Beekeeping  Made Easy 

                      Good Neighbor Guidelines

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"A good fence makes good neighbors" was a line in a poem written by Robert Frost.   If you live in the city you may not be able to build a fence due to lot restrictions or ordinances.   The threat of bee stings has been on the general public's mind since headlines in our newspapers and news stories on television warn of the dire consequences of the sting of the "African honey bee."   They don't call it an African honey bee.  They call it the "killer Bee!"   Many people perceive this as "all bees are killer bees!   Once this mind-set has occurred, there is little you can do to change it.    But there are things you can do to educate your neighbors about your bees and there are things you as a beekeeper can do to prevent or reduce neighbors dislike for honey bees.

Educating your neighbors

• Prepare a factual report on the worth of the honey bee as a pollinator.    Remind your neighbors that the honey bee produces "honey."    Also let them know that there is a difference in the bees you keep and the "Killer Bee" they have heard so much about from news stories.
• Invite them over for a visit and if you have a VCR show a brief  video on honey bees.  Your public library may have what you want or you may ask them to order one.   Most libraries try to meet public demand for materials.   The other option is to purchase a video.  There are two good ones that I own and share with school children as well as adults.   The first is:  Buzzin' Bees produced in 1991 by: Avatar Entertainment, Inc and distributed by:  Mntex Entertainment, Inc. of Prior Lake, Mn. 1991.   The second video is: Bees  produced in 1995 and distributed by Diamond Entertainment Corporation of Anaheim, California.    Both are entertaining and informative for beekeepers and non beekeeper.
• Give your neighbors a jar of honey.

Beekeeping Practices or procedures to follow:

• Place your hives well away from any lot line or occupied building.  The placement of hives on your property is very important.  I read old bee magazines and it seems many beekeepers of years ago found that placing bees where the flight path crossed a path that  humans or horse were sure to use was bound to cause a reaction from those who used the path.    The truth is people still care if bees are flying in and through the space they use.   It is your job as a beekeeper to locate your hive in such a way that this does not happen.
• Erect a barrier of some kind between your neighbors and your bees.  This could be a fence, dense shrubs, or in some cases if possible, keeping the bees on a roof.
• Provide a near by water source for your bees.   A water source might consist of a tub of water filled with rocks so the bees do not drown as they land to take up water.   If your bees begin to use this water source immediate after you get your bees, you will not be faced with irate neighbors who own swimming pools or hot tubs.   This is a real potential problem and  a court case in Ohio ruled bees to be a  public nuisance.   The beekeeper maintained that he should be able to keep what-ever he wanted on his property.  The court ruled that he did not!  By the way, the bees were visiting the neighbors pond and thus deprived the neighbor of enjoying his property.
• Work your bees during times that the neighbors are not out in their yards.
• Avoid creating a situation for robbing bees.  Do not expose honey or sugar water to where the bees can get to it.  Reduce the entrance of  weak hives so the hive can defend itself against other bees.
• Work very hard to prevent swarming.   Bees in a swarm just reinforce what the news stories tell people about bees.   The air is filled with bees seeking another home.  People who see this react in some very unusual ways.
• Keep no more than three hives of bees on a city lot.  If you want more bees, look for a place to keep them.  There are a number of farmers and others who would be delighted to have you put bees on "their place."
• Immediately requeen any hive of bees that becomes aggressive.   Aggressiveness is a genetic characteristic and it should not be tolerated by the beekeeper or by the neighbors.   A queen from a gentle line of bees will make beekeeping fun and safe for your neighbors to use their yards.
• Accept the fact that your bees may cause problems.  It is your job to limit these problems.   Today is a time when people are eager to file law suits.   Law suits can be expensive even if you win!   Be prepared to move your bees to another location where they are accepted and wanted.
 

And that fence!  It is not a bad idea.