# Close up a hive during backyard party?



## Bees In Miami (Nov 30, 2012)

Do the bees trouble you on a daily basis where you are having the party? There is nothing that pisses bees off worse than changing their daily routine... I think you are asking for more problems closing them off, than you would possibly encounter letting them go about their business...JMO!

Keep everyone away from the flight path, and I would expect a non-event...

Put some traffic cones out as a 'do not cross'...and don't give "come see my bee hives" tours, and I bet it's not even the beginning of an issue. What kind of distance are you talking? 20 feet? 20 yards? 100 yards? Again, how often do you encounter a bee in the area you are hosting in?

My husband and I host several large parties a year...The bees have never been an issue, and I have several hives, not one.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

If you do block them in they overheat easy, more easy than most people realise till after their first experience.

Don't know how big the hive is, but just ventilation bottom can be not enough, because the bees clog it trying to get out & the hive suffocates. Ventilation should be installed by mesh across the entire bottom, and the entire top, and the hive moved to the shade, or have shade put over it.

The bees will not chill. Heat is the issue.


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## HIVE+ (Jan 4, 2012)

Week ago, birthday party for 3 year old granddaughter, a dozen kids plus parents 20' from 2 hives. People didn't even notice the hives were there. A good opportunity to educate at the end by pointing out bees aren't interested in stinging people for no reason. Maybe limit syrupy drinks.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Maybe you should inform everyone of the hives presence and location.

I don't know how well it works, but I have heard of people using a lawn sprinkler to constantly spray the entrance of the hive w/ water, simulating rain I guess.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> Maybe you should inform everyone of the hives presence and location.


I would. And I would tell everyone that soda is what they are after. Do not drink from a pop top can. Pour the drink into one of those sealed cups used for coffee. Rinsing cans and putting them in a covered garbage pail will help. Supplying a water source near the hive will not hurt.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

What?! Since when are honeybees interested in soda? That would be a great way to spread misinformation. Make everyone believe that bees and hornets are all one in the same.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Better said than what I was thinking. Thank you, Barry. Most people don't know the difference, don't see the difference, and don't care that there is a difference. Even some beekeepers it seems.


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## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

Barry said:


> What?! Since when are honeybees interested in soda? That would a great way to spread misinformation. Make everyone believe that bees and hornets are all one in the same.


Barry, I have had a much different experience with honeybees and pop. Last year I was having a shell of a house built, and I could not keep the guys on the construction crew from leaving half empty Mountain Dew cans laying around. Every afternoon I would dump out and throw away pop cans covered in honey bees after shaking most of them off. One afternoon I had stopped at McDonalds and had a Sprite from there with a straw and the lid on, in my truck. When I went to go home I checked it for bees, did not see any, took a drink and found two honey bees had climbed down the straw to get to the pop. I have never spit something out so fast! LOL For the record, I did not get stung.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The "screen doors" that are sold by Brushy Mt. (and maybe some others) will let some of the bees out front to cool things. A sprinkler will help keep them in by making them think it's raining...


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## HIVE+ (Jan 4, 2012)

In defense, seems I remember the trash cans next to my high school, mostly yellow jackets, but a few bees; altho it was a long time ago.
Is the OP experiencing a dearth in forage?


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## Jackam (Jun 3, 2013)

Barry said:


> What?! Since when are honeybees interested in soda? That would a great way to spread misinformation. Make everyone believe that bees and hornets are all one in the same.


They're not interested in the soda. They don't care what flavor it is, if it's flat, or even if it's old.
They want the sugar!

The honeybees will absolutely go in the cans, especially in a dearth.

No misinformation in that post.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

HIVE+, it's the yellow jackets that do the stinging when it comes to soda pop foraging, not honeybees.


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## Jackam (Jun 3, 2013)

sqkcrk said:


> Better said than what I was thinking. Thank you, Barry. Most people don't know the difference, don't see the difference, and don't care that there is a difference. Even some beekeepers it seems.


Evidently all beekeepers have different experiences.
I've never seen a laying worker, but I'm not going to make a blanket statement that anyone that says they have is uneducated.

I have seen honeybees spend days in a garbage can dedicated and full of empty Coke cans. They absolutely have zero interest in a can that once held diet soda though.


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## kingd (Oct 31, 2013)

Had a graduation party a month ago, 100 plus people and the 6 hives 20 yards away and no one noticed any bees,most did not know I have bees.

Of course every situation is different. We had pop,lots of fruit,ice cream,candy and no bees.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

Without knowing how far away the hives will be and how defensive your bees are, it is impossible to offer a suggestion.

Unless it is a party for beekeepers, within a crowd of 100 people odds are there is at least one person who is afraid of bees and will raise a stink if they see a hive nearby.


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

A few years ago I bought a single hive net. It is nice soft material and is large enough to easily cover a hive with lots of room to spare. I used it to carry hives in my SUV but a few days ago I started a robbing issue and so I covered a single hive and a nuc (they were next to each other) with it for a day. The temps were in the 90's and lot of bees came out of the hives to cover the tops and sides but the robbing stopped and the hives were fine.

It is probably to late for this now, but that netting is pretty useful.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Michael Bush said:


> The "screen doors" that are sold by Brushy Mt. (and maybe some others) will let some of the bees out front to cool things. A sprinkler will help keep them in by making them think it's raining...


Hmmm. This looks very interesting. I'll have to see if it's possible to get one in time:

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Florida-Moving-Screen/productinfo/516/


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I'll have to see if it's possible to get one in time:

It's not complicated... make one.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

shinbone said:


> Without knowing how far away the hives will be and how defensive your bees are, it is impossible to offer a suggestion.
> 
> Unless it is a party for beekeepers, within a crowd of 100 people odds are there is at least one person who is afraid of bees and will raise a stink if they see a hive nearby.


Here's my backyard, in glorious iPhone 3D view:










The vertical scale is exaggerated, but it's a decent representation. Just above the Bees is a steep slope (dark green) planted heavily with morning glory, and then there's a 3' high wood fence that's shown as the thin wavy line. The thicker white line leading away from People is a brick path.

The tables and grill will up on the upper level where it says "People." The guests will walk down the steps and path into the garden to pick the corn. The hive is about 35' from the steps, and I'll have some signs and/or potted plants as a barrier to keep people from visiting the hive.

The hive is about 40+', as the bee flies , to the tables, but it's also 15' below that level, and the hive entrance faces the garden, so most of the bee flow is towards the garden. I always have bees buzzing around in the garden, but that would be true whether the hive was mine or not, or in my yard or not. Bees just like squash flowers, and most of the garden is a pumpkin patch right now (I'm going to have the same situation in late October ).

Regarding my bees, they're about medium tempered. I often get stung once or twice when I work the hive, usually through my $35 gloves , or during the 10 minutes afterward if I take off my suit without checking first. I often have 2-3 bees follow me away from the hive after I close it up, but I never have a cloud of them.

I almost never get stung if I'm in the garden or backyard and it's not within 10 minutes of me working the hive.

My newbee guess is that I won't actually have a problem, but then again perception counts for something, and I don't want my guests freaked out by my bees, especially since there will be lots of children involved.

Yes, we're in a pretty severe dearth right now. I just put a couple quarts of syrup in the hive this morning; we'll see how much they drink over the next day or two.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Michael Bush said:


> >I'll have to see if it's possible to get one in time:
> 
> It's not complicated... make one.


I thought about it, but 1) I'm mechanically challenged, and 2) I have a ton of other stuff to do before Sunday.

That hive net also looks interesting. If I had a lot of time I would think about making a 5' x 5' x 5' "cube" of netting with a frame that I could put over the entire hive and hive stand. That would give the bees plenty of room to do everything except forage, and would keep them safely contained.

Does every bee (or at least >>> 99%) in the hive go inside at night? Or is there any sizable population that remains outside for some reason?

Obviously there's no way to make anything bee-free; I just would rather not have 25,000 bees in a cloud above the party.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

"_ . . . especially since there will be lots of children involved._"

I think this may complicate matters. Some parents can be overly paranoid about bees around their children, even when there is no real danger. You get one bee having a bad day, or a child taking a swat at one, and things could get unpleasant.

How well do you know and trusts your guests? How "into nature" are they? How willing are they to tolerate some perceived risk to temporarily co-exist with an important but stinging insect?

Unless you know this people well, I would consider moving the hives further away than the current 40 feet. Additionally, it would be even better if there were some barriers so that the guests couldn't see the hives.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Does every bee (or at least >>> 99%) in the hive go inside at night? Or is there any sizable population that remains outside for some reason?

They will virtually all be home, but some are often bearding on the outside.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> I thought about it, but 1) I'm mechanically challenged, and 2) I have a ton of other stuff to do before Sunday.


But I do have a roll of 5"-wide, 1/8" mesh. 

If I made a 4-sided box, the width of the hive entrance, 5" tall and 5" deep, with end caps, would that give the bees enough space to move around without clogging the entrance, and give them room to do their ventilating? I'm thinking it would be similar, conceptually, to that moving screen linked above, except with more enclosed volume.


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

I just want to chime in on my experience with soda cans and honey bees. On the 4th of July in my small town the trash cans are full of both honey bees and yellow jackets. They both seem to like the sugar in regular sodas.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Does every bee (or at least >>> 99%) in the hive go inside at night? Or is there any sizable population that remains outside for some reason?
> 
> Obviously there's no way to make anything bee-free; I just would rather not have 25,000 bees in a cloud above the party.


Yes, most, but not 99%, of the bees do go inside at night. Some spend the night out away from the hive too.

25,000 bees in a cloud above the party? If you have 25 bees in a cloud above your party at night I would be really surprised. Even w/out any attempt to control the hive's flight. 

Relax. Come Sunday morning you'll wonder to yourself about why you were so nervous about this.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> But I do have a roll of 5"-wide, 1/8" mesh.
> 
> If I made a 4-sided box, the width of the hive entrance, 5" tall and 5" deep, with end caps,


If you don't spray them periodically or maybe even constantly w/ water this path won't be good for the bees.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

sqkcrk said:


> Yes, most, but not 99%, of the bees do go inside at night. Some spend the night out away from the hive too.
> 
> 25,000 bees in a cloud above the party? If you have 25 bees in a cloud above your party at night I would be really surprised. Even w/out any attempt to control the hive's flight.
> 
> Relax. Come Sunday morning you'll wonder to yourself about why you were so nervous about this.


Just curious--what do bees do if they spend the night away from the hive? Do they go to mead parties? I know they're not picking up drones.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

You'll have to ask them. I have no reason to think that they are getting up to no good, but ya never know.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

sqkcrk said:


> If you don't spray them periodically or maybe even constantly w/ water this path won't be good for the bees.


Express shipping that moving screen from Brushy Mountain would cost $55 just for the freight, and that's for 3-Day Saver. I don't know why it's that expensive.

So it looks like I'm back to building something myself, and helping the bees stay cool. The forecast for Sunday is sunny, with a high of 79. If I set up some sort of mister to keep the side of the hive damp, I'd think the evaporative cooling effect would keep them from overheating.

The nice lady from Brushy Mountain even thought the bees would be OK if I just stapled some screen over the entrance Saturday evening. 

I do have an extra bottom board and some supers, so I'm going to experiment with this tonight and see how much volume I can create outside the entrance if I build a little box.

I wish I had a pair of screened boards so I could do what Michael suggested on the first page.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

I have at least three parties every summer. Most often the peeps don't even realize there are 400-500k bees within 30 yards of them.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I typically have 40 beehives in the backyard and have never closed them up for any party including at least one wedding and other big doings in 40 years... but I have had bees (rarely) that I would have felt it necessary if I were having a party at the time an issue occurred...


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

We leave our hives be regardless of guests or not. Usually there are some folks that want a tour of the bee yard. Veils go on if they want to get close up. We have folks over most weeks and so far no issues. Children do not have access to the bee areas.


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Does every bee (or at least >>> 99%) in the hive go inside at night? Or is there any sizable population that remains outside for some reason?


If there's a way to put a screen of some sort over them so that they're not attracted to lights where the guests are it would be helpful. My bees beard at night and invariably they're around the porch light if I leave it on. Because they're disoriented and not working they tend to be a bit aggressive then.


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## Will O'Brien (Feb 22, 2006)

I knew that hives could over heat but because I have not experienced it I under estimated how careful I would have to be if I did close my hives. I don't understand how the folks that move their bees around for polination are able to stack them tight and close them up without the hives over heating. If anyone know I would apprecaite you sharing it.

Regarding the party, I would think that the greater risk would be if someone that was wearing perfume or cologne explored the backyard and got near the hives. That smell can set them off rather quickly. I once walked near my hives before taking my wife out to dinner. I forgot that I had put on Polo. My normally gentle bees quickly were on the attack. I did not open the hives, just stopped to look at them momentarily while on my way to the shed. Some ladies liked Polo, but not those ladies.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Will O'Brien said:


> Regarding the party, I would think that the greater risk would be if someone that was wearing perfume or cologne explored the backyard and got near the hives. That smell can set them off rather quickly. I once walked near my hives before taking my wife out to dinner. I forgot that I had put on Polo. My normally gentle bees quickly were on the attack. I did not open the hives, just stopped to look at them momentarily while on my way to the shed. Some ladies liked Polo, but not those ladies.


Yes! I have had bees in my hair a few times, and both times I have had some styling product in my hair that smells somewhat sweet/fruity. 

I've made a point _not_ to open my hives if I think I might have any residual fragrance on me.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Will O'Brien said:


> I don't understand how the folks that move their bees around for polination are able to stack them tight and close them up without the hives over heating. If anyone know I would apprecaite you sharing it.


They don't close them up LOL, that would be death.

They do put a net over the whole load. Over here we don't put a net over though just load up, and drive.

Last year I sold some bees to a new beekeeper, he arrived in his truck and we started loading. "Aren't you going to block them up?" he asked, I told him no, it would be fatal. But he said he wanted to visit relatives on the way home and they would have to be blocked. I told him no, skip the visit, I will not send bees away in such a way they will not make the trip. He kept arguing, just could not see how blocking them would hurt.

I later heard that once he got down the road and out of my site, he pulled over & him and his buddy blocked all the hives. He then did his relative visit. When he got home and unloaded the bees there was not a bee left alive, just a soggy mess in each hive. He has never admitted it to me but I found out from the buddy.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

So the party was yesterday, and it was completely un-eventful, bee-wise.

Thanks for all the recommendations and for calming my fears. I did have my Epi-pen on hand, just in case .

We are in a bit of a dearth right now, so I did feed them two quarts of syrup about 2 hours before the party, just to make sure they were happy.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Was wondering how it turned out, nice job. 

Bees & parties can go either way, as I discovered the hard way one time.


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

Oldtimer said:


> Was wondering how it turned out, nice job.
> 
> Bees & parties can go either way, as I discovered the hard way one time.


There was a posting about this, I believe last year, and the simple answer was to run a sprinkler or soaker hose on the hives prior to and during the party, thus making the bees think its raining, and stay in the hive...

==McBee7==


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>We are in a bit of a dearth right now, so I did feed them two quarts of syrup about 2 hours before the party, just to make sure they were happy. 

I'm glad it turned out well. I doubt feeding helped. It's more likely to set off a feeding frenzy in a dearth...


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