Off the Urban Grid

The Basics of Backyard Beekeeping

Keeping bees in your backyard is a fruitful and rewarding hobby. Honey is such a versatile ingredient, which can be used in glazes or as a substitute for sugar. Plus, you provide a safe place for bees to do what they do best: pollinate. In order to create a safe and efficient backyard beekeeping operation, it’s important that you do your research and learn the basics.

It’s not impossible to keep bees in an urban or suburban neighborhood, but you have to take precautions so the bees don’t become pests to your neighbors. A couple solutions include building a fence that is at least six feet high or planting tall shrubbery. This forces bees to fly above people’s heads when they are leaving or returning to the nest. In addition, it keeps the beehive out of view and protects it from the weather.

Honeybees also need to collect water, so you need a water source to prevent them from going into the neighbor’s yard. Small water gardens with floating plants are an easy fix, but you need to place them at least 20 feet away from the hive. If you already have a small pond or creek on your property, this is sufficient.

Swarms can be a problem too, but if you have a young queen less than one year old, it can reduce this issue. However, you will have to replace the queen with another younger one each year. Or you can setup a bait hive about 100 feet from their old nest. This will discourage them from setting up a new hive in the neighbor’s yard.

Some other issues to keep in mind are the species of bee and any laws outlawing beekeeping in your community. The Carniolan bee is a common bee used in the northern U.S. while the Italian bee is popular in the southern U.S. and Mexico. Taking these safety precautions will keep neighbors at ease and your honey pots filled.

Tags: backyard beekeeping, basics of beekeeping, suburban beekeeping, urban beekeeping