What to charge?

L Daxon · April 18, 2015, 01:56:16 PM

My neighbor just told me I have to get rid of my bees cause he is getting stung too much.

What should I charge for a 4 box, 8 frame medium hive that is 3 years old, never been treated with any chemicals and come through the last 3 winters just fine? I started it from a package in 2012.

ld

kingd · April 18, 2015, 04:21:41 PM

Thats too bad to hear!

You might want to check around locally to try to get an idea.

Maggiesdad · April 18, 2015, 06:16:19 PM

Tell him to buzz off, lol - and keep your bees!

Dallasbeek · April 18, 2015, 06:45:56 PM

If you move your bees and he's still being stung "too much," that will prove the bees stinging him are not yours

in other words, how does he know "your" bees are stinging him? There are bees everywhere.

On the other hand, if your hives are close to the property line, maybe you can move them to another location in your yard. How large is your lot? Lots of questions can be asked.

But if you really want to get rid of the bees, I'd say a fair price would be about 60% of the catalog price of wooden ware and foundation, plus about $130 or so for the livestock. that might be a good starting point on price, anyway.

You might consider requeening if the bees have gotten aggressive.

iddee · April 18, 2015, 10:31:55 PM

Move your bees and place an empty hive in it's place. When he complains a month later, tell him what you did and tell him where to go. Then move your bees back.

OldMech · April 18, 2015, 10:38:32 PM

What Iddee said. Very much so.
You should know if your bees are aggressive or not.
Typical bees will NOT bother people away from their hive. They do NOT sting out of spite, they sting to defend their home. Then they die, which is why they do not typically sting without reason. Can you go out into your yard and mow etc without getting stung? If you can, then so can he. If you cannot, then as stated, re queen your hive or hives.

L Daxon · April 18, 2015, 11:08:10 PM

Yesterday when my neighbor got stung 3 times, he was using a weed eater about 15-20 ft. from the 3 hives. duh. I have 3 big hives and 2 nucs and their exits are facing his lot and the girls literally make a beeline across his property.

He said his wife got 4 bees caught in her hair the other day and she got stung ??? I see the neighbors working in their yard a lot and they swat at the bees all the time. I have told them that is not a good idea but they swat anyway.

There was one swarm in one of their small bushes last week, and two more swarms that he said literally chased him around to his back patio today. (I know, I should keep my hives from swarming).

We both have about 1/2 acre with no fence between us and a lake behind us so I am going to move my bees so they exit out over the lake (the boaters may not like that) and hopefully that will cut down on some of the traffic in his yard.

Now I just have to figure out how to move 8 frame medium hives that are already 5 and 6 boxes tall. Any suggestions?

Maggiesdad · April 19, 2015, 12:40:00 AM

The plot thickens...

Tall fence in front of the hives, tell 'em stop swatting and give him some honey.

iddee · April 19, 2015, 08:01:02 AM

DEFINITELY move them. Break the tall ones down and move them. Leave the weakest one there for a couple days for the stragglers to join. Then move it. There will still be a few stragglers from it, but will find their way to the new location in 3 or 4 days.

Maggiesdad · April 19, 2015, 10:11:50 AM

Yes, listen to iddee - I'm just a noob, and have never had to deal with disgruntled neighbors.

My closest neighbors are a half mile away.

GSF · April 20, 2015, 02:53:51 PM

Are you sure he doesn't have yellow jackets?

Michael Bush · April 20, 2015, 05:21:09 PM

My experience is that people cannot tell the difference. I would move the bees and put an empty hive at the old location, don't tell the neighbor and see what kind of response you get. If he is no longer getting stung then it's likely it was your bees. If he is still complaining then they are not. If it is your bees, there are other solutions. You can requeen with calmer stock and after they calm down move them back.

Hops Brewster · April 20, 2015, 09:30:38 PM

My neighbor across the street complained one of my bees stung him last week. I asked him what color it was. After he hemmed and hawed, said "striped like a bee!" I held out the blue orchard bee that I held in my fingers and said, "it wasn't one of mine. As you can see, mine aren't striped!" I didn't bother to tell him my yard honey bees didn't make it through the winter.