The Birds and the Bee's

[Reinbeau]

It's a breed of bee. Italian, Carniolan, Buckfast, there are more. All have differing degrees of calmness, honey yield, wintering abilities, etc.

 

[Poler]

I've got bees about 40 feet from my coop, I dont let my birds free range and if they did get out I have a cage around the hive. So they cant get directly to the hive. They seem to get along pretty well.

 

[4hLuvers]

We have honey bees in our yard and its great!

But it is true that chickens will peck at anything. If you are going to keep them in a run all the time the bees would be fine there. Honey bees, unlke wasps, will only sting if they are attacked. If you are going to free range the chickens, you may want to have the hive farther away, where the chickens would never go.
hope this helps!

 

[sred98]

Do you think it depends on the types of chickens you have? When we move to our land I plan on getting bees, but am going to put them in the back across a deep creek so the birds can't get them. Right now, I just have a Cornish and an OEGB, and the Cornish runs from bugs unless I hand them to her (she prefers fruits and veggies) but the OEGB attacks anything that moves. She's the one eating wasps, bees, frogs, etc. I know she'd be standing guard outside the hives waiting on the free meal! LOL! And probably end up stung to death.

Just curious if anyone with any of the more aggressive or high strung birds had any problems. I don't want to hijack! Just wondering...?

Shelly

 

[Reinbeau]

Can I please assure you people, again, that the chickens will not bother the bees, nor will the bees bother the chickens? Seriously. I have three full, booming hives within 20 feet of the coop door. The girls are always out free ranging around the hives (they're on a long hive stand that is about 18" above the ground). There has never been a problem between the two.

For that matter we're always walking around out there, too, and unless you walk directly up and stand in front of the hives the bees don't give a fig if you're there or not. They fly out and up, and come zooming right in and down, to the hive entrance, they might bump into you if you're really in the way, but they really just want to come and go.

I'm more afraid of being pecked hard by a chicken than stung by one of our honeybees.

 

[schmije]

We have one active hive and 10 free ranging chickens, and we've never had any problems. The hive is farther from the coop than you're describing, but it's only about 20' from our compost pile where the girls love to scratch around. We keep our hives raised up on two cinder blocks, but that's more to keep other predators (namely skunks) away than the chickens. I've never seen the chickens pay any attention to the hives.

 

[EllyMae]

Quote:
How did he know? Did they buzz with Italian accents?

Funny that you ask...my friend who IS Italian asked me the same thing...only she said "How'd ya know? Did they give ya the fingah?" She honestly cracks me up...and man can she cook!!

 

[menageriemama]

Quote:
How did he know? Did they buzz with Italian accents?

As an Italian, I can tell you it was the faint smell of garlic wafting from the tree, as well as the empty chianti bottles laying around

 

[EllyMae]

LOL!! you guys are killing me!

 

[cmcgoun]

Oh ahaha. Thanks for all the info!