Backyard beehive--can I force them to fly upwards?

[Devbee]

Hello everyone,

I have a relatively small backyard in suburbia Austin, about 30 feet out from the back door and 75 feet across.  I want to put the hive near one shaded corner and then build a structure completely around the hive (leaving me room to work) with some 6 foot high fence posts and that lattice wood stuff in between the posts to use as a trellis for a vine or bouganvillea to grow.

The goal is twofold:
1. Hide the bees from the neighbors
2. Make the bees fly upward and over the 6 foot high "fence" so they stay high above neighbors

I planned to leave an gap in the fence (no gate) that would be located behind the hive, thinking that they would rather fly out of the hive and up rather than out of the hive and around it (to get out through the opening in the fence where I plan to walk into the enclosure to work with them). 

Questions:
a. Is this crazy?
b. How close to the hive entrance can the 6 foot high fence be and still achieve its purpose (and not, say, anger the bees due to its closeness)?
(3 feet away?  6 feet? 12 feet? more?)

Thanks!

[Jerrymac]

The bee will fly up and over. Three feet will do fine.

[IndianaBrown]

You mean like this?


This is what I built last year.  Aside from the lattice it was from scraps that were left in the garage when I bought the house.  It is about 6' by 8', and faces south.  The bees have about 4 feet of clearance.  The enclosure is on a slight rise, so 4' by 8' lattice, raised up about 6'', keeps the bees well over the heads of kids playing downhill just a few feet away.  I have 2 hives in it now, and will eventually have 3. This year I am going to rework it to 8' by 8', with the entrance on the side so I don't have to approach the hive entrances when I enter the enclosure.    The only real drawback with it is that the hive on the eastern side does not get quite enough sunlight.

[mick]

You can build anything you like, the bees dont mind vertical takeoff.

[Michael Bush]

I just put my hives in town facing a wall that's about a foot away.  They tend to go straight up when they go out and I don't have to build a fence.  But a fence will work fine.

[KONASDAD]

I live in heavy suburban area and had similar conscerns. My neighbors know nothing after a year. As others said, they will fly up w/ little inducement. I think it helps w/ predation from birds and the like.  Bigger problem is water. If you dont give them water, your neighbors will. They find a source early and stick to it.

[Cindi]

I spend many, many hours outside just watching the bees coming and going from their hives.  I think that all bees that leave their homes at my place all pretty much fly upwards immediately upon leaving.  To comment even further, I usually see them fly upwards and then in circles and then take off for the wild blue yonder. 

I don't think that I have ever seen any flight straight out of their hives and take off on a horizontal plane, always upwards.   Great day.  Cindi

[Devbee]

This is just what I was wondering: thank you all!

One more question:  How can I provide water for them if they fly up and out?  Should I put the water in the enclosure or in my backyard on the other side of the enclosure (and will the bees go for either of those)?

[Jerrymac]

I have an above ground pool and a small livestock tank. Sometimes they use the pool, sometimes the neighbor's dog dish. There is no guarantee they will use the water you sit out for them any where.

[likes2grill]

I don't have my bees yet but I plan on using a 1gal chicken water with some fish tank gravel in the bottom so they do drown.

[buzzbee]

I have a garden pond (complete with goldfish) in the yard.The leaves from the water lillies and water iris make a good landing pad for the bees to carry off the water! On a hot summer day they are in their all day with each bee stayingf about 40 seconds to gather it's load. It is close to the house but thy don't mind our presence since they have their own job to do. :)

[Cindi]

I have a garden pond (complete with goldfish) in the yard.The leaves from the water lillies and water iris make a good landing pad for the bees to carry off the water! On a hot summer day they are in their all day with each bee stayingf about 40 seconds to gather it's load. It is close to the house but thy don't mind our presence since they have their own job to do. :)

Now that honestly is the best water feed situation that I have ever heard for the bees.  that would be ASOLUTELY PERFECT in my eyes.

I spent eons of time last year making a ditch for the bees to drink from.  The ditch was a necessary part of the landscaping done outside the back of my place around the apiary anyways.  All summer long I had a hose trickling into this ditch.  The water drizzled for a long, long ways, and all along this ditch the bees sucked up the water all summer long, incredible the sound that came from this ditch.  It was good for not only the bees, but the dogs, and every other insect on earth that needed to get some source of drink in our hot hot summer.  We had a drought last summer, which is unusual for our climate.  But from the beginning of July until the middle of September, I think that we only had 2 days of rain.  Unusual, and let me tell you the insect world was stressed.  All I had to do was look at the ditch and it was obvious.

For anyone that does not remember what my ditch looked like at the point where the bees sipped the most,  I will put the picture in again.  This ditch was a very neat place to look at all summer.  I loved to watch the grateful insects.  Great day.  Cindi

[Michael Bush]

I use a five gallon bucket full of sticks and water.  My grandsons invented it when they filled a bucket with sticks and it rained.  The bees were all over it.

The main thing about a water supply is to make it accessible without drowning and make sure it's reliable.  Bees are quite loyal to a reliable source of water.  It is hard to interest them in a different source once they are in the habit of using a reliable source (like a neighbors swimming pool).  You need to make sure the source you provide is reliable.  In other words keep it full.  Pretend you're watering your dog and make sure they never run out.  :)