# Beekeeping, danger for children?



## Rader Sidetrack

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Welcome to Besource!

There are plenty of hives in backyards, and many of those families also have small children. One possibility to reduce the chances of small children's unintended encounters with your bees is to place the hives within a fenced enclosure. A fence style of "solid" material (not a wire fence) will encourage bees in transit to fly above head height.


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## Michael Bush

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

I have had bees in my backyard for the last 40 years. I raised 5 children and now have 4 grand children living with me (and 3 more who visit often). The bees have never been a problem. One of my sons was stung once or twice when he was barefoot and stepped on a bee. The rest of my kids were never stung. I extract in my kitchen every year and there are often 20 or 30 bees buzzing the windows and the lights. One of my grandsons was stung when he was in the kitchen barefoot during harvest and extracting (despite warnings not to be barefoot) and was stung once. One of them had a bee walk up his arm under his shirt and when he pinched it, was stung once (it probably would not have if he had not pinched it). All of them recieved some stings from paper wasps and yellow jackets now and again... and those have always greatly outnumbered beestings. I have had between 1 and 50 hives in my backyard during all that time, not counting mating nucs which sometimes numbered 200... Most of that time I lived in town.

I stepped on bees barefoot and was stung often as a child and there were no hives in our yard or any other yard I was aware of (and I cut through all the back yards in town).

It is POSSIBLE that you can get a mean colony sometimes. Just like it's possible to get a mean dog sometimes. If bees start chasing the kids, I would requeen them and/or move them. You want to arrange the hives so the entrances are not facing the yard. Better if they are facing a wall or a fence. The guard bees are the only ones that have any interest in who is walking by...

I would teach the kids to run away from the hives if they are bothered and don't swat. Swatting only makes bees more aggressive...

http://www.bushfarms. com/beesfaqs.htm#locating


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## Michael Bush

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Advice in general on the forum and asking questions:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...a-topic-on-a-forum-to-elicit-useful-responses

In this case, it would be helpful if you put the question in the title. Otherwise many people will not bother to read it. If the question is in the title, then people who are interested in the topic will be more likely to read it and respond. "Please Read" is very unspecific...


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## gmcharlie

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

I have a hive literaly 6 feet from my patio. no guest or grandkids have ever been harrased, the key is their flight plan takes them the other direction, and the kids are aware that bumping it could be bad.
The bees DO get used to people around. The hives I walk around every day are calmer than the ones in outyards by a large margin.


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## merince

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I have bee hives in my backyard. However, the hives are behind a building - same idea as the fenced (solid) enclosure - you don't want the play area to be in the direct flight path.

Here are the highlights: Be ready to move them somewhere else if you end up with a "mean" hive. Also, the bees will come to your pool (or the neighbors') if you don't provide them with reliable water before pool season begins. Finally, bees are more protective when they are in a dearth or the hives are strong, so once again be ready to move them if they become unacceptable.


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## Broglea

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

DJ - I have a hive 5 feet from my front door. NO PROBLEMS. I have another 3 hives in my back yard. My 4 sons play out back with no fear. 2 of my sons have been stung this year. 1 was because he was bare foot and stepped on a bee. The other just so happen to get in the flight path of a bee and his shorts pinched the bee and he got stung. He wasn't anywhere near the hive. May not even have been my bee.

My boys fight with each other at the chance of getting into the hives to inspect. This summer I will split these hives so each of them can get their own hives to manage. That way Dad gets to keep his to himself.:applause:


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## Satch

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Welcome to the site. I live about 25 miles from you and have about 50 hives at my property. My wife and I were discussing this last night that none of us have been stung while around the yard. if you want in the spring get in touch with me and you can come by and play with the bees.


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## Michael Bush

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

On the one hand I've had hives that were five feet from my back door (facing a wall and not the porch) with no issues. I've also had some bees that turned mean and 100 yards away on the opposite side of the house was too close. It's good to be prepared for both possibilities, but the mean ones were once in 40 years. The nice ones were the most common.


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## 66thstreetbees

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

My wife last year was stung in the face by paper wasps mowing and my daughter jumped by a nest of yellowjackets on vacation in Wisconsin. The education for my entire family has far outweighed the one bee sting received by my wife walking barefoot.


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## throrope

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

We learned my son is allergic to bee stings the summer before last when one of my gals got in his hair and sent him to the emergency room. He made me keep 'em even after that. 

Since a hot hive often has little toleration for those nearby, I suggest enclosing them in a six foot high bee fence on all sides facing your yard. Our girls fly well above our lattice enclosure and our heads.

After returning to my hives in a neighbor's yard and finding his lawn tractor parked nearby running with blades engaged and no one in sight, I put up a bee fence made from cast off used cedar decking from another neighbor. No events or complaints since.

I make a habit of working the hives close to sunset. They hunker down for the night shortly thereafter and forget my intrusion by morning.

Good luck and keep us posted.


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## colby

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*



gmcharlie said:


> I have a hive literaly 6 feet from my patio. no guest or grandkids have ever been harrased, the key is their flight plan takes them the other direction, and the kids are aware that bumping it could be bad.
> The bees DO get used to people around. The hives I walk around every day are calmer than the ones in outyards by a large margin.


i have to say i think that a good hive does get use to people being around. my lawn mower is not a problem for the bees any more. we have people over and play croquet within a few feet of my hives and all is good. that being said if the hive gets cranky, just stay clear.


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## Bees of SC

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

I have 22 hives in my yard, 4 are around the grand-kids play ground. Three of the hives face the play ground with no problem. My girls sting me from time to time but that's life. They are all Happy Bees.


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## Kamon A. Reynolds

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Getting stung never hurt anyone unless they are allergic and chances of that are small. Warn the kids and hey if they don't listen a sting might be good.

If you were in Africanized bee area then that would be a different story to a degree and I would keep them further away from where children are bound to go.


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## AmericasBeekeeper

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Welcome!


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## Adrian Quiney WI

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Is your wife scared of bees? Some people have a deep-seated fear of flying stingy things. Those folks can't help it and don't respond to reason. If your wife has that fear it would be unreasonable to start beekeeping as it would put a terrible strain on your marriage. 
I have 39 colonies in my yard about 60 yards from the house, defensiveness was worse with queens descended from Minnesota Hygienics, and hasn't been an issue with Carniolan descendants. 
The kids play in the yard undisturbed.


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## dkitchen0329

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Thank you all for the advice. I think its a general fear of flying stinging things. I was a biology student in college so i love different things especially nature and living things. I appreciate all the help and advice. Im going to join a bee club in the spring in St. James MO so i can learn more and i will post pictures and my progress as a new bee keeper so be prepared for lots of interesting posts im sure.


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## throrope

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*



Kamon Reynolds said:


> Getting stung never hurt anyone unless they are allergic and chances of that are small. Warn the kids and hey if they don't listen a sting might be good.


Yea, I used to think the same.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?268817-My-boy-got-stung-went-to-ER


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## chr157y

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Welcome!! I have two boys, 5 and 2 years old. Our hive is within 2 feet of our house, towards the side. We moved it to the side & close to the house, so we can still use the back yard as a baseball field. I didn't want it on the edge of our property for the fear of a home run ball hitting the hive.  No stings yet. All the kids must wear shoes. They know if they are barefoot, they may step on a bee. No one has been stung except me... Well, that's not true. My 2 year old loves to watch the bees at their waterer. He pet one and got stung on the hand. lol. It was actually quite cute. He still loves them.


Our neighbors also went ballistic when they found out we were getting bees. They've quickly realized that the bees don't bother them. They barely even see them. We do have our bees visit a neighbors bird bath. They're older and don't mind.


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## dkitchen0329

*Re: Hello from Central Missouri please read.*

Just to update everyone I got my Hive in the day before Christmas. I am supper excited. I also went an visited the farm in which I purchased my bees to meet the owner and see what i was getting myself into. I took the kids and wife luckily it was a 55 degree day in Missouri and we where able to witness some bee cleansing runs and see how they winter. It was quite fascinating. So to say the least I want spring to get here so I can enjoy my new hobby. Also for those of you in my area I will be joining the Bee Club in St. James MO. Thanks once again for the information and support. Enjoy your winter.


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