Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: get me a beer!  (Read 9783 times)

Offline beehive lane

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Gender: Female
get me a beer!
« on: April 21, 2007, 04:25:26 am »
freakin overload, so much info! Wow! Get me a beer! I am a "hands on" type of person, and I get the impression that alot of you guys are too. I know that all will work once I see my first bees and get down to business. We live on 20 acres, nearly all wooded, water near by and tons of black locust, honeysuckle and fruit trees. We have only about one acre cleared, and that is taken up by a veg garden, chickens,  and our house. Placement of hives is gnawing at my brain. Do I clear some trees and open up an area for them? We have two young children that seem only to learn by putting their hands on the hot stove, and trespassers that seem to think we are a hunting preserve,public park....oh, lets not forget the mushroom pickers. There have been times I have looked up from gardening to see "bubba' in his overalls walking through the yard! My husband takes walks in the woods with a tomahawk and a rifle (good image, huh?) and scares off hunters. I worry about the bees, due to the  lack of respect from above mentioned "bubbas". We had a guy trespass, do damage to his ankle (from an old half filled in well) that tried to file a law suit! Can you belive that???!!! Should I file somewhere in city hall and have it recorded that we have bees? Has anyone else out there had this kind of insanity,...or are we the only ones? We can't be, can we?   Also, what about the noise and vibration of a large riding mower?  P.s. the ankle guy didnt win, but the city made us fill in the well at our expense, even though ankle guy was trespassing! Man, go figure!
Syd

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2007, 06:13:43 am »
sounds like you need a fence with gates. Hint on gates is leave it open cause people will think, well maybe they're there and will usually not trespass, close it and they think you're not there. You can make a beeyard with a low fence to keep the kids out or teach them to ask first before venturing and only with Mom or Pop and of course their own little bee suits. We have a very similar set up that you described.
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

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

Offline Sean Kelly

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 913
  • Gender: Male
  • I Pick; Therefore I Grin
    • Sean's Facebook Page
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2007, 07:19:05 am »
Man, that's nuts!
I'm not sure about the laws in Kansas, but here if you have a sign posted warning people of something they can't get you for it.  I'd put up NO TRESSPASSING signs up all around the entire 20 acres.  Put up enough and hopefully they'd get the point.

A fenced in bee yard is the ticket.  I have a 1 1/2 year old who loves daddy's bees.  The fence is mainly to keep her out but it also works great for wildlife (skunks, coons, bears) and curious hillbillys.  Doesnt have to be a big fence either.  I used scrap lumber from when we fenced in the pasture years ago to make my yard and then nailed welded wire fencing to the inside.  Looks nice and does a great job.  And I bought a really cool sign from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm:





As for the riding lawn mower, I just put mine on full freakin speed ahead and the blade all the way down and hold on for dear life!  Go fast enough they cant catch ya!!!  Mowing inside the bee yard is a whole different story.  My hive is new enough that the grass is still short.  It's pretty tight in there so I'm gunna have to use a push mower.  Might wanna suit up for that.   :-\


Sean
"My son,  eat  thou honey,  because it is good;  and the honeycomb,  which is sweet  to thy taste"          - Proverbs 24:13

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2007, 07:30:42 am »
love that sign Sean!
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

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

Offline Sean Kelly

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 913
  • Gender: Male
  • I Pick; Therefore I Grin
    • Sean's Facebook Page
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2007, 07:51:09 am »
love that sign Sean!

Yeah, me too.  Saw it in the 07 Brushy Mountain catalog and had to get it.  The signs I've seen from other companies have been kinda weak.  Silly little bee on a flower and the words, "Bee Careful, Honeybees live here".  Blah.  I needed something that got the point across.  "You open this gate and it's your rear, not mine".   :evil:
I also have crazy sue happy hillbillys where I live and I'm not taking any chances.
My parents live in the lot next to ours.  My dad put a sign on the gate leading to his shop that says, "NO TRESSPASSING:  TRESSPASSERS WILL BE VIOLATED, SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT"  with a skull and crossbones in the middle.  Gets the point across for sure.  :-)

Sean

Sean
"My son,  eat  thou honey,  because it is good;  and the honeycomb,  which is sweet  to thy taste"          - Proverbs 24:13

Offline bluegrass

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 459
  • Gender: Male
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2007, 10:49:04 am »
Post your property and register the posting with the town clerk. When you catch people on there press charges....does not take long to make your point. The bottom line is you are liable if somebody is hurt on your property, even if they dod not have permission to be there.
Sugarbush Bees

Offline TwT

  • Senior Forum
  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3396
  • Ted
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2007, 01:30:44 pm »
on the trespassing part you got enough good answers, on place to put your hive's goes like this, it nice to put your hive facing east to catch the early morning sun, its also nice to have a small tree line on the west side of your property to be a wind break from storms coming from the west, so hive entrances facing east and hive placement on the west side of your yard preferably with a windbreak behind the hives, now you don't have to do it this way but I do when I can....
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

Never be afraid to try something new.
Amateurs built the ark,
Professionals built the Titanic

Offline beehive lane

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Gender: Female
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2007, 04:44:58 am »
Great feedback, glad to know I am not alone in the hillbilly problem. We have posted signs, put up property fences and even in the past posted letters in the paper. Signs are shot and ripped down, refuse is tossed about.... I think the signs you have Sean, will help, skull and crossbones,perfect touch! I'm thinking shrunken heads..what detours hillbillies? Scarecrows will a full set of teeth? Overalls with a leg missing? No, I like overalls....A six pack of cheap beer with one can missing?  No, I like beer, Oh my god, I'm a hillbilly. Maybe not, I have my teeth!  Yikes!  Save me from myself!  Any ideas out there? Your little one is adorable , by the way.  I like your bee barn, and the photos, Ill try a similar enclosure until my little Ella is a bit older.
 The comment on hive location TwT,thank you! We already have a tree/shrub barrier planted by my husband's grandfather (was an exceptional beekeeper} which is a major plus. My husband forgot to tell me the purpose of our tree/shrub line, until I started talking bees! They will be in the same spot as Carl's hives were 20-30 years ago! Reading, learning and talking, met some beekeepers today.
Syd

Offline beehive lane

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Gender: Female
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2007, 06:25:47 am »
Cheers JP, suits all around. My friends and neighbors are terrified now . Do you all deal with this reaction?
Syd

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2007, 07:12:03 am »
Are they terrirfied of the bees or coming onto your property or the hillbillies with the missing teeth  :-D
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

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

Offline bluegrass

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 459
  • Gender: Male
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2007, 09:11:16 am »
And I though the school kids crossing the yard was a problem....I planted a hedge of osage-orange and blackberry around my lot and the thorns stopped them, but......
20 acres mmmmm..... Four stands of electric fencing would not be too hard....and thow a couple of llamas out there....everybody is scared of llamas.....or a few mean old rams....pack of wild dogs :evil:
Sugarbush Bees

Offline wtiger

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 179
  • Gender: Male
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2007, 01:24:06 pm »
Yeah we have the same problem.  My dad has about 280 acres out in the sticks and people are always abusing it, trespassing and fishing out the lakes I help him stock yearly.  We posted the property and all of that(all of the signs were ripped down shortly thereafter), but It's about an hour from either one of our houses so when someones trespassing we usually hear about if from the renter or a neighbor and never catch them ourselves.  The really stupid part is we've always been willing to let people hunt or fish on the property so long as they ask our permission and clean up after themselves.

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2007, 02:15:59 pm »
>freakin overload, so much info!

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslearning.htm
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2007, 07:32:23 pm »
LOL...you can have a beer, I think I need a valium after reading all this stuff...We could never put a warning sign like that here in California...because you are admitting that you have something dangerous...crazy eh??  So just the plain "No Trespassing" will have to do...our hive will be somewhat near the lane we live on, so I am going to plant a grevillea hedge.  Grevillea are drought resistant Australian plants, and this variety ( canberra gem ) flowers almost all year long...Yes bees and hummers love it...It also has prickly needles...


Offline beehive lane

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Gender: Female
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2007, 09:55:47 pm »
wtiger where are you in Mo.? I live in Lexington.
Syd

Offline annette

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 5353
  • Gender: Female
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2007, 10:41:40 pm »
Regarding the riding lawn mower. I just suit up and get on it. They have never bothered me, even though I mow that big noisy thing right up to the hive on all sides. I think as long as you do not kick up a rock or debris that hits the hive, you are ok. Sometimes they will come out due to the vibration, but never go at me.

Good Luck
Annette from Placerville

Offline Dane Bramage

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 509
  • Gender: Male
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2007, 10:53:57 pm »
"Get me a beer!"  Honey beer or mead?  Perhaps you'll have to wait until the end of the season to make your own, but it will be an excellent, even soothing, reward. 
" I am a "hands on" type of person, and I get the impression that alot of you guys are too." Hands-on, eyes on, bee forum on ~ lol - cool thing about the info age, adds many ways to the traditional methods of gaining info & perspectives.  Nothing beats hands-on personal experience for dispelling all doubts but it is definitely advantageous to go into any venture well-informed.  More fun!  :-D
"I know that all will work once I see my first bees and get down to business." Don't be sooo sure!  que ~> :evil: "bwahahah" - just JOKING!  You're right... it's just "fear of the unknown" but, even in my limited experience (1st time beek) nurturing nature just seems to work.
"We live on 20 acres, nearly all wooded, water near by and tons of black locust, honeysuckle and fruit trees."  Bees say "yum". :)  What kind of water near?
"We have only about one acre cleared, and that is taken up by a veg garden, chickens,  and our house. Placement of hives is gnawing at my brain. Do I clear some trees and open up an area for them?"  If you already have an area that gets good full morning sun and preferably throughout the day, with partial late-afternoon shade in hottest part of summer be ideal (but not necessary) ~ they'll be happy and productive.
" We have two young children that seem only to learn by putting their hands on the hot stove," The DO learn tho, right?  ;)  If anyone here didn't "mess" with bees in some fashion as a child (& learn that precious lesson the painful way) please raise your hand.  heh  As long as they are told/taught to respect the bees (they defend their homes indeed!) and don't tackle or tip the hive boxes outright  :shock: I think they should be fine.  Other animals can be sorta fierce too - chickens have those pointy beaks and will charge ya!  ;)  But big +1 to fenced in hive area for protection from ALL pests (2 and 4-legged).
"...and trespassers..."  Ditto what everyone else has posted thus far: fences and signs and definitely take lawful action if necessary. 
"Should I file somewhere in city hall and have it recorded that we have bees? Has anyone else out there had this kind of insanity,...or are we the only ones? We can't be, can we?"  I've heard and read of a LOT of insanity.  Eminent domain comes to mind as one particularly egregious example.  That being said, how one proceeds through the maze that is municipal governmental bureaucracy is probably a very personal decision, not to mention potentially complicated (they don't call it legalese for nothing).  If you own your home outright vs. have an equity interest (the bank owns it), etc., etc., all determines your standing. 
"Also, what about the noise and vibration of a large riding mower?"  I'd be curious about that one too.  Not that I have to worry about it in my own circumstance (hives are fenced in and on a deck/overlook).  I sure wouldn't mow close in front of the hives.  I have to power-wash and paint my deck though... gonna have some temporary bee-hive logistics issues there.  lol
Ahh - Annette posted while I was replying...  suit up eh?  No mower tan for you. ;)  Do you notice they get riled up when you buzz directly in front of them?

Cheers,
Dane





Offline buzzbee

  • Ken
  • Global Moderator
  • Galactic Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 5930
  • Gender: Male
    • N Central Pa Beekeepers Facebook Page
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #17 on: April 22, 2007, 11:16:23 pm »
Just try to blow the grass away from the hive entrance. I've only been stung once running the riding mower near the hives!

Offline beehive lane

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Gender: Female
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2007, 12:21:41 am »
LOL...you can have a beer, I think I need a valium after reading all this stuff...We could never put a warning sign like that here in California...because you are admitting that you have something dangerous...crazy eh??  So just the plain "No Trespassing" will have to do...our hive will be somewhat near the lane we live on, so I am going to plant a grevillea hedge.  Grevillea are drought resistant Australian plants, and this variety ( canberra gem ) flowers almost all year long...Yes bees and hummers love it...It also has prickly needles...



I know what you mean, I moved here from L.A. seven years ago! Beautiful  plants you are putting in. Miss the weather in Calif.
Syd

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: get me a beer!
« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2007, 01:58:54 am »
Overload, yeah!!!!  My nephew from a neighbouring county came and told me that he had a real lawnmower, I laughed, I told him I had one too.  He said, Auntie Cindi, I have a real lawnmower.  I did not get it until he told me that he had one (a reel lawnmower) that operated like the old push ones, only it is simply more sophsticated.  He has a reel lawnmower.  Best of a beautiful day, good health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service