Introduction

[Jim Hughes]

Greetings from Jim, N of Seattle.  What a great forum!

Everybody remembers the old phrase "there is no such thing as a stupid question."  HAH!

Here's one:  Do you guys mow the lawn around the hives?  This will be my first year of beekeeping and BELIEVE ME, I have stupid questions.  The optimum hive place is in front of the garden and there is a little grass there.  Eventually I will have ZERO grass to mow, as we are steadily replacing ALL of it with plants, trees, shrubs, gardens, roses, etc., but how bad does the mower freak out the bees?  I am perfectly willing to either cut it with a scythe or simply let it grow, but the question arose anyway.  Any advice?

And now for the introduction thing:  I am recently retired and am now on to IMPORTANT stuff--like doing the bee thing!!  My wife is younger and still works (lucky me) so beekeeping was a natural hobby I have always been interested in.

Thanks in advance
Jim

[AllenF]

Welcome to the forum and no I do not mow, because my hives are in the woods.  But they are about 5 foot from the grass and the lawn mower has never got them upset.  Cut around them, most everybody does.

[Kathyp]

i do.  i run the tractor back by the hives.  most of the time it doesn't bother them, but every once in a while they get testy.  lay some material down and you won't have to worry about the grass.  that garden stuff, or the road base stuff, works fine.  or....roundup.

[buzzbee]

A hunk of old carpet works well. You can always suit up and be quick with a weedeater. Just work from the sides,not directly in front.
And as kathy said,someties they will pay no mind, other times they can be quite testy.I have run my riding mower directly in front of 10 hives with no consequence and other times I wore out my welcome.

[vmmartin]

Welcome Jim Hughes.

[annette]

I'm on the riding lawn mower going back and forth in front and around the sides and back. They have never bothered me, but I do wear my suit anyway. My friend who follows me with the weed wacker, doesn't wear anything and he has never gotten stung.

I am careful to mow only on nice warm days when they are focused on foraging.

[Michael Bush]

>Here's one:  Do you guys mow the lawn around the hives?

No.  But then I don't mow anywhere else either... I have top entrances so the grass doesn't block the entrance, the horses eat the rest of it, but are fenced off from the hives...

[WPG]

I use an old sythe occassionly, sometimes a power brush-cutter.
Depends how long its been.  no problems

One place I have them the 12 yr old son mows right past them with a push-mower,  no problems.

Then there was a great place that the owners brother mowed once a month on a big rider.  He was real surprised the bees chased him the second time around. 

I had to brush grass off the front of the hives, clean out the bottom boards and then find a new place for the bees.
At least he found out he wasn't really allergic.
He finished mowing later.

[BlueBee]

I mow when they're asleep  :)

[hardwood]

Welcome Jim!

Scott