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In other instances, honey bees are ramped up after they’ re disturbed. This is one reason you should locate your hive as far away from where people congregate as you can, and only work the hives when it will be quiet. A worst case scenario would be opening up the hives and having your neighbor host a party 30 ft. away. If you’ re going to work the bees on a sunny, summer afternoon, let your neighbor know so they can avoid the area for a while.
Honey bees can also be edgy when the hive isn’ t properly managed. When a hive is dealing with multiple queen cells or a drone laying queen, the mood changes. There have been instances where previously docile hives got downright snarky during a stressful period, stinging passersby for no apparent reason. If the behavior of your hive suddenly changes, you need to find out why before they gain the reputation of being thugs in the neighborhood.
And be particularly vigilant when it comes to swarming behavior. Not only are you at risk of losing a portion of your hive, if the bees land in a neighbor’ s tree, or worse yet, take up residence in a building, you might have to do a little damage control with neighbor relations. Thankfully, a jar of honey or homemade beeswax candles often help win over anyone who isn’ t completely on board with the bees in the backyard concept, and the neighbors who do enjoy having them around will be even happier.
Having honey bees in the neighborhood can be a boon for everyone since fruit trees and gardens produce better and there is honey to be shared. If you’ re aware of the potential concerns your neighbors might have, along with how to prevent problems before they start, honey bees can be a welcomed addition instead of a point of contention.