Bees

[Treehugger]

I have recently been in touch with my local beekeeping association for advice about the positioning of a hive in the garden. The association were a mine (or should that be a hive) of information, but the upshot is that my garden isn't really suitable for keeping bees in. Too many neighbours apparently. And there's me thinking that if people in London can keep hives on their rooftops then a hive in my garden shouldn't be a problem. Obviously I am really disappointed, but onwards and upwards. I just wanted to know if anyone on RM has hives and if they have any buzzy bee stories?

[Crocus]

Well not a hive, but 5 butterfly bushes - they are swarming with bees. I've seen a few bees in the house too and hope it won't turn into a problem. When I open the windows in the front, you can actually hear these bees humming away.

[Clunkshift]

My father was a beekeeper for many years and I sometimes helped him with the hives.
The less obvious problem of bees in relatively urban areas is that when they leave the hive, they take thier garbage with them and deposit it ib small brown waxy spots all over neighbour's laundry and newly washed cars.

The main problem (or excitement) is that if any neighbours are stung by bees it is all your fault.
I have vivid memories of a very nice looking neighbour coming round in her bikini to complain about a sting. Dad convinced her to bring the bee if it happened again and she obliged a couple of days later.
the bee she had was very dark and we knew it wasn't one of ours but probably a wild bee. But the lady watched while we took a sample bee from each hive in a matchbox, popped them in the freezer for 15 minutes then compared them with her attacker. Fortunately they were completely different in size and colour and we had no more visits (unfortunately for a hormonally stressed teenager).

my father used Israeli queens as they were a good compromise between docility and honey production. the queen determines the nature of the hive and though African and South American bees make lots of honey, they willl fight to the death to keep it!

You might find farmers are amenable to having hives beside their fields, or more especially near orchards.

[Treehugger]

You have some great stories Clunk! The frustration really lies in the fact that my parents live in a big old rambling house with big old rambling gardens, orchard and poddock to match. They unfortunately live 40 minutes drive away which means that I cannot really take advantage of the space that they have up there which would be just perfect for hives. I'll have to keep on the lookout for an amiable farmer in the local pub! IN the meantime I shall just have to satisfy myself with the courses at my local bee keeping association.

[jazzactivist]

That's a shame, treehugger. Perhaps instead you could try to attract solitary or carpenter bees to your garden? I have seen special little bamboo 'hives' for sale for this purpose, but don't know if they work. I just do the same a crocus and grown plants that attract bees and butterflies. Thyme flowers seem to pull them in! 40mins drive to your parents' house isn't that bad. My OH drives this every day to and from work. Maybe if you started with just the one hive it wouldn't need s much work and you might not need to make the trip very day.

A neighbour of mine used to keep a hive of bees and one day, for no obvious reason, they swarmed and attacked another neighbour's dog. There were two dogs together, one white and one a golden brown colour, and they only attacked the brown one. The poor dog was very ill afterwards, and the neighbour got rid of the hive as it seemed a bit of an unpredictable hobby.