Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Kellyb on March 30, 2009, 03:31:17 pm
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I'm eager to get started in beekeeping and in trying to find a good spot I've determined that right alongside my house in the front yard seems like the best spot. The hives would be facing southeast so they'd get plenty of sun and they'd be protected from the north wind in the winter. My only concern is having bees so close to the front door. Nobody would be walking directly by them on any regular basis but they'd still be close to the door. Do you'll think this is something I need to be concerned about? I also have an elevated deck on the other side of the house that is an option but the bees would be in total shade pretty much 24/7 so I'm leaning towards this frontside spot.
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Wouldn't bother me at all! MY guests on the other hand probably would not be real thrilled with it.
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I think it depends on the bees. I have a few hives that i do all i can to upset them and I get nothing from them. But I do have another hive that 10 to 15 feet might be a little close, the only reason I keep them is the queen is a great egg layer and the bees make a ton of honey. Plus they are out in the middle of nowhere. Again it all depends on the demeanor of the bees and will vary from hive to hive plus all the other variables drought dearth. That is a tough question to answer, but last year I did have a small hive on my mom's back porch with in 5 feet of the door and I kept them there for about 6 months until I moved them, with out incident
Keith
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This might help.
http://www.beemaster.com/site/honeybee/bee4you.html
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Yes it does help. Thanks!
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Wouldn't bother me at all! MY guests on the other hand probably would not be real thrilled with it.
Generally speaking 15' from your front door should be fine to place a hive or two. As you are entering the front door I would suggest the bee hives to the right of the front door facing away.
You more than likely could put them even closer as long as the entrance is facing away.
You cannot 100% count on any bees always being nice 100% of the time, so taking proper precautions to keep those people who are allergic to bee stings out of harm's way should be priority.
If you keep lights on at night bees will go to them, remember this. Could be a few, could be a small handful. They will fly around against the light all night long until they expire.
If your guests are leery, have them come over after dark when the bees are all tucked in.
...JP
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Wouldn't bother me at all! MY guests on the other hand probably would not be real thrilled with it.
I echo this. :-D
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you'll also get hitchhikers into the house. that might not bother you. the more of them you walk through, the more likely you are to take one or two along for a ride :-). i get them in my hair all the time.
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I don't know your setup, but I'd be more concerned by neighbors seeing your hives if they are in the front yard. I wouldn't want to advertise to the neighborhood I have bees, not because the bees might become a problem, but because the neighbors might become a problem! Next thing you know the neighbor down the street gets stung by a yellow jacket while working in the garden and guess who is to blame?
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Got two Nucs on the back porch and an eight frame observation hive beside my wife's computer less than three feet from our bed. Its Her's so she put it on her side of the bed and told me to build another just like it for my side. Women??? :bee: :bee: :bee:
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I have had hives that close to my door with no problems. I've also had hives that I was very glad weren't that close to my door.
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Kinda takes care of those door-to-door sales people, doesn't it!
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Ask Tillie. She keeps her hives on her deck.
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Now I must confess that this time of year anyone trying to get into my front door usually has to walk between 4-6 hives. Right now there are 6.
I babysit and feed the swarms for a few weeks then bring them to the beeyard.
Right there on my carport, about 7' from my front door. Definitely keeps away the door to door types ;).
...JP
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Now I must confess that this time of year anyone trying to get into my front door usually has to walk between 4-6 hives. Right now there are 6.
I babysit and feed the swarms for a few weeks then bring them to the beeyard.
Right there on my carport, about 7' from my front door. Definitely keeps away the door to door types ;).
...JP
Bet you don't get burglarized either. I can just see the crook thinking, "If he's got bees by his front door, what's he got in the house?
Post a picture of a dragon on your door with a sign that says, "Beware of Dragon." :lau: :lau: :jerry:
:imsorry: I'll go back to :stayontopic:
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Someone mentioned the neighbors seeing the bees. That's actually the reason why I want to put them up front. I think it will be easier for me to keep them out of site and out of mind that way. I have a huge backyard that extends about 75 yards down a hill into a dry creek but the thing is it's not fenced in and any hives I set down there would would be in broad view for the entire neighborhood to see.
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I would keep them on my front deck a few feet from my door if my husband would allow me to. But it would be hard to get any help from any workers if I needed them.
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I have kept a hive on the front porch about 2' from the front door with no problem. It sure cut down on my company. :-D
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I don't know how long yours are cooped up, but if they are inside for a while in the winter...well they have to hold it while in there...and on a nice day in the spring when the sun is shining they ALL come out and poop on EVERYTHING.
Normally it is not a problem. But if you stand next to a hive on a nice day after a long cold spell, well, you are going to be speckled by the same "stuff" that will be speckling everything around the hive.
Other than that...15' from the door with the bees entrance pointing away...that is just fine as long as they aren't facing a solid fence.
Rick
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I had six hives pointing at the house , approx 17 feet away. there are still many bees, but they circle climb and leave the area. the house makes a break and they fly over it. So far so good.This year I expect to have 12 out there. hope it stays that way.
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Robo posted my webpage (thanks Rob) and it showed well the layout I had at my old house. I had bees like that (15 feet from the front door and 10 feet from the sidewalk leading to the front door) for more than 20 years - the only problem I ever had was one mail-lady would walk quickly to the mailbox, deposit and get out of there ASAP. Of course, I tried telling her, slow deliberate movements in the flight path were probably better, since bees tend not to really see you if you are stationary, but she wouldn't listen.
No one ever got stung, but you would get pinged as the exited and returned to the hives because due East toward that mailbox was their flight pattern. I kept a Beehive ahead sign at the front of the property, so people knew to look and never had an issue with anyone.
Now... since we moved last June, I kept the hive at the old house, we will be moving the hive here after the main pollen flow next month. Then it will go into our much larger back yard where it can easily be seen from the dining room and kitchen and we will be building a raised deck (we have a bilevel home) and it looks over thousands of acres of very pretty wooded land. It will be ideal for watching the bird feeders and the beehives - I'll be having a few more now that I have the land for it. No more flight path issues then.
But again, I and everyone here it seems agrees, you should have no problems, hives are too busy searching for food stores to bother with people, and as you saw/read the hive is up against my property line with the old neighbor, who I had holding a frame of bees barehanded about 30 minutes after meeting him. And that is a big issue, you (I believe) have to have informed neighbors, they need to know that your bees are good for their trees, plants, etc..
Showing them how confident you are with them is a big seller if the neighbors are still skeptical. Also, let them know what swarming really is, most people have this impression (which I think they got from watching too many cartoons as a kid) that swarms are honeybees on a rampage - we all know it is as oppositely true as possible and so should they. When uniformed people see a swarm, and it is a site to behold, they think of Hitchcock's the Birds and expect them to swoop down and attack, as is the same as when they see the swarm lighting on a branch or mailbox or whatever, they fear it and need to be taught the truth, and THAT is the job of the beekeeper.
Keep it real, don'tlie to make it seem that they are little kittycats with wings, be real and express the good and also the steps to handle issues like swarming. Informed neighbors are good neighbors, otherwise they always have fear and that leads to tension across the fence. That is something you can almost always put an end to - just by explaining the basics of hive activity.
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I agree, having hives 15 feet away wouldn't necessarily bother me, but I am mindful of the beeline. As John mentioned you get head butted once in awhile if you get in their line. A couple years ago though, my wife and I did a cutout of some pretty hot bees, every time we went out the back door we got popped. They settled down though after about 3 days. Temperament can play big part as well.
David
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Also, let them know what swarming really is, most people have this impression (which I think they got from watching too many cartoons as a kid) that swarms are honeybees on a rampage - we all know it is as oppositely true as possible and so should they. When uniformed people see a swarm, and it is a site to behold, they think of Hitchcock's the Birds and expect them to swoop down and attack, as is the same as when they see the swarm lighting on a branch or mailbox or whatever, they fear it and need to be taught the truth, and THAT is the job of the beekeeper.
You're very right about that. I feel bad now because I grew up in south texas in the early 90's when the AHBs were first migrating into the area and there was all this stuff on the media about them. I remember being in my teens and looking out the window one day and seeing a big bee swarm on a tree not 20 feet from the front door. Immediately thinking this was an AHB swarm out to destroy everything I got a semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun, poked it out the door, and quickly blasted 3 rounds into that swarm and shut the door. I feel bad about it now.