Angry Buzz rises among neighbors of beekeepers

[Liberal_in_LA]

Source: USA today

After planting an expansive garden in April, Perullo promptly added a hive of 50,000 bees to pollinate her vegetables and fruit plants. That's when the buzzing started from next door.

A neighbor fearful of bees had an attorney warn Perullo that zoning laws didn't permit them and she'd have to send her winged friends packing. As a result, the city council in this verdant suburb of San Francisco is studying whether to change its position on backyard beekeeping.

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"Nothing against bees, but a lot of people are fearful," says Mancuso, a RE/MAX agent in town. "I equate it to the house next door that's in disrepair that a potential homebuyer may not want to live next to. Beekeeping could be the safest thing around, but that 'what if' factor will give people pause."

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There are now an estimated 125,000 amateur apiarists nationwide, up 25% in the past five years, says Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture magazine. Their clout has helped overturn anti-bee laws in cities such as New York, where membership in the city's bee club has surged from a trio of friends to hundreds.


Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-06-27-city-restrictions-beekeeping-fights_n.htm

[boppers]

1. Another day, another NIMBY.

"ohmygodthereareinsectsontheplanet!"

[virgogal]

3. Some people are afraid of them because of allergies and the possibility

of a fatal sting.

[SoapBox]

7. However...wouldn't it matter what type of bees she brought in?

I'm just shooting from the hip here but are the bees that simply pollinate, be very aggressive?

Seems everyone these days is freaked out by the Africanized Honey Bee types.

[csziggy]

21. Even the docile European honey bee can sting

And if you are allergic, that can be very dangerous even if you do not go into anaphylactic shock.

I've heard it claimed that bumblebees do not sting and I can tell everybody that is not true. I was stung three times by bumblebees in one incident - twice on the ankle and once in the middle of the lower back. My lower leg got so swollen that the skin nearly split and the swelling extended to mid thigh. The lower back sting made my entire lower back get a raised area about two inches high.

If any of those stings had been close to my neck, the swelling would have cut off my breathing.

Even with my allergies to bee and wasp stings, I would not object to a properly maintained hive nearby. In fact, I'd be happy to have a hive out here on the farm, though I know there are wild hives - I see enough wild bees that they must have more than one hive somewhere around here.

[boppers]

14. I'm allergic to bees.

That doesn't mean I'm going to freak out by them simply being around.

[kestrel91316]

18. And those kind of people should refrain from swatting at them.

Seriously. Bees don't seek out trouble.

Sounds like the people that don't want ANYONE to be able to have peanuts ANYWHERE because they are overly afraid of them.

[hedgehog]

57. I knew a fool who was allergic to bees and did what he could to attract

them into killing traps!

[hatrack]

41. Which is why there's Epipen . .

And if anaphylaxis is a problem, then the neighbors should have some on hand anyway.

[bluestate10]

82. I grew up around a person that almost died due to bee stings, fast

and aggressive medical care saved that person's life. The beekeeper has no more right to keep bees in a populated area as she has to raise other dangerous insects.

[ergot]

83. Bees from ....somewhere....come to my garden all the time

I'm actually allergic to bee and wasp venom but I've learned to just be still and don't freak, have not been stung in over 40 years even though they will land on my face or arm or leg now and then. I'd imagine if they had a "home" hive next door they'd be less inclined to be agressive.

[DainBramaged]

74. Nannies everywhere and not a drop of sanity anywhere

stupid fucking people.

[BlueJazz]

2. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for little Bees....don't know why.

[Downwinder]

4. Probably because you like to eat. Without bees the dietary

choices become quite limited.

[Chan790]

9. I don't care...

I still want them gassed into extinction. I have a soft spot in my heart for all things not trying to kill me. Bees, I can live without, even if it means living on some artificial nutritional amalgam for the rest of my days

[matt819]

10. No. You can't live without them

It's basic biology. No bees no fruit. No bees no nuts. No bees no honey. Bees are critical. And having a few hives nearby is no big deal. The odds of the bees swarming are slim, and any beekeeper worth his salt can retrieve his swarming hive without a hitch. So get over it.

[handmade34]

15. when bees swarm

they most likely do not (can not) sting. When bees leave the hive to find a new home, due to overcrowding or other adverse conditions, they fill up on honey before they leave. Being full most of the time prevents them from stinging and anyways, their main interest is in following/protecting the queen and finding a new home. I have been in the center of a swarm and there is nothing like it and I have never been stung. I understand the fear of the unknown and that is why it behooves us to learn as much as we can. Knowledge is Power. Honeybees are very cool!!

[kestrel91316]

19. And swarming bees are highly disinclined to sting.....

[Hugabear]

16. How exactly are bees trying to kill you?

You're in much more danger of being killed by another human being than you ever are of being killed by a bee. And as the other poster pointed out, without bees, we'd be in a world of shit.

[pipi_k]

45. The day the bees tried to kill me...

I was maybe 12 and on a hike with my sisters and a neighbor lady around a lake. I was the last one, and unfortunately stepped on, or brushed against, a nest of bees. Got stung pretty badly.

I should be phobic of bees, but am not. Go figure.

Anyway, I realized they weren't really trying to kill me...they were just protecting their home from an intruder.


I like watching the little bees out in my garden. I have Bee Balm out there. It attracts the bees and butterflies, who land on the flowers and happily sleep off whatever effects the flowers have on them. For a while I had a butterfly bush out in the yard that grew rather large before the frosts killed it. I spent many peaceful hours out there trimming the dead blooms off while bees buzzed around me, landing on the flowers and drinking the nectar.


The only bees I dislike with a passion are the white-faced hornets.

They are very nasty and scary.

[yawnmaster]

61. Doubt that that was honeybees that attacted you. Probably was a hornets nest...

such as yellow jackets that make underground nests (usually) and are very aggressive.
I've sat right under and in front of natural honeybee hives (such as in hollows of trees) and had absolutely no problem.

yellow jackets do give honeybees a bad rep.

[pipi_k]

84. I didn't get a chance to see them, but yeah

they were probably yellowjackets.

All I know is that they hurt like hell

[Marrah_G]

55. Actually if the bees go extinct , so do we.

[Missy Vixen]

5. It's nothing to do with fear

When I'm stung by a bee, I stop breathing and die. I carry an Epi-Pen nine months of the year.

The neighbors are free to have all the bees they like, but they'll be footing the bill for additional protective screening in our backyard.

:woohoo:

[handmade34]

8. it is fear

you have a fear of being stung by a bee, as do many people...

I understand allergies and know how serious a bee sting can be for someone with an allergy as severe as yours. I know people that have allergies and have entertained them often at my house where I kept bees. Bees can fly for miles and will, to get pollen and therefore you are apt to come across a honeybee at most anywhere you happen to go. They will not bother a person unless threatened and a bee will have no reason to sting you unless you invade their home, which I am confident you will not do.

It is important that anyone with allergies carry an epi-pen and for apiarists to have on hand epi-pens or benydryl in case of emergency. But to limit people's ability to have a beehive in their yard is irrational fear.

[xphile]

44. That makes so much sense because it's not like bees don't fly for miles

and you could have bees visiting from hives you don't even know about.

:eyes:

[yawnmaster]

62. I know of at least one natural honeybee hive in the public park nearby. By far most don't even know

it is there. Kids play, dogs bark, people picnic right under the tree, and those deathly allergic carry their epi's but rarely need them.
Bees are around us (thank goodness) even if it's not the neighbor.

[handmade34]

6. as a (former) beekeeper

used to have 11 hives and hope to again someday... I can verify that her neighbors are in no more danger today than they were before Perullo added her hive of honeybees...

...our fear of bees has become an embarassing and disgraceful display of how out of touch we have become with the environment and the natural world.

[matt819]

11. You are so right

I live in a rural area and, frankly, I've been grateful for my neighbor's bees and am looking forward to him resuming his beekeeping.

[handmade34]

17. be sure to

to try and get some fresh warm honey right out of the hive... yummmm

[Historic NY]

12. I wish I had more bee's around my garden....

and I'm allergic to them. I found I can deadhead my flowers and the few I have won't even bother me. They seem to wait for me to water the garden....strange. I've had poor yields of peppers & tomatoes.

[buckrogers1965]

13. My libertarian viewpoint.

STFU about what I am doing on my property. You mind your bees wax, and I'll mind mine.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

20. I don't have a bee in this fight but....

How does your libertarian view accommodate your property (your bees) encroaching on your neighbor's property? How does your libertarian view accommodate your property affecting your neighbor's use and enjoyment of their property?

[kath]

32. what about the goddam dogs in our neighborhood that are kept outside to bark 24/7/365?

(they don't bark constantly, they are kept outdoors constantly, (even when the temp's near zero) and they bark way too fuckin' much. Like every time I go out into my backyard, and for dawg-knows-what other reasons.
I HATE peopld who have "pets" that they don't want to spend any time with, so they keep them outdoors. Fuckers.

[Vanje]

22. My neighbor used to keep bees along our fence line.

He kept bees to pollinate his small orchard.
They were 20 m from my back door, and I never even had reason to notice them.
But Wow! I got immense yields from MY small orchard.

Honey Bee hives nearby is a win win deal.Neighbor pays for the upkeep. I reap the rewards.

What a stupid thing to gripe about.
Those people should get a condo downtown, far away from anything resembling the natural world.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

25. How do you feel about beekeepers in the city?

My (Chicago) friends started beekeeping this year and their elderly next door neighbor isn't too happy about it. She's very allergic. She doesn't even allow her tenants to keep flowers on the porch because she is afraid of bees.

I don't know anything about the hives or how much they increase bee traffic 50 feet next door. I haven't been to the yard since they got 'em.

I have visited the chickens two doors down though. Now that's cool.

[Vanje]

28. All for it

I didnt even notice bees from the hives near my back door, even when I nearly brushed up against the hives, while owing, weeding and pruning in my garden.

Now , Yellowjackets, I do not like! Those things are aggressive . A whole nuther thing!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

33. What are the kind that hang around restaurants in the summer?

There are a couple restaurants I frequent but the bees/wasps/yellow-jackets? get to be too much sometimes. I don't know if it's the garbage/food or the flowers the city requires in outdoor seating areas. Anyway, it can be a pain in the ass. That comes to mind when I think bee hives.

One place, Pauline's on North Ravenswood, placed traps outside near the seating areas.

[Vanje]

34. sounds like yellow jackets

They're aggressive, and they eat meat.
In late summer, yellow jackets can bum out a picnic.

[Dappleganger]

42. Yellow jackets are vile...

once when I was a kid, my father had me trimming the hedges manually with shears. I accidentally cut into a hive of yellow jackets and they went to town on me. I dropped and rolled, Dad thought I was having a seizure. Ended up with more than 20 stings--good thing I wasn't allergic but it sure made me scared of them!

[pipi_k]

47. You're not kidding!!!

I was at a yard sale one day buying a couple of books. Didn't notice that one of them had a yellowjacket crawling around on the back. It stung my thumb, which immediately swelled up and started to ache all the way up my arm.

Had to make Mr P stop at a store for some bottled water and baking soda so I could make a paste to put on it until we got home.

Nasty

:(

[yawnmaster]

63. dammit. yellowjackets give honeybees a bad rep. I've said it before.

Yellowjackets are aggressive and can sting repeatedly.
Honeybees die after stinging as the stinger is ripped out of its body (so it better have a really good reason).

If you see a hive hanging or insects leaving the ground, it is most likely wasp not honeybee.
Honeybees live in hollows, generally. They collect nectar and pollen, not pieces of steak or garbage.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

75. Is yellow jacket a type of bee or wasp?

I guess I need to go brush up. I always thought the big bumble bee was a "yellow jacket".


Wasps are nasty. I once bumped an overhanging nest with my shoulder while hiking on a cliff. I got stung six times in a matter of seconds and just about went over the cliff to my certain death.

[yawnmaster]

76. yellow jackets are wasps. smooth body. The bee (honey and bumble at least)...

have a bit of "fur". bees, wasps, hornets are in the same order hymenoptera, based on their body type (ants are in this order, too) but they are different families - wasps are vespids, bees, including honeybees are apids.

you generally won't find external honeybee hives but you will find external wasp hives, like the big paper or mud hives - the yellowjackets often build these nests underground in an old gopher hole.

The overhanging nest was most likely a wasp nest - they have straight unbarbed stingers and can get you many times and are aggressive about it. when one is angry they will emit a pheromone that calls others to help. Bees are much more docile (especially european honey bees, the africanized can be aggressive).

I've walked up to beehives without a problem in the past but would never do that to a wasp's nest.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

78. I'll have to go check out my buddy's new bees.

He's a kindergarden teacher so he always has some nature project going on (lizards, fish, hedgehogs etc.). Not sure if the bees are part of class or personal or both.

Thanks for the info. :)

[wickerwoman]

23. In the middle of a massive honeybee die-off,

I say the fearful neighbor can suck it up.

No bees = no pollination = no food.

Our local council is starting initiatives to encourage people to keep bees in the suburbs to help support local populations.

[Hugabear]

24. I blame much of this on the media hype over "Africanized" bees

There have been a few movies made about "killer" bees, and every now and then a story will pop up that gets a lot of play in the media. Fact is, although "Africanized" bees have spread throughout much of the South, you still very rarely hear about attacks, and even then, many of them are not fatal.

[Javaman]

38. Exactly right...

Bees only attack for one reason, when they feel that the hive is threatened.

While all bees "swarm" for attack, the africanized bees come out in much larger numbers, thus resulting in more stings.

Bottom line is: bees don't sting for the hell of it, since they die when doing so.

Technically speaking, bees only "swarm" when moving to a new location.

I raise bees.

[taught_me_patience]

26. Bees can create a nuisance for neighbors

As they are impossible to control once they fly into the air. Beekeeping should not be allowed in urban areas. I can't imagine anything much worse than trying to have a nice bbq in the backyard and have bees buzzing about because the neighbor has a beehive.

[handmade34]

30. if you (or anyone) ever have that problem again...

get a jar of honey (or some such sweet thing) and put it out somewhere, far away from the people... the bees will head there and tell all of their friends where the really good stuff is...

[Javaman]

40. better still, put out a pan of sugar water...

That is much better for them. It helps them promote the formation of more honey.

Introducing none native honey into a native hive is really not a great thing.

I raise bees.

[handmade34]

51. excellent suggestion! n/t

[Javaman]

36. I raise bees...

50 thousand bees is a production of many hives.

I have a single hive of 4 thousand bees.

No one even notices.

If properly situated, and properly set up, you would never ever know they were there.

[kentauros]

60. Then maybe you can tell me something

that a beekeeper once told me: that bees won't pollinate anything within fifty feet of their hives. That would pretty much knock out most backyard suburb pollination projects, unless you were supplying the bees work for your neighbors.

The OP's article doesn't mention the metes and bounds of the lot so I have no idea how far away their plants are from the hives.

[yawnmaster]

66. Fifty feet isn't that far. The far end of a neighbors yard in 1/8 acre lots. Plus...

my experience is that is not true as a neighbor had a hive and I could track those bees from my garden and fruit trees right to the hive. 25 - 30 ft.

[mistertrickster]

70. That can't be true. If the flowers have nectar, the bees will work them.

In the process, pollination will inevitably occur.

Beekeepers sometimes place a feeder of sugar syrup near the hive entrance. Believe me, the bees don't have any trouble exploiting that resource.

[xphile]

46. Ridiculous! You think because we dropped a bunch of asphalt and concrete in

some land mass that we're not supposed to have any signs of nature?

I live in a rather large city and people will grow things on the smallest of yards if they can get enough sun on the spot. And those crops will need bees if they want to get any fruit for their labor.

[taught_me_patience]

48. There's a big difference between a couple of bees buzzing about

and 5,000 ten yards away. I'm talking about urban plots of land that are often 5000sf.

[xphile]

49. And? I still see no need to bar people from keeping a hive on their property. We're

not talking people trying to keep them on a fire escape or balcony here.

[geardaddy]

53. No difference

Our friends in an urban area of Minneapolis have neighbors who are beekeepers. You don't even notice them.

[MicaelS]

58. BBQ smoke can be a nuisance too...

So just remember if you find other people's behavior and or hobbies a nuisance, the same thing can apply to you.

[taught_me_patience]

65. Good point.

However, one might typcially bbq 1-2 times/month while bees would probably be buzzing around every day.

[RobinA]

59. Bees Kept

by beekeepers could not care less about a neighbor's barbecue. They probably can't tell a barbecue from a UPS truck, because they are after pollen, not ribs. Sheesh. I never realized that so many people think any buzzing insect is a bee.

[yawnmaster]

64. Honeybees don't buzz BBQs and picnics. You are mistaking them for yellow jacket hornets. eom

[Brother Buzz]

27. The only legitimate gripe that neighbor might have concerns clotheslines

Bees poop exiting the hive, and the farther from the lines, the better. Conscientious beekeepers keep colonies away from neighbors who use clotheslines.

[handmade34]

31. yes, you have

uncovered the only potential problem... although, it is usually only a problem on a sunny day in the winter months when bees have spent many days 'cooped' up and need to go out to 'relieve' themselves... B-)

[Javaman]

37. I have a clothesline and raise bees...

never ever had a problem.

Also, here in Texas, a bee hive as to be at least 50 feet from any dwelling.

a properly set up and situated hive will never ever be noticed.

50 thousand bees is a production. That's about 15 to 20 hives.

I would be pissed too.

[Brother Buzz]

73. Fifty foot is a good distance

California has no such guideline.

I raised bees for years, and maintained three to five colonies in my backyard, with a couple of dozen out in the country. I was a swarm collector and had a sweetheart deal with a beekeeper exchanging swarms for hardware. I gave it all up when it stopped being fun; it grew to big to be to be a hobby, and to small to go pro.

Bees do poop, and I experienced the wrath when I got lazy and parked a newly captured swarm up near the house (and clothesline) late at night. It took a couple of weeks before we noticed the poop and made the connection. Twenty-five feet might be a good separation distance, fifty is even better.

A stationary boomer box with, say, three deep supers, can easily hold 50,000 bees. 30-40,000 might be considered a healthy colony strength.

[Renew Deal]

29. A local farm teaches beeking

It might be easier to get away with than livestock, but it's still likely to freak out neighbors.

http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/beekeeping-for-newbees-part-ii/?date=2011-06-18

[Javaman]

35. I raise bees. 50K is not a small hive.

I have a single "garden hive", it has 4k bees.
That's normal for a single hive.

50K is a someone running a business.

I would be pissed too.

[handmade34]

50. while I've never counted...

the general consensus is that an average hive has approx. 40,000 or so bees in it. When I used to buy starter packages or 4 frame NUCs, there were 3,000-10,000 bees just to start a hive and they multiply quickly. I am curious about a "garden hive". If I didn't super my bees as they continued to grow in numbers over the summer, they would most likely swarm and that is, usually, to be avoided. I have only kept bees in the Northeast and the weather is quite different.

I believe the reason that you never experienced "bee poop" on your laundry is because of the weather differences. In the north where we have to insulate the hive well for the winter months, the little ladies often have to stay inside for weeks because of the cold... when they finally can come out on a nice sunny day, they love the fresh laundry...


http://www.honey.com/nhb/about-honey/honey-and-bees/

"A colony generally contains one breeding female, or “queen”; a few thousand males, or “drones”; and a large population of sterile female “worker” bees. The population of a healthy hive in mid-summer can average between 40,000 and 80,000 bees. The workers cooperate to find food and use a pattern of “dancing” to communicate with each other..."

[Javaman]

52. Here's the hive I have...

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/English-Garden-Hive-Kit/productinfo/252/

50K is still a number of hives.

if you are looking at a large hive with at least 2 supers then you are talking 10K bees.

And if that is the case, then the person in the article has at least 5 double super hives.

That still a lot for a suburban area.

I think the most would be the typical 2 hive set up.

Like I said, above, this person is in production for a biz.

Considering a single hive with one super will yield enough honey for ordinary household use.

[Blue_Tires]

39. Solution for frightened neighbors: Adopt a bunch of bears...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-A44El_DMU&feature=related

[AngryAmish]

43. If they get aggressive, remember to drive into the Superdome...

[Hassin Bin Sober]

77. Bees! Bees! Bees in the car! Bees everywhere! God, they're huge and they're sting crazy!

They're ripping my flesh off! Run away, your firearms are useless against them!

[L0oniX]

54. K & R ...I love honey bees.

[XemaSab]

56. I love bees and I wish we had more in the yard

Unfortunately, my dog loves bees too. She eats them whenever she can. :(

Doesn't stop me from planting for the pollinators, though. :D

[hatrack]

68. Your dog eats bees?

:wtf:

Does her muzzle swell up as a result?

Sheesh.

[XemaSab]

71. She eats the big, native carpenter bees mostly

She also eats lizards and mice. Finally, she's killed three possums and a sparrow.

She's a killer, that one.




(The vet was SHOCKED when I told him she catches lizards. I haven't told him about the bird yet.)

[hatrack]

80. And I would imagine the manner in which she catches them is . . .

. . . Faster Than Expected!

[XemaSab]

85. That was certainly the case with that sparrow

Like one second she was walking casually past this bush and the next second she had a bird in her mouth. :o

[DFab420]

67. Oh nooess!!!!

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!




SIgh. sometimes man, people just...wow.

[mistertrickster]

69. I kept bees for years. Foraging bees away from the hive are not a threat

They're busy as bees working to collect nectar.

[southernyankeebelle]

72. I am scared of bees. My mother-in-law had her own bees. I never went near them but

when she was working with them I sure stayed away.

[me b zola]

79. We would love to have a colony

But our next door neighbor uses mega chemicals (chemical truck pulls up every year) in her yard :(

[bluestate10]

81. Selfish beekeeper. Her plants would be pollinated by wild bees. nt