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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Just Bee <marty AT justbeenc.com>
  • To: MarilynMark Clark <wazazi.wa.binti AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: Orange County Bees <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] bees in suburbia
  • Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:06:09 -0400

Hi Mark

That is a lot to cover!

First I'd ask in what town do you live in? 

All (now) allow bees so unless it's spelled out in your HOA that no bees...it's allowed. Personally I'd stop asking-telling neighbors. You seem to have the blessing of the 2 neighbors on either side so I'd stop there. I had a friend tell her neighbor she had lost a chicken and the neighbor said she could not have chickens...my friend told her she had chickens for 6 years and walked away to find her pet. Sounds like you are taking ever step to be a good neighbor so I'd leave it at that.

I have a couple hives that are 6' from a street, but we placed lattice and climbing vines on it. That's pushing it a lot but the owner and all her neighbors LOVE the bees. They always stop by to  say hi and see how they are doing. 

We are adding two urban( roof top) locations this year. Better education opportunities in that environment. So you should be fine. 

Stings: sorry but they happen. If your concern is a neighbor being stung then trying to blame you I'd say have a picture of a yellow jacket and a honeybee for them to see. Also ask where it happened and if the "bees" we're coming out if the ground. Almost always the case as yellow jackets are mistaken for HB's.

Feeders: I find they will not take water that is near them. Place your feeders far away and a trick I do is to drip sugar syrup on the new feeder location. This brings in the foragers and the site is then "known". Also place something for them to land on in the feeders and your pond. Water Lilly's or cat tails. 

Next two not a issue and your right.

Swarming: I'd tell the neighbors that yes next spring they may see your girls swarm. It's a great thing and play it up. Let them know all the issues with bees and why swarms are so important. Tell them they can video tape you catching them and either way they can have an AFV winner or a cool experience you both will cherish. 

Rights: ?
Do you mean your "right" to have bees? This gets back to where you live.

I just worked with the town of chapel hill to change there BAN on honeybees. We rewrote a provision in the planning departments "land use" provisions. Beekeeping is now legal in CH!! That took me 4 months! Carrboro laughed when i asked them about it. "how would we regulate a flying insect?" love those guys!

So unless it's spelled out in your HOA that honeybees or "livestock" are not allowed then you are in the clear. Just keep offering to pass out honey. 

Robbing: I'm not sure why you "always" had robbing. Always adjust your entrance to the front to the size of your colony, but yea do it FAR away from the bees you have or you will invite more robbing in your yard. Never open feed or leave food on top of or near hives. Especially 2 new packages. 

If you ever have a semi used frame take it far away and in 2 days it will be cleaned up. Just freeze for a day after they are done and store in a container. 

Good luck!
Marty

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 15, 2013, at 9:25 PM, MarilynMark Clark <wazazi.wa.binti AT gmail.com> wrote:

I would like to hear a little discussion of keeping bees in less remote sites, well, actually in populated areas.

A little background:   I have been beekeeping for about 10 years.  Everything I might have learned has been from books, I have had almost no opportunities to watch knowledgable keepers at work.  Where I kept bees was rural and very remote in West Virginia on five acres.  Nobody could care in the least what their "neighbors" did on their land.  Now I find myself in suburbia in a new development with an HOA(!).  Though I must say as HOAs go, it seems to be less meddling; a situation I would like to preserve as far as my beekeeping is concerned.  I now live on only a quarter acre.  I do have a lot that backs up to a large, deep-set retaining pond and will be able to point my girls out over the pond to disperse for their foraging, so their flight path should not be a problem.  Since the neighborhood is a new development the lots are pretty open; I am currently planting some trees and bushes to "shield" the hives.

I offer this article: http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/8183.htm  (I don't know if the British are more polite or their bees more docile, but it is a start.)

My comments on the article:

Stings:  I must say, I did not like the recent posts about members' colonies being more aggressive this year.  Something I need to avoid at all costs, especially the first year. (I hope you come through for me Bailey Bee Supply.)

Drinking Bees:  Does the pot full of water and peat work?  I could never get my bees to go to water I put out for them, they always seem to prefer our birdbaths and chase the birds away!?

Overflying:  I think this will not be a problem for me because of the pond described above.

Cleansing Flight:  Is this really a problem?  Here the HOA helps, no hanging out of laundry.

Swarms: Obviously this becomes even more important.  My management in the past has not been ideal.

Number:  I run 1 to 4 hives.  I have ordered two packages for my first year here.

Rights:  I do not think I really have any regarding this issue, only well-behaved bees and my hat-in-hand approach.

Avoiding confrontation:  I have already spoken to my immediate neighbors and have gotten only positive replies.  I would REALLY like to keep it that way if I can.

After robbing, how should I clean out the supers?  I always just stuck them out in a field and let the bees (and their friends) clean them out, but this does create a bit of a cloud of buzzing insects that may make people nervous (even if I do bribe them later with free honey).

Thank you,

Mark


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