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Potential neighbor issues!

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Rodni73:
Greetings all.

This my first post in a while. We managed to flee the maddening suburbs of New Jersey and relocated to the North West where its rural. Our property is about 3 aces with half wooded. We carefully choose the location so we may start our apiary! We are planning on starting with three hives Spring of 2022 and expand to 6 max with time. However, when we met our new neighbors about a week ago, his spouse stated that he is allergic to bees! Their home is about 900 yards away from the proposed Apiary site. We are not looking for feuds or trouble. My wife suggested I should post about this in this forum. Any advice on how to handle this situation?

One thing we know for sure: BEES WE WILL HAVE! However, how should we approach the situation to tell them? 


Thank you in advance
Sincerely
Rodni & Lisette   

Ben Framed:

--- Quote from: Rodni73 on July 28, 2021, 09:28:03 am ---Greetings all.

This my first post in a while. We managed to flee the maddening suburbs of New Jersey and relocated to the North West where its rural. Our property is about 3 aces with half wooded. We carefully choose the location so we may start our apiary! We are planning on starting with three hives Spring of 2022 and expand to 6 max with time. However, when we met our new neighbors about a week ago, his spouse stated that he is allergic to bees! Their home is about 900 yards away from the proposed Apiary site. We are not looking for feuds or trouble. My wife suggested I should post about this in this forum. Any advice on how to handle this situation?

One thing we know for sure: BEES WE WILL HAVE! However, how should we approach the situation to tell them? 


Thank you in advance
Sincerely
Rodni & Lisette

--- End quote ---

Congratulations on the move! It is good seeing you are back posting! Wishing you the best in success with bees and neighbors!

Robo:
I guess it depends on how close friends you want to be with the neighbors.   It is worth to have an initial conversation with them and go from there.   As far as I know you are under no obligation to alter your choices based on a neighbor's allergies.   I would start the discussion with the fact that you will be starting an apiary in the spring (be very clear, but not over powering).   DOn't be wishy warshy (thinking/deciding/etc) that gives them the opinion they have some input to the decision or can convince you otherwise.   Simply stating I will be starting an apiary should make that clear.   I have a colleague who always says don't ask someone for permission for something you have the right to do.  His favorite example is "never ask someone if you can walk on the sidewalk in front of their house,  what are you going to do if they say NO".

Once you make that clear,  I would suggest you explain to them the difference between wasps/hornets and bees.   Most people group them all together.    A lot of people claim they are allergic when it is just a swelling reaction and not anaphylactic/life threatening.    Secondly, it is my understanding that most true allergic reactions are to wasps/hornets and not honeybees.   I have worked with Amber Rose who is a legend in the bee venom therapy area (trained under Charles Mraz) and at the time she had claimed to of stung 10000+ people with honeybees and never had an anaphylactic reaction.  She had protocols she followed that we won't get into here.   Depending how receptive they are to the discussion I would suggest they be tested for honeybee sting allergies and if truly found to be allergic invest in having epipens available in case needed.

Beyond that,  I find a small jar of honey always "sweetens" the relationship with neighbors.

cao:
Robo said it well.  I have 40 +/- hives on less than an acre.  Surrounded by mostly fields but I do have a couple neighbors nearby.  Other than them seeing the hives themselves, they have not noticed any difference in bees around their property.  And after giving gifts of honey, my closest neighbor has been a regular customer for the last several years.

Oldbeavo:
Rodni73
I am 100% with Robo, especially on the honey gift.
Maintain the temperament of your bees and i don't think there will be an issue.
At 900 meters the bee at your neighbors house may not even be yours.

We have people say they are allergic to bees and we ask do you carry an epi-pen. the usual answer is no, i am not that allergic.

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