area but just cleaning out SHB traps n stuff. You know...makin SHB mush!

Not one sting not even a batting from a bee. I walk to the front of the house and I'm walking by a bush and ****ed if 2 yellow jackets didnt fly off a paper nest and sting me on my leg!!! 3 hives of bees....thousands of them nearby and no sting but I walk within a foot of a measly little paper nest of wasps and got stung twice. Wasps are evil and bees are nice!!!

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