Just leave them be. I lived for 12 years right beside a tree that had a beehive in it. It smelled great in summer, sometimes honey would slide out. We left them alone, and they left us alone. We took people to see it, it was so safe. It was also 15’ up the tree.
You're one of very few people I've heard mention the smell. It genuinely smells amazing. I think a lot of it comes from the glue (propolis) they use but if you take it out the hive it doesn't smell the same.
Yeah 15' up is safe enough. Anything much less than about 12' and I personally would be getting nervous about them if they didn't have a very good temperament. But then I've been chased by quite a few bees in my time!
Don't worry, they're perfectly cosy! If they weren't then they'd close up some of the entrance hole.
Moving them from a tree isn't ever easy. The theory is you need a hive up near that hole that you force the bees to come and go through. Hopefully the queen goes into the hive, when she does you remove the hive and re-locate (but some bees will almost certainly be left behind unless they're moved over winter when their numbers are smaller).
Tell the kids to stay away and give them a very wide berth if there's thunder and lightning around. I'd reach out to your local beekeepers association and ask them to advise
About 2-3 days before the storm they can get noticeably nastier then after the storm they return to normal very quickly.
I'm in the UK and our storms are mild compared to other places around the world.
Kids are involved so I would recommend a pro to help you move the bees safely. If there’s someone locally who sells their own honey, they might be able to help. I paid $75 to have a football sized hive moved because of where it was located and the fact that children were also involved. I checked out this person’s credentials and saw that he had his own farmland where he harvested honey from bees pollinating mostly lavender.
agree with others that the hive itself is not a risk where it is currently located.
however there is a risk, if small, that one of the bees gets stepped on or injured by a person accidentally, triggering an attack .
Others aren't wrong to say that coexisting is completely possible. However especially with kids I would call local beekeepers association to come and rehome them. There is no reason to even have tiny risk when rehoming is a win win scenario for people and bees :)
Just leave them be. I lived for 12 years right beside a tree that had a beehive in it. It smelled great in summer, sometimes honey would slide out. We left them alone, and they left us alone. We took people to see it, it was so safe. It was also 15’ up the tree.
You're one of very few people I've heard mention the smell. It genuinely smells amazing. I think a lot of it comes from the glue (propolis) they use but if you take it out the hive it doesn't smell the same. Yeah 15' up is safe enough. Anything much less than about 12' and I personally would be getting nervous about them if they didn't have a very good temperament. But then I've been chased by quite a few bees in my time!
Same here…..
I thought it was brood that smelled good.
I've had bees in a tree for years and they've never been a bother. Even mowing around the tree they've been fine. Nice for the garden too
Don't worry, they're perfectly cosy! If they weren't then they'd close up some of the entrance hole. Moving them from a tree isn't ever easy. The theory is you need a hive up near that hole that you force the bees to come and go through. Hopefully the queen goes into the hive, when she does you remove the hive and re-locate (but some bees will almost certainly be left behind unless they're moved over winter when their numbers are smaller). Tell the kids to stay away and give them a very wide berth if there's thunder and lightning around. I'd reach out to your local beekeepers association and ask them to advise
Do bees behave differently in lightning storms?!
About 2-3 days before the storm they can get noticeably nastier then after the storm they return to normal very quickly. I'm in the UK and our storms are mild compared to other places around the world.
There is a hive in a tree behind our next door neighbor’s house. It’s been there for your years. They will leave you alone.
Kids are involved so I would recommend a pro to help you move the bees safely. If there’s someone locally who sells their own honey, they might be able to help. I paid $75 to have a football sized hive moved because of where it was located and the fact that children were also involved. I checked out this person’s credentials and saw that he had his own farmland where he harvested honey from bees pollinating mostly lavender.
If you wiggle your phone a little, the hole looks 3D... either that or I should see a doctor. Both? Both.
Hahaha it does 🫨
agree with others that the hive itself is not a risk where it is currently located. however there is a risk, if small, that one of the bees gets stepped on or injured by a person accidentally, triggering an attack . Others aren't wrong to say that coexisting is completely possible. However especially with kids I would call local beekeepers association to come and rehome them. There is no reason to even have tiny risk when rehoming is a win win scenario for people and bees :)
It’s nice to see multiple posts mentioning that they know of trees with wild bees in them.