This is where we come to the rescue of urban beekeepers who want to keep their hives out of the public eye. A few years back I wrote a post called, “Out of sight, out of mind” where I explained why concealing your hives from passersby might be a good choice. Recently Frank, from I […] Read more
Whenever I hear about beehive vandalism, I think of teenage boys. Vandalism is what happens when a pea-sized brain is soaked in a jug of testosterone. The destruction is usually accomplished by toppling the hive with a powerful push or pelting the hive with rocks or snowballs—whatever is easily to hand. It is opportunistic. They […] Read more
Message: I love my neighbor….BUT I hate the honey bees that FLY all over our farm/yard/pool/kids and play yard!! My little grandchildren are scared of them. How can I deter the bees without insulting my nice neighbor?? Frustrated! Dear Frustrated, I know this is not the answer you were looking for, but I offer it […] Read more
I can think of more productive things to do with your time. That’s like asking if you should put out meat for your neighbors’ dog or Big Macs for your neighbors’ kids. It might work, but it’s a lousy strategy for getting along in the world.
Although it is late fall here in the northern hemisphere, it is late spring in New Zealand. Down there the honey bees are rocketing from nest to nectar and back again, feeding their young and leaving telltale yellow splotches everywhere. Earlier this week I received a fascinating e-mail from a man on the northern end […] Read more
My recent post about a beekeeper with neighbor problems generated a lot of mail about beehive placement in urban and suburban areas. With few exceptions, the mail was in favor of keeping bees out of sight and out of mind. As I see it, there are two ways to handle the beehive/neighbor problem. Either you […] Read more