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Honeybees dislike horses?

13K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  Gypsi  
#1 ·
Anyone have experience w/honeybees disliking horses?
 
#3 ·
The place where I keep my bees has cows and horses that come within 7' of the hives and the only time I've seen a problem was when a calf was nudging a hive and got drilled in the nose, but I've watched the animals walk right by feeding with no reaction like they got stung. Infact, I seen where the landowner cleared the area within 10' of the hives with their new track loader and they didn't get stung either!

I guess it's all dependent on how aggressive your bees are.
 
#4 ·
I worry about horses near bees. Their reaction upon getting stung is often to roll on the ground instead of running like cattle will do. I have seen it happen a few times through the years and have heard there have been a few horse fatalities from bee stings though I cant confirm that.
 
#5 ·
After Jim's comment I googled " horse fatality from bee sting" and it's true, with the most recent story being June 30, 2012 in kalispell. Seems the horse died of anaphylactic shock!

Another story out of England reported four horses that were killed at one time on the same farm and it was the horses owner that kept the bees!

Although I haven't had any problems, I would feel extremely bad if that happened where I am currently keeping my bees, will be moving them soon anyhow!
 
#6 ·
I breed quarter horses and have done so for about 50 years. I've had bees on and off for many of those years, often keeping my hives in my pastures. Never had a problem. Of course, I always kept the hives fenced off so the stock could not rub on them. Cows do seem more prone to do this than horses, tho. Never had a horse I was riding get stung either. I've had 'sweat bees' be a bit of an annoyance but never a honeybee.

Rusty
 
#9 ·
I visited a friend this afternoon with my grandchikdren to pick up 6 dozen eggs. The friend is one of my mentees, has honey bees, and lots of horses in and ajacent pasture. The bees were out today during the warm part of the day and the friend has never reported any problem between the /horses/cattle and the bes, but they are in separate pastures.

Steve
 
#10 ·
#12 ·
Some horses are simply allergic just like people. But the last 2 articles involved AHB attacks, which are becoming more common as the AHB spreads across the southwest. They are giving OUR bees a bad rep! and only educating the general public can help eradicate that impression.

I don't believe AHB attacks are what lakebilly was referring to in his original question, tho. Seems like AHBs don't like anybody, not just horses.

Rusty
 
#14 ·
One shouldn't have any animal or livestock in close proximity to beehives IF the animals cannot get away in case of a problem. Horses do seem to get in trouble with bees more often than other livestock. I have heard of horse fatalities all my life. Not common but It can happen. I doubt that it will if the horses are fenced off where they cannot actually do something to rile the bees up. But the beekeeper or skunks could have done it right before the horses come by too.
 
#16 ·
Vance states it pretty well. For those with a few hives in a pasture with a horse there really isnt much to worry about but a good sized yard that is getting riled up by some bee work is where the trouble might arise. A number of times through the years I have had horses come close enough while we are working hives for them to get stung and their immediate reaction is to almost always just start rolling around on the ground. If you run at them and yell they will usually get up and get away pretty quickly. Then there is the problem of getting in and out of a gate with a truck if you are alone and there are some friendly horses in the pasture......
 
#17 ·
I always make sure any animal has room to run away from the hives. I've had bees and horses for many years with no issues. The horses often graze the grass that is growing in front of the entrances even though they have to reach through the electric tape to do it. I try to keek the hives out of their reach with electric fence. Horses are hard on hives. They will rub them to scratch and knock them over. If they can reach wets, they will eat the entire box and frames...
 
#18 ·
currently I have 16 colonies along my pasture edge, 40 yards from my back door. I have only chickens & calves near the hives. They have gotten out of the fence many times & wandered near the hives. They don't seem to rub on the hives like they rub on everything else in the pasture. I have seen the bees sting them for whatever reason. they take off to the far reaches for a time & then walk right by them back to their hay ring. 4 years & I have only seen them stung maybe 4 times.

I don't have horses....yet. was hearing that bees don't like the smell or something. I would not put bees in the pasture, that's just asking for trouble, though I would consider just outside fence. My concern was for boarded horses. I have enough room to keep them away.
 
#19 ·
I haven't kept a horse in the past 10 years, but before that time I always kept two or three horses. In my opinion, horses are a disaster looking for a place to happen. Horses are a large animal veterinarian's dream animal. Cows scratch their heads on everything. The sharp angles of a beehive would be very attractive to a cow. But, in my area, we have a large population of feral pigs, and I am sure they would destroy a bee colony and eat the honey and the bees. They have long hair and tough skin, and I don't think a bee sting would be much of a deterrent. Therefore, I keep my bees behind cattle panel fences.

In brief, in my area, I think bees should be fenced away from all other livestock.
 
#21 ·
When I was in veterinary school, I had several hives at a horse farm. The bees were on the manure landfill, so no direct contact with workers or horses. They seemed to do well for 2 years getting along with everyone. I had requeened the first year with a new strain of bees that was supposed to be resistant to tracheal mites. Being a little short on cash and time the next year, I did not requeen, lost a few swarms and had some second and third generations of that strain. The resulting colonies were not very nice, and the farm workers and horses hundreds of yards away were getting stung repeatedly. When I came to work the bees, I had to have the full suit on as I approached. I was wondering if Africanized bees had made it to Ohio. These bees got requeened and calmed down, but also had to get moved. If you have normally tempered bees, you should not have problems with the horses. The boarders may not appreciate bees being around if the bees are not well behaved. If the bees are not front and center, the boarders may not even know what they are! In August when the boarders are out riding a lot, the yellow jackets building up around the barn may be more of a concern. Your bees will get the blame, but the yellow jackets may be the issue!

Chris
Greenwich, NY
chris@betterbee.com
 
#22 ·
Cowdoc:

I live in AHB country and have never heard of anyone getting stung even one hundred yards from the hive. My one hive that acts like it has some AHB genetics does not go looking for you, but if you touch their stuff they come in huge numbers and will chase you 150 yards or more, still in large numbers. Yellow jackets are just a sting looking for a place to happen. As a youth, I spent a lot of time in East Texas and there were a lot of yellow jackets. My ranch is in West Texas and we have precious few yellow jackets, and that pleases me immensely.
 
#24 ·
I'm with Lazy Shooter on fencing the bees away from everything. We have enough AHB dna loose in Texas to make it a concern. I've had hot hives and none of my black dogs got stung, even when I worked the bees., but there is a 6 ft privacy fence between the dogs and the bees.

That being said, at the moment I have a goat loose in my bee yard. Had to move her pen, and she can get over the new fence to the bee area. Fortunately she has a game shoulder and doesn't climb on the hives, but I've got to get her fence taller or get her out of there. At least she's not black..