They Attacked Me

mgmoore7 · June 15, 2009, 10:14:43 AM

Now that I got your attention. :)

I had to weed wack around the hives yesterday as the grass/weeds etc at one of my yards was getting somewhat out of control. Well on one hive, I put that weed wacker underneith the hive some to cut down that grass and boy oh boy did they come at me.

I was real glad that I had my ultrabreeze on otherwise, I am thinking I would have been stung many times. I did not have my gloves on and got stung once in the hand. I put them on after that. After about 5 minutes they calmed down but were "monitoring" my actions from then on. I had to get in my truck with my jacket/veil on since they just kept following me.

Fun fun. It was neat to watch so many bees exit in a matter of a few seconds and come out stingers-a-blazing.

JP · June 15, 2009, 10:24:16 AM

Bees as a rule don't seem to like weed eaters nor lawn mowers. What I do at my main beeyard is smoke all my hives a little before running the tractor, it helps a lot.

...JP

lmehaffey · June 15, 2009, 10:34:50 AM

Quote from: JP on June 15, 2009, 10:24:16 AM
Bees as a rule don't seem to like weed eaters nor lawn mowers. What I do at my main beeyard is smoke all my hives a little before running the tractor, it helps a lot.

...JP

Amen to that! I have a hive at the lower end of my garden which never gives me problems (guarding and stinging, etc.) unless I am running the lawnmower nearby. I've learned to leave that are until last, then "take the veil" and finish up ASAP!

JP · June 15, 2009, 11:15:34 AM

Matt, another thing you could do is seal up the hives before you mow, then let them out afterwards. Just make sure you smoke them a little before you reopen the hives.

...JP

Scadsobees · June 15, 2009, 11:36:01 AM

They don't like fast movements, and that string whipping around at a million miles/hour gets them going good.

I don't usually have a problem until I get close and the flying grass and the string hitting the hive really agitates them, although they don't usually get as far as me they do pile out of the hive.

Rick

NasalSponge · June 15, 2009, 12:46:29 PM

Another key is a flow...white sweet clover is booming here and when i mowed and weed whacked my beeyard yesterday, no problems...totall ignored me.

annette · June 15, 2009, 02:03:07 PM

This is what I have done and it has worked so far. Has to be a really nice sunny warm day. I wait until they are out foraging in midday. I get on the riding lawn mower and they never bother me. I can go all around them and they never bother me. This is how it has been for 4 years so far.

I don't know why, but they don't seem to care that much. My friend weedwacked all around in back of the hives and stuff was hitting the hives and they never did anything. A few bees came around the back to investigate, but never did much of anything.

I guess I have just been very lucky so far.

I think it is very important that it be a warm sunny day and they be out focused on foraging.

Rebel Rose Apiary · June 15, 2009, 04:50:06 PM

I use a push mower near my hives. I walk past the hives first and pull the mower behind me so I am well out of the way when the noisy mower comes past the hives. SO far so good!

I did have one pissy hive that would come boiling out after me....I was going to requeen them, but they were killed by an act of God.....really, they all got killed in the flood. :-D

Brenda

MustbeeNuts · June 15, 2009, 05:52:07 PM

I bumped a hive yesterday with the mover, just a little close, ya they came out in a gush, plain and simple ,, i ran!! I am going to put some old tar paper down in front of the hives so I don't have to mow there at all.

yjk · June 15, 2009, 09:17:21 PM

It was a few weeks ago when I mowed in and around my hive. I have a fast riding mower and I thought I would give going as fast as I could by them. It worked I didn't see a single bee pay any attention to me. But they seem to be pretty docile. I do a complete suit up to weed eat. I can't run as fast as my mower.

doak · June 15, 2009, 09:47:19 PM

Rolled roofing I think is still available.
Or you could get with a roofer. Get a few left overs.
Or buy a bundle of asphalt shingles.
Under the hive and around and a few feet out front.
Well, I think you know the rest. :)doak

Ernest T. Bass · June 16, 2009, 01:07:06 AM

We get a bunch of this heavy felt that the paper mill throws away, and I put down a bunch of it under the hives and have no grass interfering at all. Beyond the felt we just let the grass grow as the hives are remote..

Wynoochee_newbee_guy · June 16, 2009, 12:33:22 PM

I use the old school way of taking care of the grass and weed problem around my bees I pull it up by hand or hand clip it. no noise no vibrations no grass flying at there hive. you have to look at it from their point of veiw would you like some one weed waking at your front door and having grass clippings fly inside your home unexpected? I might not sting the person but my actions would be about the same.

Irwin · June 16, 2009, 01:26:20 PM

I weed eat and mow around mine and no problem's yet.

1of6 · June 16, 2009, 03:38:49 PM

Quote from: Irwin on June 16, 2009, 01:26:20 PM
I weed eat and mow around mine and no problem's yet.

Same here at least for weed-eating. I reach from behind the hive for the most part, except the main path around my fence. At some places I'm right in front of the hives. I have two rows on hives with a third row of nucs in between, without much of a harassment problem yet while weed-eating. My bees could be a little gentler than those of some others'...

For an idea of the proximity, here's a photo of the yard with a fresh cut...

qa33010 · June 16, 2009, 04:09:56 PM

My wife got stung on the hand a couple weeks ago for the first time in nearly four years. End of the day, little nectar and returning for the day. Also some head butting but that was it. She normally mows early in the day and our hives are off the ground anyway so that helps also. By noon to one at this time of year there is little to gather so they start getting a little moody. :-D

Brian D. Bray · June 18, 2009, 02:23:59 AM

I weed eatered the bee yard this past Saturday, with an audience. The grass had gotten higher than the hives so I had to weed eat. I'm a little clumsy so the hives get swatted a lot with the string. 5 Hives, weeded around all of them, even had the string slip into the entrances of the hives a few times and didn't get stung or see or hear a mean bee. Calm as you please. Blackberries just started the the hives were going to town. But I usually clip the grass around the hives with a weed eater and the last time I got stung (once for the year) was the year before last.

Shawn · June 18, 2009, 02:36:33 PM

ust finished weed eating and mowing around the hives for the second time this year. Although I wear my bee suit and I dont notice the bees really care. I have a few that will buzz around the veil for a second and then they are gone. What is funny is they will buzz me more when Im mowing the rest of the yard versus mowing their area :?