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My first thought after reading this, being a couple of weeks away from owning my first home with land, and a roof terrace was… is it safe to keep bees on a 3rd

My first thought after reading this, being a couple of weeks away from owning my first home with land, and a roof terrace was… is it safe to keep bees on a 3rd floor balcony where there's occasionally going to be people? The terrace is 16 square meters, and right outside what will be our bedroom.. but I'd love to keep bees. Especially since the evidence suggests we need them, and they thrive in cities.

Qworg 12y ago
You certainly can put them on the terrace. I'd recommend looking for a local provider of nucs who has "gentle bees".
durkie 12y ago
Point the entrance to the hive facing "out". During high season, bees don't really hang around the hive; they leave and go forage. You can stand 2 meters in front of my hives and turn your back and have no idea there's a beehive anywhere near you.
- marcosdumay 12y ago
  Some bees are calmer than others. But what I really want to tell is: > ...bees don't really hang around the hive; they leave and go forage. When they change, and decide to hang around the hive, don't let anybody at the terrace, or near it in any way. That does not happen often, and does not last for long, but you better stay away for a while.
- saalweachter 12y ago
  Stinging insects in general are remarkably unaggressive when you are not directly threatening their hive. I've a hornet nest in my woodpile that I discovered after being stung after moving a piece of wood, and since then I've stayed 2-4 feet away and they haven't attacked again. Likewise, you don't need to be garbed for most of your beekeeping activities. You can change out feeders or pop open the top for a quick peek without being bothered. Many beekeepers have found that they can pull frames or shuffle boxes if they are gentle and don't rile up the bees.
bhousel 12y ago
You could put them on a balcony, if you don't mind them coming and going. They will live almost anywhere really. I have friends with beehives on their garage roof. I don't keep them myself, but I have friends who do. AFAIK, you need to be concerned about: * food/water - The bees will fly up to 2 miles to forage. So as long as you have flowering vegetation within 2 miles, you're good! * predators - You want the hives to be reasonably protected from things like mice and raccoons. This is one reason boxes are raised up off the ground. If you live where there are bears, good luck. * sun/moisture - I think too much shade and moisture can invite bugs, mites, mold, etc. I believe this is another reason the boxes are raised up off the ground, so the bottom box isn't just sitting in a puddle. * access - You will need to be able to get to the hives sometimes. They will weigh a lot during honey season. And moving them, and extracting honey is messy. I had friends who put a hive a half mile into their sometimes swampy woods, and while the bees didn't care, the owners later regretted it.
- Qworg 12y ago
  Moisture also is what kills bees overwinter. They need ventilation and breezes. Also, they actually forage up to 4 miles away [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forage_(honey_bee) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forage_(honey_bee)]. Outside of that range, it is an energy negative (but some beekeepers will tell you that bees forage up to 7 miles away).
beginrescueend 12y ago
The hive needs to be south-facing (if you live in the northern hemisphere). Stay out of flight path, for best results...

Qworg 12y ago

You certainly can put them on the terrace. I'd recommend looking for a local provider of nucs who has "gentle bees".

durkie 12y ago

Point the entrance to the hive facing "out". During high season, bees don't really hang around the hive; they leave and go forage. You can stand 2 meters in front of my hives and turn your back and have no idea there's a beehive anywhere near you.

marcosdumay 12y ago
Some bees are calmer than others. But what I really want to tell is: > ...bees don't really hang around the hive; they leave and go forage. When they change, and decide to hang around the hive, don't let anybody at the terrace, or near it in any way. That does not happen often, and does not last for long, but you better stay away for a while.
saalweachter 12y ago
Stinging insects in general are remarkably unaggressive when you are not directly threatening their hive. I've a hornet nest in my woodpile that I discovered after being stung after moving a piece of wood, and since then I've stayed 2-4 feet away and they haven't attacked again. Likewise, you don't need to be garbed for most of your beekeeping activities. You can change out feeders or pop open the top for a quick peek without being bothered. Many beekeepers have found that they can pull frames or shuffle boxes if they are gentle and don't rile up the bees.

bhousel 12y ago

You could put them on a balcony, if you don't mind them coming and going. They will live almost anywhere really. I have friends with beehives on their garage roof. I don't keep them myself, but I have friends who do. AFAIK, you need to be concerned about: * food/water - The bees will fly up to 2 miles to forage. So as long as you have flowering vegetation within 2 miles, you're good! * predators - You want the hives to be reasonably protected from things like mice and raccoons. This is one reason boxes are raised up off the ground. If you live where there are bears, good luck. * sun/moisture - I think too much shade and moisture can invite bugs, mites, mold, etc. I believe this is another reason the boxes are raised up off the ground, so the bottom box isn't just sitting in a puddle. * access - You will need to be able to get to the hives sometimes. They will weigh a lot during honey season. And moving them, and extracting honey is messy. I had friends who put a hive a half mile into their sometimes swampy woods, and while the bees didn't care, the owners later regretted it.

Qworg 12y ago
Moisture also is what kills bees overwinter. They need ventilation and breezes. Also, they actually forage up to 4 miles away [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forage_(honey_bee) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forage_(honey_bee)]. Outside of that range, it is an energy negative (but some beekeepers will tell you that bees forage up to 7 miles away).

beginrescueend 12y ago

The hive needs to be south-facing (if you live in the northern hemisphere). Stay out of flight path, for best results...