Bee's bee's bee's, Help!

[barg]

We have a tree right near where our chickens will be.
The thing must have 3-5 bee's nests in it.
There are several different types of bee's in it.

Around here, most days are what they call."partly cloudy"
As ive been working on the coop, ive noticed the bee's seem to like to land on the coop and in the grass in the same area.

Whenever the cloudy portion occurs they seem to stop , im guessing until they can heat back up and move on, Sometimes this takes all day and they get stuck where they are.

Are my chickens going to eat them? Will they get stung?
Its amazing I havent been stung yet...knock wood.
The coop is not currently as close to the tree as it is finally intended to be.

And yes, for the record, some of the bee's in the tree are honey bee's, some bumble bee's and hek if I know the names of the other types.
There are probably thousands of them.

 

[barg]

Surley someone must have some experience in this area.

 

[tiffanyh]

Wow--I wouldnt want to recommend anything---I know NOTHING about how to take care of something like that and if could hurt the chicks....

 

[countrygirl4513]

So all the bees went to your place, huh? Since the late killing frost that was so unexpected, our bees have disappeared.
Chicks won't eat them. At least mine don't. They steer clear of them. However the bees may eat the chickens... that is to say sting them if they get aggravated and attack, which is usually the closest thing making noise. They can bring down a chicken .... no problem. Try nailing them with a DE Slurry. (AT A SAFE DISTANCE, of course)It won't hurt the tree or the chickens as long as it's food grade, DE. They may even move on before too long. I've seen them just fly off... the whole hive. It's wild to watch. But I can't advise anything other than what I've said. If they continue to cause a problem call a bug man.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Look up beekeepers in your area. They'll come take away the bees for free.

If your not allergic consider ignoring them. I deal with bees at work daily and the old saying "Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone" is true. Each breed is different.

Good luck

 

[ZuniBee]

I agree with PurpleChicken. I have six hives of honeybees and one is directly next to the chicken coop. They won't bother the chickens unless the chickens are messing with the hive. What part of the country do you live in?

If you go to http://www.beemaster.com you will see bee removal at the top right. You might find a local beekeeper that will come get the bees.

Remember, bees are good! Pollination is needed for your flowers, plants, garden, etc. It's always best to let a beekeeper remove them instead of trying to kill them.

 

[barg]

I live in WA. state, no africanised bee's that I know of here.
The thing is that when these bees get cold they just sit there, easy target for the chicks to grab, thats why I wonder about the stinging, if it gets suddenly cold, the bees land and stay at the nearest location.

 

[chickbea]

I have bee and wasp nests all over my place. I get stung maybe once a year, and it is usually when I am dead-heading flowers and we inadvertently come in contact. The only nests/hives I worry about are ground bees (I don't know if that is their real name...but they nest on the ground and you sure don't want to trot your horse through such a thing...).
Indeed, a beekeeper may want some of them; I'd try that.
I wouldn't worry about the bees stinging the chicks when they are cold and sluggish. I've picked up bees that are cold in my hand and never been stung.