I have some hives in my urban backyard. Sometimes there is one hive, sometimes there are 10, as the seasons ebbs and flows. The neighbours on each side of me know about them. They get free honey. No one else has been told or advertised to about it. The best advice about having bees in your yard is don't tell anyone about them. Most people like seeing honey bees in their yards and gardens. They do not need to know where they come from. As there is always the odd person who hates bees or has allergies, those persons will cause you problems.
To keep bees in your yard, there are a few requirements to ensure you follow. Know them up front so you are well prepared.
- Know the law and bylaws about bees for your property. So if and when there are any conflicts, you know where you legitimately stand.
- Select a spot that is shielded from view and lookieloos. Out of site, out of mind. Garner least attention as possible.
- Most essential requirement is that you know what you are doing and apply best practices in beekeeping. That means, get in and manage the hives weekly. Ensure they are always queenrite and are healthy so they are well behaved. Ensure they have the space they need so they are not casting swarms into the neighbours eaves and trees.
- Lastly, you have to have a plan at the ready to manage a bad or overwhelming situation. If a hive is bad behaved or is getting too massive to control (swarms period), you need to take action. Have a place arranged ahead of time that you can move the bees to within a few hours notice. Also be mentally prepared to kill bees. If the bees get cranky, get them out of there before anyone tells you to. In the case of a mean hive, you may have to terminate. Simplest method is to shake them off frames into a tub of warm soapy water. In the case of a large overwhelming hive, you will have to reduce population. You can shake bees into a box and give away to other beekeepers in your club (which you have already joined, right?). If you have no other out for reducing population, same method, shake a bunch of them into warm soapy water.
At the start you indicate you live in a rural community. That's great. You will have few, if any, neighbourly problems. You will get more praises than anything else. Same advice applies. Don't tell anyone about them, know what you are doing, and manage them intently to ensure no problems ever develop.
The measure of successful urban/rural beekeeping amongst neighbours is: The day someone else has to come and talk to you about your bees; you have failed your bees and failed the beekeeper community. Know what you are doing, bee diligent, and take action proactively if you are going to do this.
Hope that helps!