Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Mowing the apiary?  (Read 11329 times)

Offline Michael Bach

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 111
  • Gender: Male
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #20 on: May 16, 2010, 09:49:47 pm »
I built a 10' X 10" elevated deck to place my hives on.

No mowing for me.

I like it because I have a sturdy, flat, clean, and dry area to work.  Plus I can monitor easier to see what they are dragging out of the hives.

Pics forthcomming!

Offline jajtiii

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 62
  • Gender: Male
    • Beekeeping in Varina, Virginia
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #21 on: May 17, 2010, 12:50:52 am »
I mulch around my hives.

Offline greenbtree

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 598
  • Gender: Female
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2010, 01:19:02 am »
Check out garage sales and especially estate sales for and old reel mower.  Should be able to pick one up for next to nothing.  Some have wooden handles that might need replacing and probably will need greasing and some TLC if has been sitting for years.  I remember my Dad used one even when the powered ones came out.

JC
"Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken, or life about to end.  No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again!"

Offline bull

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 68
  • Gender: Male
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2010, 01:27:19 am »
I saw a new one from sears it was 128.00 frns and not were heavy duty.
real mower that is or reel mover .

Offline KD4MOJ

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 719
  • Gender: Male
  • Bees... Motorcycles... amateur radio...
    • TangleWood Apiary
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #24 on: May 17, 2010, 10:12:24 am »
I think I probably SHOULD mow it, but I'm curious how I should go about doing that so I don't get popped by an angry hive.

HHmmm I just get on my 42" Bolens mower and mow away. I usually cut to about 3 feet in front of the hives, but with the exception of getting bumped into from a leaving or returning bee, I don't get stung.. Maybe they just like the sound of my mower???

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

Offline VolunteerK9

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1647
  • Gender: Male
  • Gamecock fan in UT land.
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #25 on: May 17, 2010, 12:17:18 pm »
I just put on a sweat shirt with a veil this weekend for some bushhogging around the hives. 90 degree weather and a sweat shirt was awesome; lost a little weight and got the grass cut.  I can handle the body hits but the stings in the face smarts. Im ugly enough without swollen eyes,lips, etc.

Offline AllenF

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 8192
  • Gender: Male
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #26 on: May 17, 2010, 12:26:29 pm »
Salvage some old carpet.   Lay it under your hives with your blocks on top of the carpet.  No mowing required.   Bigger the piece, less weeds to get in the way of the hives.

Offline Titus

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 59
  • Gender: Male
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #27 on: May 17, 2010, 01:50:37 pm »
Go full throttle and close your eyes :shock:   Ditto the advice on pointing chute away from bees.  Mixed that up once, they chased and stung me.  Mowing around the hives is the most eventful and exciting part of mowing the lawn :-D

Offline podius

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 38
  • Gender: Male
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #28 on: May 17, 2010, 02:12:40 pm »
I don't mow, I have top entrances, and I killed the grass and planted clover in its place. It works for me, mowing takes time away from other things I could be doing.
John VT
Spooner, WI(Northwest WI-up in the nose)
equipment---All medium 10 frame boxes, top entrance's, no foundation frames and mann lake pf 120's (7 hives)

Offline HomeBru

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 137
  • Gender: Male
    • Drew Family Farms
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #29 on: May 17, 2010, 04:18:55 pm »
Where do you get one of those reel mowers?  That sounds like a great idea!

Go to Lee Valley tools www.leevalley.com and look at their reel mower. It's a bit more expensive than what you'll find on Amazon, but they also have the sharpening tools.

J-

Offline Irwin

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
  • Gender: Male
  • howdy all
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #30 on: June 06, 2010, 01:53:15 pm »

Lawn.wmv



Next video will be weed eating around it :-D


Fight organized crime!  Re-elect no one.

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #31 on: June 06, 2010, 02:23:40 pm »
Good luck with the weed eating.

Now go and mow in a beeyard with a bunch of hives, say at least 20 stacked in a row, and video that for our viewing pleasure Irwin. Just make sure you bring an Epi pen with you, ok?  :-D


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Irwin

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
  • Gender: Male
  • howdy all
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #32 on: June 15, 2010, 11:15:32 am »
Weedeating around the hive. You will see me shake my hand one time that's because it had some dog poop on it when you hit a pile it go's every where :-D


weedeating around bee hive
Fight organized crime!  Re-elect no one.

Offline harvey

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 493
  • Gender: Male
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #33 on: June 15, 2010, 11:43:02 am »
I just mowed around seven hives last night, I have a bright orange simplicity with a 54 inch cut,  Maybe they like the orange?  They don't bother me at all. 

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #34 on: June 15, 2010, 11:45:14 am »
Irwin, come on over and mow and weed eat around my bee yard in nine mile point. I have around forty hives there. After that for more fun we can go to my buddy Bailey's bee yards. You don't even need to bring your camera, I'll film.  :-D


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline greenbtree

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 598
  • Gender: Female
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #35 on: June 15, 2010, 01:43:50 pm »
Check out estate sales or auctions for reel mowers.  Sometimes they have one that has been hanging around in Dad's garage for years, and you can pick them up for next to nothing.  They just might need cleaning up and re greasing and possibly a sharpening.

JC
"Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken, or life about to end.  No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again!"

Offline Scadsobees

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3198
  • Gender: Male
  • Best use of smileys in a post award.
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #36 on: June 15, 2010, 02:12:08 pm »
Weedeating around the hive. You will see me shake my hand one time that's because it had some dog poop on it when you hit a pile it go's every where :-D


So when Irwin's around, you can say that the sh7.. is always hitting the fan!! :-D

It helps when the hive is up a bit.  The bees really get TO'd when you start throwing grass in the entrance or whack the entrance a few times with the string.  Did that the other day and they started pouring out like they saw a bear...I watched from a safe distance and didn't bother them for a day or sow.  Other than that my bees could care less about a mower or weedwhacker.
Rick

Offline annette

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 5353
  • Gender: Female
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #37 on: June 16, 2010, 12:04:07 am »
So far I can honestly say that they do not care about the mowing or weedeating.  My friend, who did the weedeating for me last week threw so much dirt up onto the hives that the bees came out and covered the front of the hive, but never, never went after my friend or me. Not one head butt. I am actually amazed by this.

I get onto the riding lawnmower and go back and forth in front of them and nothing happens, ever. 

Anyway perhaps one day that can change, but so far since 2006 it has been like this.

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #38 on: June 16, 2010, 12:13:14 am »
Ok, thanks to this thread, I am going to make a video of me mowing in front of my hives at one of my bee yards. I have to do it soon anyway because my buddy said his father n law has been taking stings on his hands. Father n law is the one that usually mows. I gave him a hat and veil that he wears but sometimes the bees get a lil angry.

Will do it soon.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline roger33

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: Mowing the apiary?
« Reply #39 on: June 16, 2010, 03:36:03 am »
I get the same reaction from my bees as Irwin does from his. They don't seem to be bothered by my mower at all. I use a mulching mower so it doesn't throw clippings everywhere. Once though, it did toss several blades of grass at the entrance. The bees went back in then came out after the grass stopped hitting them. Another time I wasn't paying attention and bumped the hive with the mower. I thought my luck was going to run out with that one. They never seemed to notice. But, I didn't stick around very long either. I only have 2 hives so I'm sure that makes a difference. Thanks for the videos Irwin.

 

anything