Newbie post - Do hives around the house increase infestations?

doug494 · September 29, 2010, 01:02:10 PM

I am considering starting a couple bee hives at my home. I have some issues I would like help on.

1. Bees and Pools - I have a pool, it would be about 40-50 ft from the hive(s). I have read people with pools don't like bees. How serious is the issue?

2. Swarming and infestations - Will having the bees in the neighborhood significantly increase the likelihood of myself or my neighbors having an infestation problem since I will not be able to 100% prevent swarming? My neighbors are not close, at least 50-75 feet between properties and the bees will be 75ft from my house and have wooded lots on three sides. I get honey bees (I think, haven't looked really close) on my holly bushes every spring, but I don't know of any feral hives close by so any bee issue would be my fault.

3. If I cannot get my spouse over the hump and decide to place them at some property at work, do open unfarmed fields (about 20 acres next to an interstate) provide enough resources for bees to prosper?

4. What issues am I missing for a residential set-up?

danno · September 29, 2010, 01:47:53 PM

I have between 15 and 20 colonies at my house at all times. I have a pool and it has never been a problem mainly because the neighbors have a swampy pond about 1/4 mile away. Swarming bee's have been a problem from time to time. I try to catch them but some do get away. Twice now bee's have moved into neighbors bird houses. The first time they called me and I went and got them. The second time they sprayed then called. No proof they are even my bee's. I did have one neighbor tell me my bee's were hitting there bird bath pretty hard and they would watch them leave heading right at my place. I'm sure they were mine. My wife has many gardens very bright with color but most flowers dont attract many bee's. Some plants like russian sage, lavender, butterfly bush and in the fall asters always have bee's on them. Away from the hives you pretty much have to try and get stung. Step on one barefooted or pinch one and they will get you. Leave them alone and they wont even know your there. We have had big parties and although the hives are all insight no one even see a bee. People have asked me if they can go up to them and are always shocked when the get within 20 yard on them. Suddenly you hear the loud buzzing and have bee's darting all around you. I tell them that if one lands on them dont swat it and no one ever gets stung

AliciaH · September 29, 2010, 02:50:03 PM

Hey, Doug! Welcome!

1. Bees need water, so if the pool is an issue, it's probably because the bees don't have another source. Other sources can include bird baths and hose spiggots (which neighbors aren't so hot on), so you'll want to supply a source for your girls.

2. You can do alot to prevent swarms and you will learn many of the prevention technics as you study up some more. They do happen, though. The positive side is that swarms are very docile, however; more so than the colonies from which they originated.

3. 20 acres is a great start, depending on what is planted there, but your girls will most likely venture farther abroad.

Ditto what danno said about most people not even realizing bees are close. I have three hives in my front yard. I have had to stop contractors from leaning on the hives while making notes because they didn't even realize they were standing next to hives!

As for your neighbors, play up the garden pollination point. Also, when you get your first crop, you can spread some honey-love around, that always brings a smile to peoples' faces!

L Daxon · September 29, 2010, 05:43:01 PM

Two weeks before my package bees arrived this May, my neighbor 4 houses north had a swarm of bees in his tree. Obviously there are bees (either feral or kept) around here beside the ones I now have, so no one can prove where bees come from (unless you are branding each of yours or something). My attorney, who keeps 6 hives in his backyard in a swank part of Tulsa, said he isn't the slightest bit concerned about being sued and I shouldn't be either. Now I did talk to each of my neighbors before I set up my hives to make sure no one nearby had a serious beesting allergy. That is only common courtsey. If someone did have a serious allergy (i.e. they knew enough to keep an eip-pen with them at all times) I wouldn't set up a hive in my yard.

Also, last night at our local beekps mtg. one guy who is nicknamed the "Camo Man" said he always painted his hives in camouflage colors to kind of hide them from kids, neighbors, mothers walking w/baby strollers, etc. so they aren't as easy to spot and therefore provoke criticism, vandalism, or even theft.

And finally, when I was placing an order w/Brushy Mt. yesterday and we were going over my address, I asked if they had any other customers in my zip code, and sure enough there were 3 others. So how can someone prove a bee incident was from one of my bees or someone's near by, or from a feral colony and not mine. Just can't be done.

dennis2021 · September 29, 2010, 07:20:39 PM

I have 2 hives in a regular sized backyard(1/4 acre lot) and we have no problems. We have a 4 year old, chickens, and we are always in the backyard and never have a problem. We did have bees in the kiddie pool for a while, I had to dump it out for a few days a give a bowl with a few branches closer to the hives with water in it.

schawee · September 29, 2010, 11:04:56 PM

welcome to the forum doug.i have 20 hives in my backyard ,7 are nucs i have no problem with them. the neighbors love the bees and they know the bees help them out with their veg.gardens.1neighbor go as fare as putting water stations for the bees.i have a swimming pool and there is no problem with the bees getting water out of the pool.although when we had a drought this summer the pool had so bees getting water and they had a few swim partys too :-D.i think the most important thing for having bees in your yard is to have very gentle bees. ...schawee

Michael Bush · September 30, 2010, 09:26:25 AM

I never considered bees to be an "infestation"... I wish I had more infestations...

Hemlock · September 30, 2010, 10:55:23 AM

YES!
They cause an increase in infestations of neo-tropical migratory songbirds who show up to eat all the wildflower & trees seeds produced by bee pollination; plus the occasional falcon. You will also be infested with friends and neighbors who think what you are doing is awesome and will trade work for honey.

Sadly, your OTHER neighbors kids & dogs will stay well out of your yard.

Good luck & have fun!

Robo · September 30, 2010, 11:49:58 AM

Quote from: doug494 on September 29, 2010, 01:02:10 PM
1. Bees and Pools - I have a pool, it would be about 40-50 ft from the hive(s). I have read people with pools don't like bees. How serious is the issue?

Bees like chlorine, amongst other contaminates. Unless they have access to a better attracting water source or are trained to an equally attracting water source, they will be at the pool. For many years I had a dog waterer that I spiked with Chlorox to attract them. This was available long before the pool was open, so they got trained to it.

This year I found something better (well at least more enjoyable). I have a plastic 55 gallon drum of water with tadpoles. The tadpoles keep the mosquito larvae under control and make the water stagnant enough to be more attracting than the pool. The family likes watching the tadpoles grow and the bees stay out of the pool. Actually the barrel was located right next to the pool, proving the bees found it more attracting and not just more convenient. It wasn't intended to be a bee watering spot, but more of a way to save the frog eggs that had been laid on the pool cover.

Quote
2. Swarming and infestations - Will having the bees in the neighborhood significantly increase the likelihood of myself or my neighbors having an infestation problem since I will not be able to 100% prevent swarming? My neighbors are not close, at least 50-75 feet between properties and the bees will be 75ft from my house and have wooded lots on three sides. I get honey bees (I think, haven't looked really close) on my holly bushes every spring, but I don't know of any feral hives close by so any bee issue would be my fault.

Bringing more bees into the area will increase swarms. Significantly? That is all relative. If you have no swarms now, than 1 would be significant. If there are 30 swarms a year, one more wouldn't be significant. Swarms can travel miles, so your neighbors will be well within range. You are right, your bees or not, the neighbors will assume they are yours. Do your best to help handle any swarms in your area.

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3. If I cannot get my spouse over the hump and decide to place them at some property at work, do open unfarmed fields (about 20 acres next to an interstate) provide enough resources for bees to prosper?

Depending on the weather and forage available, it would most likely make a fine bee yard. Rooftop beehives in NYC find ample food sources, so what you describe should not have a problem either.

Quote4. What issues am I missing for a residential set-up?

Does your town have any ordinances for beekeeping?

doug494 · September 30, 2010, 06:03:49 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Sorry Mike,
Since I am uninitiated into this hobby, I still consider outside beings living in my house infestation. Bees or Bats, I love them and what they do outside. You do have a very nice website and I really like the idea of TBH, or at least foundationless.

Hemlock,
If you can guarantee me Falcons I will start a hive tomorrow, that would be too cool.

Placing them at work is probably more practical and pleasing to my spouse, but I still think it would be neat/more convenient to have them in the back yard to watch.

How successful have people been with no experience catching a swarm? JP makes it look too easy.

Doug

L Daxon · September 30, 2010, 06:23:04 PM

I am a 59 yr. old female who caught my first swarms this spring after watching a couple of internet videos. It was easy. Only I did it suited up, not bare handed like some. Of course it depends on where the swarms are, how high, etc. If you have watched enough of JP's videos, you can do it, no problem. There's also a bunch on YouTube. Looking forward to catching more next year.

bassman1977 · September 30, 2010, 06:31:21 PM

Catching a swarm can be easy if they are just sitting in a bush or on a branch. Just a few shakes and it's done. Retrieving an established hive...that can be challenge. I am 1 for 1 for both situations and I did it without any help other than reading what others have posted of their experiences on here.

Hemlock · October 03, 2010, 09:39:48 PM

Doug,

There is a large list of what plants tract and feed songbirds. MANY of which are pollinated by bees. Where there are songbirds there are Falcons (Sharp-Shinned Hawk and Copper's Hawk, in the Eastern U.S)
SO, More pollination = more bird food = more songbirds = more falcons.

Also, the same formula works for turtles, deer, turkey, people, fox, bears, etc, etc...

Michael Bush · October 04, 2010, 04:54:13 AM

About the only bees in my house are there because I brought them there. The observation hive in the living room. The bees in the supers I'm extracting in the kitchen... but I don't find any more in my house than when I didn't have bees...

Boom Buzz · October 04, 2010, 12:55:46 PM

Doug,

Regarding catching swarms - it can be very easy, but not always. I am in my third year as a beek. Got my first call to catch a swarm this last spring. Ten minutes after I arrived on the scene I had the small swarm swept off the side of the picnic table into a waiting hive with frames. No suit up. No stings. This hive is now thriving. I have bought two packages through the mail the previous two years and neither made it. Lost the queens sometime in August on each package. Probably my inexperience or just some bad luck. Others seem to do fine with packages.

That said, it seems each swarm situation is different and I have read about or watched videos of people attempting to catch swarms that are not so accessible as the side of a picnic table. ie., 25 feet up the tree. I would not hesitate to go after more swarms. I hope to get calls next year to catch swarms to add to my apiary!
Good luck and welcome to beekeeping - it is addicting! :-D
John

L Daxon · October 13, 2010, 12:40:43 AM

Aren't "free" bees great. Much better than paying for them. :yippiechick:

winginit · October 13, 2010, 10:39:16 AM

I am a new beekeeper this year. I have one hive in the backyard that I can see from the kitchen window, and one down in the valley that I can't see. I get far more enjoyment and education from the one I can see. Plus it's a lot less work.

L Daxon · October 13, 2010, 11:41:38 AM

Decades ago when I first kept bees, my hives were in my yard but not where I could see them easily. It was kind of "out of sight out of mind." Now I have windows across much of the back of my house and I see the hives all the time, and it is very distracting. I probably go out and just stand and watch (and occasionally sit in a chair I have by the hives) and just watch, and watch and watch. Of course I have learned a lot more about what is going on in and out of the hive that way, but I can sure use up (was going to say waste but the learning going on on my part is valuable) a lot of time each day. And it is sure a great way to relax.

Scadsobees · October 13, 2010, 02:36:13 PM

Hi Doug, and welcome!

I'm in a neighborhood too, <1/2 acre yard, 9 hives or so.
I've a pool (big rubber kwikset pool), and at least 5 neighbors with pools adjoining or within one house away. I do get some bees around the base of the pool, by any leaky filters or from splashing, etc. Not too bad, and it isn't nearly bad enough to keep the kids out. None of the neighbors have complained.

I also have 5 kids, and have had bees around from ages <1 up. Yeah, we've gotten more bee stings than wasp stings, but not more than a few a year spread out over the 5 kids. Alot of that is actually from the clover in the yard.

I don't honestly think that your hives will increase infestations in the area. You'll be able to capture your own hives, or know when they swarm, and if any houses in the neighborhood get a hive inside, then they'll know they can talk to you to pick them up before they can become established. Besides, most bees fly a ways away before finding a home, so if they do get in a house it will probably be more than a mile away...and how could they pin that on you? :-D

I've found out recently that there are a lot more beekeepers and bees in my area than I knew. And their bees have swarmed as much or more than mine.

The only issue is if you have a mental neighbor around...y'know the ones that complain about everything, are punitive, call the city if you have a car sitting somewhere for more than a few days. The ones who got stung when they were 3 and swelled to the size of a Buick and will die in 3 seconds if stung again. Those ones are trouble, but are usually trouble with anything.

Rick

danno · October 13, 2010, 02:50:31 PM

well said Rick
My problem neighbor moved here from the big city 2 years ago and built a house in the corn feild across rd. He doesn't like my bee's and will tell me just that. But he also doesn't like my chicken. He doesn't like me or the neighbors shooting because "it just upset fluffy" his dog if you call that tiny hair ball a dog. He doesn't like my burn barrel. He doesn't like the neighbors cat. We live in farm country for god sake. Last winter I posted my land because snowmobilers blow through a few acres of small spruce I had plant and he told me "Good you posted it NO Hunting or tresspassing so now your not allowed to shoot those poor deer anymore". He's a nut case. Point is there is one in every crowd but in the same breath I'll tell you as people hear more about bee's on the news the more they want to help. Most will consider you a saint for helping save the bee's and that 30% of the food they eat.