Bees and a Party

rose · September 20, 2008, 09:11:29 AM

Just planning into the future here but we will be having two large parties at our house, one this fall, late Oct. and the next year in June a Graduation party. The hives (just 2) are about 200 feet or more from where the tent and food will be set up, my mother is paranoid that they're going to attack us or become a giant nusiance. Any advice on this? Do I really have a major concern here? They haven't bothered us at all this whole year, when we've cooked out or anything. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!

mtman1849 · September 20, 2008, 09:16:41 AM

My hive are way closer to our outdoor activities than that and we have never had a problem. Just try not to set anything up where it will bee in the flight path of the entrance and I don't think you will have any problems.

WhipCityBeeMan · September 20, 2008, 09:25:13 AM

My hive are less than fifty feet from my house. I have had parties and have never had a problem. Just give people a warning because I once had a party where a father took his his daughter in the back and he was standing right beside the hive. He had too little respect for the bees. Your average person is either fearful of bees or too comfortable. Both conditions could be described as clueless.

JP · September 20, 2008, 10:06:45 AM

Inform your guests that you keep honeybees and how spectacular they are, can even show them the set up albeit from a distance as you most likely don't have 40 extra veils lying around (Bring your own veil party, or BYOV) ok, got off on a tangent.

Try your best not to deliberately attract any bees, as you know this is the time of yr of dearth in many regions. Watch things like syrups and other sugary things, keep an eye out for spilled or unattended sodas as this can be a real draw in a dearth.

Other than that, have fun, and oh, tell your guests not to swat at the bees, cause this usually gets ya stung real quick like.

...JP

buzzbee · September 20, 2008, 01:16:02 PM

The entrance to my Observation hive comes out of the house within 10 feet of my patio. The bees have yet to bother us as we picnic there!
I would just be sure not to disturb the hives such as robbing honey or inspections within a couple days of your event.

octagon · September 20, 2008, 01:35:18 PM

usually it's the other way around at a party if adult drinks are there, someone has a couple to many and wants to show how brave they are and the bees have to show them how they survived for thousands of yrs.
2 of my hives are 6ft from the porch and the only time the bees bother is when the GKs set their soft drinks down and the bees think it's a food bank. no one has got stung yet.

annette · September 20, 2008, 03:30:34 PM

I have had people tell me they just went up to see my hives (without asking permission) and when I ask them if they were careful to stand only at the side of the hive and far away, many people have said, "Oh I just went right up to the front to look at them" So far no one got stung, but this makes me very unhappy when people do that. I think I need to start placing signs around to warn people.

Anyway my 2 hives are about 200 feet from the main patio where many people come to eat all times of the year. We have had all sorts of sweets and drinks just standing around and never any bees coming over. I think you will be fine.

poka-bee · September 20, 2008, 05:10:20 PM

Quote from: octagon on September 20, 2008, 01:35:18 PM
usually it's the other way around at a party if adult drinks are there, someone has a couple to many and wants to show how brave they are and the bees have to show them how they survived for thousands of yrs.

Hee Hee, I'm sorry but my first reaction was to have em wait till dark, take flashlights & go see if snipes really sleep in bee hives @ night cause the bees keep it so warm.... :evil: :evil: :roll: BUT that's just me... :-D Seriously, my hives are about 3' from the house & 60' from my deck, never had a problem. The chix on the other hand....have to keep the hose on & squirt em off the deck..they would get right in your plate if you let them :shock: I call them my little veloceraptors(sp? :?!!)

Sean Kelly · September 20, 2008, 06:29:19 PM

Just remind your guests that you don't keep yellowjackets and that honeybees eat nectar and pollen, not hamburgers and pepsi. People automatically think any flying/stinging insect is a "Bee" and what's a BBQ without yellowjackets? I've had to explain the difference MANY times when having people over for BBQ's at my place.

Sean Kelly

Michael Bush · September 20, 2008, 09:39:33 PM

We have parties in our yard fairly frequently. Sometimes they aren't beekeepers. :) I never had any problems. I have about 40 hives and about a hundred two frame mating nucs in the yard.

SgtMaj · September 21, 2008, 04:29:46 AM

Yellowjackets freak me out, too. Hate those things... but fortuneately I know the difference between them and honeybees. Some of your guests may not know the difference. As a precaution, hang a couple of yellowjacket traps early in the day... that way no one get's a yellowjacket landing on their food and blames your bees.

Also, maybe consider making sure the bees are being fed... just to reduce the attractedness to sugary substances at the party if you're in a dearth like JP said.

Other than that, buy a few veils so you can show everyone the hives (taking turns of course, so you only have to get 3-4 veils instead of a hundred).

Sean Kelly · September 21, 2008, 08:54:35 PM

I've had major problems with those yellow jacket "traps". I made a post about this a year or so ago. Right on the box it says "Does not catch bennificial honey bees". Total lie! My trap was PACKED full of my bees and not a single yellow jacket!!! I think they only work at people's homes who don't keep bees 50' away.

Yellow jackets don't freak me out much, just are annoying. I dressed in my bee suit and tried to dissect a yellow jacket next that was hanging from a low tree. Wanted to see what a yellowjacket queen looked like up close and personal. Bad idea. You touch their hive and they get very angry and wont stop for nothing. Smoke just pee'd them off worse since they don't keep stores of honey to gorge on (didn't think of this at that time). No stings but I learned a lot. I think next time I'll fog them with ether or something first and then dissect them. :-) Either way I find all social insects VERY fascinating. Even though they're a real pain for bbq's they still serve their function. Great article in Bee Culture about yellow jackets this month by the way...

Sean Kelly

JP · September 21, 2008, 10:37:20 PM

I guess someone can and has taken a sip from a soda that had a bee or wasp in it and got stung, but unless you are swatting them, they don't bother you. I've had yellow jackets land on me and I just admire them for what they are, a pretty cool insect, worthy of respect!

...JP

SgtMaj · September 22, 2008, 04:50:24 AM

Hey, I respect yellow jackets. Just as much as I respect Al Queda. I just think they both belong under a 2000lb. GBU, that's all.

As far as the yellow jacket traps go, ArmucheeBee created one out of a couple of soda bottles that seems to work great, and it's right next to the hives. You might want to check out that design. It's in the disease and pest control section... or, here's a link: http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,17380.0.html

greg spike · September 22, 2008, 12:41:39 PM

You could always lock them up the night before your party. Especially, if the bees are hot, or you don't trust the common sense of your guests. A couple days in won't slow their production much.

And remember, bees charge moving lights at night, if they get to close to the hives.

KONASDAD · September 22, 2008, 03:02:55 PM

Parties, no problem. If people will be walking around your yard, mow clover real close, or they will get stung on their bare feet if kids are playiong bare foot. Otherwise, no problems. I have even been asked to open hives, which i do. no veil, nothing. No one has ver been stung yet.