To think our neighbours should have spoken to us before deciding to keep a bee hive?

[slatternlymother]

Our neighbours 2 doors down have recently decided to take up beekeeping. The first we knew of it was when the bees were disturbed, creating a large angry swarm.

My DH is allergic to bee stings (and so naturally has quite a debilitating fear) and DS is only 18mo; I just would have thought they would have at least knocked on our door and said 'by the way, we're starting a hive and the bees will be disturbed by us at X time so you might want to shut your doors and windows'. They seem like nice people, but there seems to be a lack of consideration for others.

The bees are swarming right now, so even though the sun is shining, we can't get outside in the garden to play with DS like we wanted to

AIBU to think they have been a bit unfair on the rest of the neighbourhood? It's quite a populated area.

oops here

I understand that your DH is alergic but that doesn't mean that the neighbours should not be able to keep bees.
Bees are part of the environment and have every right to have a home whether it's in a hive in your neighbours garden or anywhere else for that matter.

I really feel for you.
I am allergic to stings.The whole thought of bees swarming anywhere near me terrifies me (even if they aren't likely to sting),and disturbed bees sounds horrifying.
YANBU.They should have asked.

Perhaps the fact they didn't ask indicates that they know what the response would be.

I would see no choice other than to try to get along with it.IF I couldn't and it meant an unacceptable alteration to how I live my life,I would complain to them (could they get an allotment?),and finally go to the council if all else failed.

Agree with whoever said they sound like newbees (arf).

There will be a local bee association. I would be inclined to contact them to ask for advice (both for you and your new bee keeping neighbours) about flight paths etc.

I would go and have a word. The decent thing for these people to do would be to inform you when the bees will be disturbed, and for your part, as a PP said, you need to make sure you have epi-pens at hand and in date constantly.

Bloody hell, that woman practically squatted over them. She'll get a hive up her fanjo if she's not careful

here you can find the local association

and given that honey bees have a foraging range of a few miles, and that other species of bees are probably living in the OPs own garden - how exactly do you keep the garden bee - free? you simply can't keep it bee-free so you have to manage the person with the allergy if you can't change the environment they are in. I would not suggest that anyone with a serious bee allergy actually keeps bees - but a hive in a garden two houses away is not adding a significant risk factor.

@catsrus you're talking rubbish. Like the owners of big dogs that say 'oh they never bite', beekeepers always say that about bees. Well my (lovely) neighbours have been stung so often by these supposedly calm, unstingy bees - and how the hell are we supposed to know what mood they are in? - that they now stay indoors. Suburban gardens are not the place for hives.

I spent all my summers as a child in a garden with a beehive. I have never been stung . Bees are really not aggressive and they are having a hard time at the moment. We should all be very scared about their decline (no more fruit at all anyone?). However, a fear is a fear and it must be horrible for you and your DH.

but a hive in a garden two houses away is not adding a significant risk factor.

agree, they shouldn't.

Unbelievably selfish of them, tell them about your sons allergy, put a letter in the door if their not in. If they are not tending to the hive properly as some have suggested you could send them a solicitors letter warning that if anything happens to your son as a result of their negligence/ignorance they will find themselves in court. I remember an allergic friend getting stung and having a severe reaction when we were little, it was terrifying, can only imagine the fear you must have for your son, hope you get this sorted.

I'd go in to them and ask them all about bees.Ask them what the increased risks are for your child etc (in a non-confrontational way).Ask them can you come to some arrangement with them that you have prior notice for when they are at their most dangerous (for your childs' sake).

I don't fancy your chances of them getting rid of them though .They probably didn't even think of what the neighbours would think,or if they did they decided to keep it to themselves (I can't imagine anyone being happy in your shoes,allergy or not)

Read that wrong thought it was your son! Same response though

MrsTerry - the OP's DH is allergic, not afraid.

I read it wrong too bobbledunk

Ditto re same reply though

Generally speaking I would not be worried by a hive next door, but I would quite probably be panic-stricken more perturbed if anyone in the family had a known allergy. We have vines on the back of our house and thousands of bees come round in the first two weeks of August to collect pollen, regular as clockwork. We've had birthday parties 6 feet away from them, and nobody has ever been stung, despite the presence of sweet food and drinks. Bees going about their business are incredibly focused and keen to keep away from people. They can't be compared to wasps in any respect.

@Darrowby... bees collecting pollen is nothing like when they are swarming. My garden is full of lavender etc and we get hundreds of bees dotting about.... no problem. But when they are swarming the sky is literally black with insects and, if you step out of the door, the collective hum is enough to make you go back inside sharpish.

I know he is allergic (I read it right!) but it is a fear at the moment since no one has actually been stung. We need bees in the environment, they are doing really badly at the moment. I have a very bee friendly garden and my lavender buzzes with them all day long.

I think the neighbours should be told (since it means they can tell you if they are doing anything with the bees) but please bear in mind that about a third of the food in your fridge relies on bees.

I have a complete fear of wasps (which extends to Bees) since one flew up my mums skirt and really went to town! Was sort of hilarious

But yeah I would be stocking up on the Raid and other chemicals. Dh calls me the fly assassin because I'm always with that stuff.

I don't think it would be unreasonable to ask your neighbours to let you know about 'events' in the beekeeping calendar due to your DHs allergy, if i was you I'd possibly over-emphasise the extent of the allergy, things like 'drop dead' would probably be uttered as well as being unsure if he has passed it on to your DS (can this happen, not sure). That way they will think twice and possibly be more considerate in future.

Thanks everyone again.

I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed; just that it really wouldn't have taken much effort to knock on our door and say 'we are keeping bees and we will be harvesting the honey once a week on Monday afternoons, when they may swarm. This would be a good time to close any doors/windows if you are worried about them coming in'. End of chat. How hard would that be?

They don't only swarm when the keeper is collecting honey, you know that? In our case the owner had gone away for a long weekend and the bees just legged it. It's not predictable, in other words.

My ds is allergic and it wouldn't bother me tbh - it's 2 doors away.

'we are keeping bees and we will be harvesting the honey once a week on Monday afternoons

I had to chuckle at this one.
honey harvest usually is twice a year (one at the end of may or mid june, another one end of july)