Good Neighbor Beekeeping Guidelines
Being a good neighbor is not building fences as Robert Frost once put it. As a beekeeper our bees don't get fenced in. I always recommend common sense.
The following list is from an unknown source. I picked it up at a bee school many years ago. The information in apply to today just as it did then.
1. Place your colonies of bees away from lot lines and occupied buildings. If near buildings, place colonies away from used entrances and lines of traffic. Colonies should be in full sun if possible.
2. If your colonies are near the line, erect a six foot barricade between the bees and the line. Use anything bees will not pass through: dense shrubs, fencing, etc. An alternate solution may be to place the hives on a roof. Anytime bees are flying close to the ground and across the property line of a neighbor, there are potential problems.
3. Bees may be annoying at their water source. If you do not live within 500 feet of a natural water source, or if you live near a swimming pool, place a tub of water in your apiary with wood floats in it. This is to allow the bees to drink without drowning. Change the water weekly to prevent stagnation and mosquito breeding.
4. Minimize robbing by bees, since those which are being robbed become very aggressive. To accomplish this, work your bees only during a nectar flow, keep exposed honey to a minimum, and use entrance reducers on weak colonies.
5. Try to prevent swarming. Though gentle, swarms are a nuisance.
6. Do not keep more than three or four beehives on a lot less than one-half acre. If more colonies are desired, find a nearby farmer who will allow you to keep your hives on his land in exchange for some honey.
7. Do not work your beehives when close neighbors are in their yards.
8. If you have a mean colony that may bother neighbors when you are working it, requeen it.
9. A pound or two of free honey each year to neighbors bordering on your property often makes bees much more acceptable to them.
10. Please remember: the successful beekeepers' bees are not a nuisance to his neighbors.