I’ve been toying with the idea of getting bees, but I’m allergic to them {by allergic I mean swelling and hives, I do not need to carry an EpiPen}. So you’d think that’d stop me from considering bees any further, but nooo, it’s almost like a challenge–a sick one, but a challenge just the same. I started researching the whole bee-keeping game and found out there are two different types of bees: Honey bees and Mason bees.
On the up side, Honey bees, I’m sure you know, produce, um, well, honey. Delicious golden liquid sugar. They also provide a long season of pollinating, which directly translates into 4000 lbs. of Mavis grown goodness. On the flip side, they are slightly more aggressive and territorial. Honey bees are a bigger investment in both time and money up front. And, of course, they sting, which would leave me choking down a couple of Benadryl and a load of regrets. But, did I mention that they provide honey?
Mason Bees, on the other hand, do not sting. They require almost zero upfront cost, because from what I can tell, building your own mason bee house {or sweet talking the HH to do it for me} takes very little effort and supplies–and after that, it’s a build it and they will come principal. They are also immune to the common viruses that kill off honey bee hives. They don’t produce honey or have a queen {all females can reproduce}, so they aren’t aggressive or territorial in anyway–keeping my breathing passages free and clear. The cons, as I just mentioned, are that they don’t produce honey and their pollination season is relatively short.
I was surprised to learn that while Mason bees don’t sting at all, Honey bees also rarely sting {probably due to the fact that a sting costs them their life {sheesh, those are some high stakes, I kinda feel bad for the bee born with anger-management issues}.
What do YOU think? Am I playing with fire to even consider Honey bees? Or do you think having plenty of flowers would be enough…instead of honey? Should I just let nature take care of things? Do you think I will need to attract extra bees to my garden this year?
Conflicted,
Mavis
Angie Lawrence says
Hi Mavis!
Go for it lass! I have also been thinking about it but we live in an extremely windy and exposed part of the Island and I doubt if the little beggars would be able to land – let alone settle down to family life 🙂
As I understand it- once you get used to your bees and they to you – and you use smoke to calm them down and wear the right kit – you’ll be set.
And I know I speak for all of us when I say we are dying to see you in the kit!
Warm regards
Angie
Lisa says
Given the allergies go with the mason bees. Now is the time to start getting them. Ours arrive at the shop the 5th of February.
I’ve been wanting honey bees, but haven’t had the time to take the classes for them. I would suggest that though if you do become serious. Pierce County Beekeepers Association has a 5 class program to teach about bees and their proper care. At the end you’ll be an apprentice beekeeper and often times you can “borrow” a hive from another beekeeper to try it out. They’ll move the hive to your location and you tend it and I believe you get all or a portion of the honey (depending on the owner). It’s a great chance before making the investment.
Heather says
I am currently weighing the pros and cons of the same decision. I look forward to seeing what beekeepers have to say. Thanks Mavis!
Kay Snyder says
I got the beekeeping bug last year also. I can’t have them on my own property but found a place I could have them. I also found a conference (Heartland Apicultural Society) and attended their annual conference, 3 days packed with classes including a dorm room for $120ish. Following that I got involved on FB with the statewide beekeeper a group. A kind lady getting out of keeping wanted to gift her equiwnt to a new beekeeper (me). I received enough brand new supplies to get started (roughly $300 in goods free). I then sought out a beekeeping mentor who had a couple ofate season swarms he was willing to give me along with an afternoon of hands on teaching with my new swarm. This is my first winter ad I’m hoping my girls make it. Beekeeping is very zen. With he right protective wear you really don’t have problems. The girls are very gentle and the boys (drones) can’t sting at all. I would educate yourself, seek out local beekeepers groups, and then go for it.
This is the jacket I have. I wear it with jeans. http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/page110.html I also wear elastic around my pants legs to keep any crawlers out of my pants :). If you have any more questions ill do my best to help. I’ve found that beekeepers are one of the humblest groups of people I’ve ever met. I know that Soulmama (google it) also keeps bees and has some info about how she does it too.
christine says
you can always try to breed out the aggressiveness of honey bees by replacing the queen bee. try taking a beekeeping class, it’s very informative. you realize that you will have to wait at least a year before you harvest honey? i love your blog!
Kathy says
Locally produced raw, filtered honey has helped me with my severe allergies here in NE Ohio, so I would love being able to raise honey bees. Alas, living in an apartment, it is not to be. Only thing I have to carry an Epi pen for now is tree nut allergy. I say go for it Mavis!
Sakura says
My neighbor has had 2 hives for 4 years now and it’s made a world of difference in the production of our fruits and veggies, not to mention the honey. She also gives us some of the bees wax to use in balms. I would say go for it, you’ll love it. I think you can even rent the honey extractors.
Carlie says
Might want to check in with your local code nforcement epeople. Some places I’ve lived have a minimum property size/restrictions for keeping bees. At the Clark County Fair in Vancouver (WA) there is always a fantastic bee keeping exhibit! It gets me dreaming 🙂 I live within city limits now though and no bees are allowed here. Boo.
Becca says
I’d be a fan of the honey bees for the opportunity to get honey.
BUT Since you are allergic, maybe you shouldn’t play with fire/bees.
I would just plant some flowers to attract them to the garden for pollination. Plus flowers are pretty. Butterflies can help pollinate too – put out a butterfly feeder.
Heather says
I agree…
schmei says
My dad and uncle kept bees when they were in their early 20s, and Dad still is immune to bee stings. Get stung a couple of times and apparently your body figures out what to do.
So I’d say you should weigh just HOW allergic you are – maybe talk to a doctor. If it’s the kind of thing that will go away after a few stings, no big deal… and then you get honey and you are a sting-immune superhero! (I once saw my dad pick up a wasp, who stung him on the hand – I saw it happen! He didn’t react! It blew my mind.)
Also: that hive is super cool.
Sara says
It can go the other way too. My mom developed a life threatening allergy to bees. Each sting got worse with symptoms until we were finally at the hospital.
Mavis says
Yikes!
Julie says
My husband has been threatening to get bees for about two years now. While I find bees fascinating, I’m just not interested in having them in my backyard. We’ve talked to representatives from our state (PA) beekeepers’ association at our PA State Farm Show and learned there are a lot of local chapters for support. We also talked to a beekeeper who lives nearby who told us he needs to spread his hives so many miles apart to make sure there’s enough food for the bees.
HollyG says
You might want to check with your physician about the allergy. With some people/allergens, repeated exposure can amplify the symptoms. By playing with fire, you might also be stoking it.
Mary says
Hi Mavis,
I grew up with honeybees in my backyard. My Dad loved honey and extracted gallons of it every year. A few years ago I had a couple of hives in my yard and it was pretty good. My brother extracted the honey for me. They are expensive to get started and they are not as hardy as they use to be. The hives get invaded with wasps and there is the mite problem that offen kills the whole hive over the winter months. I finally gave up and gave my hives to my brother who lost them all last year. Mason bees are a good way to go and they take care of themselves. I figured out that it is much cheaper to buy a gallon of honey then keep honeybees. I do love bees and if you plant a few borage plants in your yard you will attract all the bees you want!!!
Heather says
Thank you for that. It is helping with my pros and cons list.
Kay Snyder says
I have an uber long post awaiting moderation but wanted to add to it.
I carry a sting kit with me everytime I visit my jive. It has an epi pen and apple cider vinegar as a cloth in it. The vinegar works amazingly on a sting to draw out the venom. I’ve never been stung. A lot of beekeep a don’t wear gloves, I’m not there yet. I have gone in with only a hat and ceil on before with no problems. Being in the garden you are already exposing yourself to being stung. Just a thought.
Kay Snyder says
I’m on my iPhone so please forgive my fat fingered typos 🙂
Dottie says
I had bees for many years & developed an allergy later. I though would be fine with them afterward if I suited up well to work the hives. Instead I found I was nervous about it. Nervous enough that the bees, who sense this kind of thing, were nervous, too. Which made me more nervous… You can see where this is going.
I love beekeeping & encourage anyone who can to try it, but would recommend spending some time helping someone else work with their bees to see how you feel before investing in equipment.
LaToya says
You can be a bee charmer like the girl in Fried Green Tomatoes!
Honey is soooo good. Do it! Mmmm….honey….
I’m allergic too – but like Epi allergic.
Mavis says
Tawandaaaaaa!
Evonne says
I thought about bees but decided against it. First reason was that my husband is highly allergic. He would probably wonder if was trying to ‘off’ him naturally if I brought bees in to our lives. I also don’t know if our son is allergic and don’t really want to find out the hard way. Other reasons that I didn’t are:
– I don’t know what I would do with all the honey – I’m the only one who eats it.
– I know nothing about bees
– I’m jumping in with both feet on gardening this year and putting in 7 raised beds, 9 blueberry bushes, 9 raspberry bushes, goji berries and several other things in the yard.
– We are thinking about chickens if we can get around our homeowners association.
I probably have all I can handle right now…. Maybe later….
Mavis says
Where did you order your goji berries from?
Claire says
My husband keeps bees in our backyard (1/3 acre) and it is a great hobby. It is only time consuming when it’s time to take off the honey and otherwise he spends about an hour or so a week on them in the summer (or he should). One of our neighbours knows that we have them and doesn’t mind and they are quite close to his fence, but we live in a pretty relaxed neighbourhood (we also have 6 chickens). There are laws concerning these things, but the main thing to worry about is keeping the neighbours happy and you have a big backyard, so I’m sure it would bee (ha ha) fine. My husband rarely gets stung, he wears the full suit and uses smoke when he opens the hive, but it does happen occassionally. Our garden beds are within 2 feet of the hive opening and the kids run around there all of the time and they have never been stung by a bee (wasps, yes). We have a 4 ft lattice fence around the hives so that the bees fly over it, so when I’m working in the garden around them (pulling out mint, actually), I just duck when I’m close and they don’t seem to mind. You can actually hear their buzz change if they are getting angry 🙂 It can get a bit expensive with all of the equipment, our extractor cost about $300, but we have been keeping bees for about 10 years in total, so it pays for itself in honey after a while, plus we love the self sufficiency part. My husband did take a course, spend time working with another beekeeper and read lots of books. It really is a very interesting hobby, plus the look on peoples faces when we point out the hives that they didn’t even notice is priceless! 🙂 Love your website!
Mary Beth says
One thing to consider is that honey bees become more aggressive when they’re competing for food supply. Is your garden going to be enough to support a whole hive? If not, do your neighbors have large gardens and would they mind an increased bee population? I’m pretty allergic to bees and I’d be irritated to find a neighbor set up a hive in their backyard without talking to me about it.
Crystal says
Do it, totally worth the risk, since you don’t have a severe allergy. Bees are great, for so many, many reasons. For what it is worth, the friends of mine who have had a handful of honey bee hives for five years have never been stung by their bees.
indio says
I have 2 bee hives and I’m about to add 2 more this Spring because this is an addicting hobby. I’ve been a gardener since I was a kid and have dealt with all sorts of pests, blight etc when having a garden in the suburbs. Adding the 2 honeybee hives was the best thing I did for my garden. My crop production increased hugely and I have photos of bee traffic jams on my pumpkin flowers. Getting 30lbs of honey is also a sweet side benefit of keeping bees. I use it instead of sugar for many dishes and give it away as xmas gifts.
My early blooming fruit trees don’t benefit as much because they are blooming way before the bees are out flying. It usually has to be 50 degrees for the bees to take flight. I have 5 mason bee hives as well, but they weren’t the avid pollinators the honeybees are. In all the time that I’ve had bees, I’ve been stung twice. The first time a bee went down my shirt (that’s what I get for wearing a tshirt instead of my bee jacket) another time there was one on the back porch handrail and I didn’t see it. This 2nd accident could have happened whether I had bees or not.
There’s a common yard weed called plantain that is great at reducing the sting and topical spray on antihistamine spray is good too.
Michelle Wright says
My sister and her husband did bee keeping for several years. It’s a lot more work than it sounds to keep the hive happy, fed and alive. The honey is great of course, but a LOT of messy, sticky work and if you’re allergic it’s asking for trouble, you WILL get stung multiple times throughout a season. I say do not go for it, you will have your hands full w/ 4,000 pounds of produce girl! Plus, the money and time you spend on the bees and equipment etc you can just buy some local honey and that will save you money and help w/ allergies.
Anne F says
I would say to take baby steps:
You already raise chickens, so you know that you can commit to caring for animals over the long haul. Bees seem like the next logical step…unless you are into goats (o:
You might start with planting flowers that bees really like. Especially, try to have something continuously blooming. Bees in our neighborhood love borage, buckwheat, basil, phacelia, and bachelor’s buttons. The bees and keepers in your neighborhood will love you!
Look for a local beekeeper that you can apprentice to….maybe a barter. (You will need some place to take the extra ton of food you are growing this year.) This would be a way to learn the craft of beekeeping without jumping in full force and giving the HH a heart attack. (lol)
My girlfriend keeps bees. They can be challenging to overwinter in Puget Sound. She is trying keeping her girls in the greenhouse this winter.
Biggest plus to bees…the honey. There is nothing like the taste of local raw, honey. What you get at the grocery store can legally contain up to 50% corn syrup and still be called pure honey. Go figure.
I’m getting mason bees this year…so excited.
~Anne
Mavis says
No goats! The HH would freak out. 🙂 I had no idea you could overwinter bees in a greenhouse. Thanks!
Kay Snyder says
I find it very interesting how many that have never kept bees are certain you will get stung repeatedly. I’ve been stung playing outside and working outside but never while tending my bees. Granted I’m a newbee 🙂 but many actual beekeepers will tell you the same thing. Some bee breeds are more docile than others. A lot depends on you and how much you learn and how you interact with them. A calmness really comes over you and they respond to that.
Mary says
You are right Kay. Honeybees do not sting unless you are harming them or threatening their hive. They can sense nervousness and this makes them anxious. Smoking the entrance before opening the hive calms them down. I also grew up with bees and admire their benefits but they are a lot of work.
Debby says
If I were you and had it in my budget to spend a few hundred dollars+ to start up at least 1 hive, I would do it. It would be a great learning experience for the entire family. My family got our first hive when I was about 7. My dad saw the bees swarming in the back yard and started squirting them with a water hose to land them. He then built a hive out of 2x12s. The main super was about 18″ tall. That hive lived and prospered over 10 years without seeing the inside. When it died, my dad de-constructed the hive to find the honey comb perfect as though it were in frames. — He went on to aquire 87 hives. As I grew up I learned to build the boxes and put the frames together, I broke down queen sells to prevent swarming. This needs to be done in the spring and summer. We added supers for extra space and honey production. As long as they have room, they are less likely to swarm. Late summer(on the hottest days of the year) we began removing the honey supers for processing. We took the honey in 5 gallon tin cans to market. It would have been much nicer I we only had 2-3 hives as it became a dreaded chore to help with the bees as a teenager and friends were hanging out. I do appreciate all I learned and would jump at the oppotunity to have a few hives if I had it in the budget. Definately it is a gamble due to the risks of mites, inexperience, the unknown and allergies.– Reguarding allgeries, be prepared and understand the difference your body reacts from one sting to the next. — One last thing, we had one of the observation hives in the front yard. We would compete on who could find the queen first. My vote is yes.
Mommyof3 says
I think if you went for it, you’d never regret it. I only wonder why you didn’t think of doing it before- it sounds right up your alley. Oh, and definitely go for the honey bees. Just THINK of all the bartering you could do with that liquid gold!
sharon says
Bees do require attention and if there is ANY where on your suit that they can crawl in, I guaarantee they will find it. But they are worth it.
Patti says
I’ve wanted to keep bees for several years, but it took me that long to convince my husband to let me get our 4 hens. He says no to the bees for now. We have a beekeepers association that offers classes every February and this is the 2nd year I have toyed with the idea of signing up for them. Even if I never keep bees, I think the classes would be very interesting and probably give me a better idea of what all is involved.
Laura at TenThingsFarm says
I have kept bees, and can agree with some of what is posted here, and completely disagree with some of what is posted here – I think each person will have differing experience based on location, temperament of the queen and her children, available food sources, etc.
It sounds like you and I are about the same amount allergic. I followed a few rules that helped me get in and out with very few stings (I actually got stung through the screen wire of the shipping box when I was at the post office picking up my bees – great way to start!) Anyway, bees in my area start getting active about 10 am. By 1 or 2, they are very busy, so it’s a great time to go into the hive – because most everyone isn’t home. ALWAYS put the lids against a side of the hive that is not the entrance, so that you are not further blockin or bothering them. Move slow and with determination. If you are jumpy, they will be nervous too.
In general, I’ve heard that Carniolans are less aggressive than 3 banded Italians, but also produce a little less honey. Then again, we haven’t had bees of our own for years, and I still have a few gallons of honey in the basement.
My biggest hesitation for urban bees is that they are very sensitive to pesticides and you have far less control over what they get exposed to. I live in a rural setting where it’s so dry, no one farms, so I’m assured that exposure, if any, is minimal. Further, dry climates make it easier because the bees are not as often susceptible to mites and such. I don’t know where you are or what your climate is, but if you can find a local beekeeping association, they can tell you what the troubles are in your locale. Also, associations sometimes own harvest equipment that can be rented, so you don’t have to buy/store/maintain an extractor that you need to use for one afternoon a year.
Finally, if you decide to do this, save about $120 by starting with a tyvek painter’s coverall from Home Depot or Lowes. If you are nervous, wear sweats underneath for thickness, but that’s what I’ve used for years, and they are $10-ish each. Just make sure that they have the elastic at the wrists and ankles…or use rubber bands.
Best to you, whatever you decide. As far as mason bees, we drilled up a house for them, and left it out for them – that was the end of that, and they make plenty of use of it. 🙂
Cynthia says
I have Mason bees near my gated garden area and greenhouses. I am going to add another little bee house up near my mini orchard. Apparently Mason bees have a smaller range that they work in and my orchard is at the top of my acreage. I would highly recommend getting Mason bees. I haven’t had any problems with them at all.
Rhonda D. says
We kept honey bees for several years, but like you I am allergic. After several bad sting incidents (evidently honeybees around here get more than a little hopped up on buckwheat fields) we re-homed them. We do have Mason bees and also try to encourage other native (solitary) pollinators since the Mason bees have such a short Springtime only pollinating period 🙂
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
These comments surprised me. Mostly to see how many are anti-backyard beehives in their yards or neighbors yards. Curious!
I’m allergic too but would get a hive in a skinny minute if I had the space. Maybe next year!! The way I see it, bees are in my yard anyway. Not in a high volume but they are there. So I could just as easily get stung in a yard without a hive as one with a hive. And if that’s the case, why not go full force? Get the great polination benefits and a year later, get honey as a bonus!
I live in a downtown east coast city (think brick and brownstone row houses) and know several locals who have both chickens (we can have two per resident) and bees. I’ve yet to read of an issue.
Go forth and raise bees so I can live vicariously through your blog!
KK
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
Oh and I forgot to add that there seems to be some evidence that urban bees do better than rural/farm bees. Because just like humans, they thrive when they have variety.
KK
Jaime says
Well, I have to brag a little, I help raise a garden at our church, we have 20 acres and the property was set up for horses and hay.We will build a building for a college on it in the future…. anyway, we let a friend of my parents put some hives out there…..There is nothing BETTER! He gives us some free honey for letting him use the propety. We got 2 quart jars this fall, and down to the last few drops right now. But Oh, honey from your own garden, it is raw, and you don’t get anything from the store like this!! If you have the time go for it, but………I do remember hearing that he has been stung, several times. Maybe there is a way to overcome your allergic reaction???? But from one fellow gardener to another, there is nothing more satisfying than honey from your garden.
Tali says
Allergies get worse every time you are exposed to the product/medicine/food that causes the allergy….be very careful…you might want an Epipen
Carley says
I realize this is very selfish of me, but I want to say yes you should get bees, just so I can read about your adventures.
Dianna says
We kept bees for 3 years. The first year we got about 2 gallons of honey. Then the bees all died over the winter. The second year, we got a new box of bees. The queen died, so we got a second queen. Then a third queen. The hive never got strong, so we didn’t harvest any honey. The third year, we got another new box of bees. We harvested one frame of honey and then the hive collapsed – all the bees just left! So this year, what would have been our fourth year, we have given all our bee equipment to a friend so they could give it a try. We would’ve liked to have kept bees but it just didn’t work out for us. I got stung the very first day, but no stings after that. We found it very helpful to have an experienced beekeeper neighbor who could help us with our questions.
Debby says
I checked my local Craig’s List and there were 6 different for sale options including supplies and bees. I do recommend contacting your local Beekeeping association. They will be most helpfull with where to get supplies and info. When my dad kept bees, he was quite active with the beekeeping assoc.