Bee hive on coop roof?

[Pullet-Shut Chicken Doors]

I too am a beekeeper, in central Texas, with about 150 africanized hives. Many good points have been made. My concern would be the risk to the hens, and to you. Climbing up to work the heavy hive is a recipe for you falling/getting injured. Or just plain inconvenience. Now fill a deep 10 frame Langstroth box with honey and you're talking 90 lbs. No thanks! Or someday when you want to move the hive.

And for the chickens, there will be times when you go to work the bees and they get upset. Maybe not upset like my bees who would sting me 10,000 times if they could (and not exaggerating), but upset enough at least to harass the hens and make for an uncomfortable day or two. In my learning process, I had a hive about 70 ft from my coop and I upset them during an inspection. To which they killed a dozen+ hens and tortured everything within 300 ft for days. I learned my lesson, 200 ft is about as close as I want them to the coop or to my house. Bees will win any war just with sheer numbers. I'm not writing this to be dramatic, but telling a true example of how things go wrong.

 

[Birdinhand]

I too am a beekeeper, in central Texas, with about 150 africanized hives. Many good points have been made. My concern would be the risk to the hens, and to you. Climbing up to work the heavy hive is a recipe for you falling/getting injured. Or just plain inconvenience. Now fill a deep 10 frame Langstroth box with honey and you're talking 90 lbs. No thanks! Or someday when you want to move the hive.

And for the chickens, there will be times when you go to work the bees and they get upset. Maybe not upset like my bees who would sting me 10,000 times if they could (and not exaggerating), but upset enough at least to harass the hens and make for an uncomfortable day or two. In my learning process, I had a hive about 70 ft from my coop and I upset them during an inspection. To which they killed a dozen+ hens and tortured everything within 300 ft for days. I learned my lesson, 200 ft is about as close as I want them to the coop or to my house. Bees will win any war just with sheer numbers. I'm not writing this to be dramatic, but telling a true example of how things go wrong.

Africanized bees are a whole other kettle of fish… they’ve been known to rundown humans and kill them. my hives are right next to my coop for years and I’ve had zero issue with chickens and bees interacting.

 

[McChooky]

I've never seen anyone set up a stand of bees around their coop .Between the roosters crowing and the hens singing the egg song I don't think it would take long before they abandoned the hive.

 

[Apis mellifera]

My concern would be the risk to the hens, and to you. Climbing up to work the heavy hive is a recipe for you falling/getting injured. Or just plain inconvenience. Now fill a deep 10 frame Langstroth box with honey and you're talking 90 lbs. No thanks! Or someday when you want to move the hive.

No big deal, I always tell beekeepers who cant lift to bring extra boxes and take out a few frames at a time.

In my learning process, I had a hive about 70 ft from my coop and I upset them during an inspection. To which they killed a dozen+ hens and tortured everything within 300 ft for days. I learned my lesson, 200 ft is about as close as I want them to the coop or to my house.

Mine are about 50ft away and in 20 years never had a problem. I would never keep hot bees like that. Responsibly you should requeen those hives so your not producing drones that could breed with other beekeepers queens.

Bees will win any war just with sheer numbers. I'm not writing this to be dramatic, but telling a true example of how things go wrong.

They wont win the war of me pouring a bucket of water with dish detergent on them.

 

[McChooky]

No big deal, I always tell beekeepers who cant lift to bring extra boxes and take out a few frames at a time.

Mine are about 50ft away and in 20 years never had a problem. I would never keep hot bees like that. Responsibly you should requeen those hives so your not producing drones that could breed with other beekeepers queens.

They wont win the war of me pouring a bucket of water with dish detergent on them.

I've read they can drown in a waterer or baby pool if they don't have stones or sticks to climb out on

 

[Mouthpear]

In a country of over 300 million people the yearly average deaths from stings are 72. Mostly caused by hornet, wasp, and yellow jacket allergic reactions. The chances of someone being killed by a honey bee swarm would be very rare and most likely from an allergic reaction.

Numbers, as in how many, are not the point. Never was. The point is that swarming bees do sting. So unless then number is ZERO you proved my point.

Also I never said Anything about deaths from bee stings. The fact that many bee swarm stings will never be accurately tracked for statistics is because they don't get reported, only deaths will. So just think of all the times that a bee hive swarms and a person gets stung but doesn't say nothing to the cops, cdc, or any other agency that track that sort of thing.

You should be able to agree on the, no?

Again I was stung over 15 times from honey bees, when the swarm came after me. I did not go to the cops or call every agency to make sure that my bee stings were reported.


The whole point is that when bees swarm they can and will sting you. say that they absolutely don't is verifiably false. Witch you did prove why you say 72 deaths.

 

[Birdinhand]

Numbers, as in how many, are not the point. Never was. The point is that swarming bees do sting. So unless then number is ZERO you proved my point.

Also I never said Anything about deaths from bee stings. The fact that many bee swarm stings will never be accurately tracked for statistics is because they don't get reported, only deaths will. So just think of all the times that a bee hive swarms and a person gets stung but doesn't say nothing to the cops, cdc, or any other agency that track that sort of thing.

You should be able to agree on the, no?

Again I was stung over 15 times from honey bees, when the swarm came after me. I did not go to the cops or call every agency to make sure that my bee stings were reported.


The whole point is that when bees swarm they can and will sting you. say that they absolutely don't is verifiably false. Which you did prove why you say 72 deaths.

I think it’s fair to say that Africanized honey bees are a whole other ball of wax and if those genes are getting spread around then it’s worth being cautious. My hives are right next to my coop… in all these years 2 people have been stung, and as far as I know, zero chickens. Seems to me, to being this back to the subject at hand, putting a beehive over a chicken coop, if it’s easy enough to tend, shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[Mouthpear]

I think it’s fair to say that Africanized honey bees are a whole other ball of wax and if those genes are getting spread around then it’s worth being cautious.

Not sure if you are getting what I have been saying. I am disputing the bees do not sting when swarming. Go back and read where I first mentioned this and you will see that I only brought up the news report is to show that it does happen.

The whole point is that when bees swarm they can and will sting you. say that they absolutely don't is verifiably false. Witch you did prove why you say 72 deaths.

 

[Mouthpear]

Ignorance is in print, on the internet and from peoples lips. I'm just trying to do my small part in correcting that. If you don't believe a certified beekeeper like me then attend a local bee club and listen to others with experience first hand.

The term swarm is specific in meaning for bees. The "hundreds" of articles clearly are misusing the term.

Below is a friend of mine collecting a swarm from a post. Locating the queen to put into the empty hive moved over to house them. Swarms are completely docile.

Did you just call me ignorant? It very much so seems like you are implying it.

If this does not squash this then you need to apply that to yourself.

"While they may look frightening, bees that are swarming and carrying honey from their old hive are much less defensive or likely to sting than they would be if they were protecting brood (immature bees) at the old hive. They shouldn't pose much danger if left undisturbed but will sting if provoked."

Taken from

I want you to read this part.

"They shouldn't pose much danger if left undisturbed but will sting if provoked."

Let me get in closer.

"but will sting if provoked"

That right there DIRECTLY disputes your claim that.........

Egghead_Jr said:
Bees don't sting when swarming.

You claim is false and incorrect. They absolutely will sting when swarming if they feel the need to. I am not saying that IT ALWAY HAPPENS. I am saying the that IT DOES HAPPEN. How many times it happens is not the argument, the fact that it does happen is.


Not sure why a simple correction is being taken so hard and responded to with, what I see as, malice.

In my eyes I have already proven my point and case is closed. If you still feel otherwise then maybe look in the mirror when making statements like....

Ignorance is in print, on the internet and from peoples lips.

 

[Birdinhand]

I don’t think bees in a hive on top of a chicken coop would feel provoked by the chickens. My bees and chickens coexist great! Never had an issue. Africanized bees, that’s a whole other matter… seems like those should not be kept near humans or chickens.