BEYOND THE HIVE
trial pollutants and vehicle exhaust. Lori is not naïve, so she knew country living came with its own set of risks for those with serious allergies. Still, she thought the risks were more manageable. Soon after moving, she installed a swing set and small jungle gym in the backyard, not far from the porch, window. on skin tests, Lori knew bee stings could be deadly to her daughter. The neighborhood where they lived was zoned both she and her neighbor owned at least that much. But the neighbor, let’s call him Tim, placed his hives right on the fence line facing the swings. Lori talked with Tim, explained the situation, and asked
going through the swings and over the porch. His answer? “No way.” The area he chose received the most sunlight so he refused to change it. “Furthermore,” he said, “this is my property and I have the right to put bees wherever I please.”
Gray Area Disputes Like so many problems in beekeeping, Lori and Tim fall
into a gray area. Both followed the letter of the law in their jurisdiction and obeyed the rules established by their home- owners association. So while Tim’s answer may be perfectly legal, is it ethical? Is it the best way to treat a neighbor? Their story is similar to one from India, where a woman
was taking in laundry to make some extra money for her fam- ily. She hung the sheets out to dry on clotheslines, a practice that worked well until her neighbor got bees. After that, her business was ruined because the laundry was covered in bee feces before it could dry. It turns out that everyone was act- ing within the law, but the women was ultimately left without a job. Feces is a problem in residential areas, too. Many bee-
keepers, myself included, never even thought about it un- til that memorable moment when a partner says, “Honey, what’s that sticky stuff all over my car?” I’ve heard complaints about bee feces on everything from bicycles to lawn furniture, swimming pools, sandboxes, pic- nic tables, and tennis courts. When one homeowner com- plained that his new vinyl siding was stained, the beekeeper denied his bees could have anything to do with it, after all the bees weren’t crawling on the house. Unfortunately, the beekeeper failed to consider that if a
that load is also traveling at 20 miles per hour, at least initially. As a result, the feces drops in an arc. In this case, his bees the neighbor’s house, leaving their marks as they went. Gray-area disputes can arise between beekeepers, too. For
20 years, Frank kept 200 hives in the clover-rich lands of the
not-so-great seasons. But last summer, the parcel adjacent to his was purchased by another farmer who immediately placed 500 hives in view of Frank’s apiary. Within weeks, Frank began having trouble with lack of forage, robbing, and foulbrood and, later, nosema. In this particular jurisdiction, as in most of America, the
new farmer was within his rights to place hives on his land. In general, property rights do not accrue over time, but are immediately transferred with the property. As long as both beekeepers are acting within the laws of the jurisdiction, doesn’t matter.
Rude and Abusive Neighbors
bees arrived. Her next-door neighbor had the habit of light- - ried that it would cause her bees to abscond. She wrote to me complaining about this rude and abusive neighbor who stretched the holiday into a four-day crackerfest. She went on to explain that she was going to complain to the police, the town council, and the county sheriff until she got this maniac stopped. My advice to her? Slow down and think. Who will be the rude and abusive neighbor once her bees begin defecating on his patio furniture? Who will be the rude and abusive neighbor when her honey bees drink from his pool, swarm over his mailbox, or sting his kids? Who will be the rude and abusive neighbor when her bees misappropriate his hummingbird feeder and terrify his dog? If you expect your neighbors to accept your bees and their rogue behavior, the least you can do is cut them some slack. The thing is, you never know what bees will do. One of
my neighbors kept fruit trees for many years before I got bees. Lots of the apple trees were old, produced little, but provided enough fruit for the family to enjoy. However, once my honey bees found them, those trees produced bumper crops of apples. So many apples, in fact, that the old trees fell over, tugging the root balls right out of the ground. One by one over the next few years, they toppled from the tremen- dous load they were not accustomed to bearing. Though it was totally natural, it was also embarrassing.
The Ethics of Varroa Mites Nothing has tapped on the ethics door more relentlessly
than varroa mites. The mites proved vexing not only to bees, but to legions of frustrated beekeepers. New management questions continue to multiply faster than the mites them- selves. How much medication, if any, will you settle upon yours bees? What will you do with colonies dying of massive infestations? Do you have a right to cross contaminate wild species with varroa-mediated viruses? What will you do with honey contaminated by mite treatments? Steven, an agitated middle-age beekeeper, took me aside
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