# How close to mow?



## MacNobody (Jan 8, 2014)

Following. 

I am considering a mulched area around where I plan to put my beehive just so I don't have to get that close with a mower.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I would always wear a veil when mowing near the hives. I would define near as "within 20 yards." And stay aware. If bees start to head butt, leave.


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

The safe distance can change from day to day with weather factors, and it will change seasonally. A late season strong hive in a dearth will be much more aggressive than and early spring hive. Like Michael says at least wear a veil.
Dave


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I have mowed right in front of the hives even with the grass blowing in the entrance and never got bothered. I have been standing in front of the hive (yesterday in fact) and got head butted when I wasn't doing anything...


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

One thing you can do to help out both him and the colony itself is to put some paving stones around the front of the hive.

Keeps grass from growing right in front of the hive so you don't have to get near it to mow, plus it helps (to some degree) cut down on pests like SHB as the larva wiggle out of the hive to try to find dirt to pupate in. If you've got paving stone under the front of the hive, they land on that instead. There is some debate/unsuredness about how far a SHB larva can travel to find soil, but any amount of time out in the open on a hard flat surface is that much more time for a bird or some other insect to come pick it off.


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## ARGluck (Mar 10, 2013)

I mow right up to mine but my bees and your bees aren't the same. Also, I use my best judgement when mowing near them and as a beek we have a good idea of when the bees will be in a good mood. 

If I were you I would either mow/weedwack near the hives myself or as Mike says, tell him to stay a good distance away.


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

I run the hand push gas lawn mower across the front of the hive. You can keep your distance by just pushing the mower in from the side and avoid walking across the front your self.

A cheap and handy bit of insurance is a mosquito net. They cost less than $5. Keep it in your back pocket. Roll up your shirt collar and do up the top button on your shirt and pull the net over your head and over the collar. 

I use the mosquito net for most of my inspections. Only time I had to retreat to a full veil was late summer when pulling honey frames.


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

I drive between mine with the lawn tractor, so far never had a problem. Two passes, one with the mower deck snubbed up against the hive on one side, then turn around to touch up the other side. But, I usually mow on a nice sunny day, when the bees are hard at work on some nectar source or another. Could be a very different story if the bees are / have been cooped up by weather when the mower shows up. Personally, if the weather isn't nice enough for the bees to be working something, then it's not nice enough to step onto the tractor and go mow. The grass isn't on a schedule, and I have no desire to be out driving the tractor when it's nasty out.


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## wmsuber (Apr 4, 2011)

I mow across the fronts of mine, right up close with a lawn tractor, Then down the sides and then across the back. But I usually only make one pass, mow elsewhere for a bit, then another pass. The side passes I make from back to front, so when I come by the entrance I am traveling away. I often weed trim around them too, reaching to the front from the sides, and I don't mess around. Hit it quickly and I am gone. I have never been stung doing this, seems like the exhaust fumes may baffle them for a bit. And I do have one fairly aggressive hive I am very careful around. That being said, now I am jinxed, and they will probably all eat me alive next time.


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

That question can be answered by the man that mow's your grass, after he has mowed a few times. :thumbsup:


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## Teal (Jan 30, 2014)

If I had my hives up on my balcony, with the grass 10 feet below, would the bees bother when the mower went underneath them? I'm still puzzling over where to place my hives.:scratch:


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

Put a top entrance on and you don't have to mow as often.


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## larrybeach (May 25, 2013)

I lay down landscape fabric and mulch in front of my hives, not too expensive if you only have a few hives.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Most often, I can mow right up to the hives. Some times however, especially during an orientation flight, they get miffed more easily. I know because I did that ONCE. Got stung three times.
Best bet is to apply some type of ground cover around the hives to avoid the grass altogether.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>If I had my hives up on my balcony, with the grass 10 feet below, would the bees bother when the mower went underneath them? 

Every colony has it's own personality, but the odds are very low that they will care.


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## bnm1000 (Oct 12, 2011)

I tend to error on the side of caution when it is others doing the mowing. I will run the weed eater right up to the hive, but I wouldn't get one of my teenagers to do it.


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

I havn't had any trouble, but I drag the mower around the hives- with me in front- that
way if they get excited about the mower, I'm already past the hive. I use the same tech-
nique with the weed eater, and I never let the mower or weedeater come in contact with the
hive or blocks or wood that supports the hives, as the vibrations could set off several
hives at once....My bees don't seem to notice or mind at all...

==McBee7==


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

I have only has a problem when I have bumped a hive with the mower.

Tom


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## RudyT (Jan 25, 2012)

I have even bumped a hive with no trouble. 
But as Michael says, wear a veil. 
Some people smoke the entrances before mowing but I haven't found it necessary. 
I don't mow on the same day I am in the hive. 
I usually mow early enough or late enough that the orientation flights are over.


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## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

The wild card is the hive itself. last year 5 of my 6 were perfectly fine with a diesel tractor running past just a couple feet from the hive. The 6th hive, was not so forgiving. It was a swarm caught from some local feral hive and apparently they were not used to tractors traveling nearby. They made it quite clear that they did not appreciate my efforts to keep their hive area clear of tall grasses. I'll tell you what, i was darn quick to disengage PTO and go full throttle away from them. Fortunately, my son (riding with me) made it away unscathed, but my wrapping him up in my arms and covering him as well as I could earned me a number of stings.

Now, i suit up to mow near the hives. That one hive is perfectly calm during inspections, but just not willing to allow equipment to operate nearby.


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## Beregondo (Jun 21, 2011)

I've had hives that nothing bothered.

I've had hives i could mow right in front of with a push mower but freaked at a gas powered weed whacker.
Or didn't mind a weed whacker but came after a man on a rider 30 feet away.

I've found that most of my hives, most of the time, I cn use what i want when I want to cut the grass with no issue.

But some others will occasionally be a problem.

So (sarcasm aside) the mowing man _*will*_ know after he tries it a couple times.

But don't mow when a thunderstorm is inbound!


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## Tallevaguy (Dec 15, 2012)

Last year was my first year for hives. I have two. I have a zero turn mower and I would start very close to the back of the hives and mow a circle around them. I would continue mowing around and around the hives. The hives are the center of the circle. I do this for about 8 revolutions. Iv'e never been stung doing this. I usually do this during the heat of the day when the bees are very busy. The only thing I pay attention to is not to mow too fast. This seems to give the bees time to go around me and the mower as they are coming and going from the hives. They don't pay any attention to me.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

What you can get away with in May on a flow will get your butt kicked in August in a dearth.


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