AJuff Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Can hens freerange in the same space as a beehive? I am considering a Beehaus and am looking at suitable locations in the garden. The best place would be round the side of the house away from neighbours and the kids but it's the area where the hens are. Also how much space is required around a hive? And how close can you pass by it without the bees feeling under threat? My compost bin is in the side garden too you see. Also would the hens be confused if I bought a purple Beehaus as it's the same colour as their cube? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beesontoast Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Bees and hens live together well, as long as the hens cannot easily sit and peck at bees entering or leaving the hive. The amount of clearance needed around a hive varies according to the personality of the colony, the weather, the season... the main thing is to position your hive to avoid having the bees' flight path crossing a public walkway. I doubt the hens would attempt to nest in a beehive. Not twice, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckov Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I would love to see your hens trying to roost in the beehaus! That is a good question though - although technically they should be able to co-exist happily, will they? As a fellow henkeeper who is thinking of putting a hive in the same space, quite interested to see how this would work - what if the hens flapped up on top of the hive - having been 'followed' all the way back to the car yesterday by an angry bee in a mood because I dared to pick some blackberries from behind (not the entrance side but behind) the hive quite cautious about unnecessary disturbance. Also, you need to leave enough room around the beehaus to enable you to take off the supers and roof, without having to stand in front of the entrance as that puts you directly in the 'beeline'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 This was something worrying me, but I'm pleased to say that the hens have shown no interest in the beehive - probably helped by the fact that it's on slabs, so there are no plants and no dustbaths to attract them, although before I cleared it, that was one of their favourite areas. Quite a few of the people in my local beekeeping group either keep or have kept hens, and "Ooops, word censored!"ody's ever mentioned any problems with them. Don't know about them confusing the purple beehaus with the Eglu, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beesontoast Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Actually, there could be one benefit of keeping hens with bees. When Small Hive Beetle arrives in this country, as it inevitably will, hens pecking around under a hive will eat the larval stage of the SHB and thus interrupt its breeding cycle. It could even become standard practice for beekeepers to keep chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 My bees and hens get on fine together: the chickadiddles try and catch the bees, but imagine they fail as wouldn't have thought they'd do it more than once if succesful! How much space around the hive: well, enough that you can stand behind it, hold frames up with the sun behind you, put toolbox/super/spare brood box, roof, etc down, and space for general manipulations including swarm control. I don't have a hige clear area around mine, and manage OK. 6ft around the sides and back would be plenty, possible with less of course, but that would make it easier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 40-ish years ago I used to go and stay with my Aunt and Uncle who had a small holding. They kept their beehives in the same run as their hens, with no problems. They used to win prizes at the Newbury Show for their honey and we had eggs for breakfast everyday, so seems to me it would work fine. Their area for their hens was about 25 x 15 yards as I recall and they had at least 2 hives in there. I so miss their delicious honey... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I had to move my birds and their house is now about 15ft-20ft away from the hive. They've not shown any interest whatsoever in the bees or the hive over the past 6-8 weeks. Admittedly the bees usual flight path is not in the direction of the henhouse and the hive site was never very attractive to the hens. The cats sniffed the hive and have also left it alone ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 AJuff I am going through the same conundrum and from what i have been told, it goes along with everything said here before me. Chickens and bees should be fine. However I was warned by one person at my local BKA meeting that bees don’t like the smell of cut and rotting vegetation. I haven’t asked any further on this but I would guess that includes the composter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Thanks for that Toots. I'll ask about the compost bin when I go on my beekeeping course on Satuday. I can't wait!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I've removed two colonies of honeybees from compost bins over the last three years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I find bruised /cut vegetation really winds them up (eg if you were to mow grass near hives) though obviously they will reacy differently. I've never heard or found that rotting vegetation upsets them though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 i wonder if its when he puts freshly cut grass ets into the composter... that would fit?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I find bruised /cut vegetation really winds them up (eg if you were to mow grass near hives) though obviously they will reacy differently. I've never heard or found that rotting vegetation upsets them though? I think that's the vibrations from the mower and the petrol fumes that is anoying them more than the cut grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omlet Staff james Posted August 20, 2009 Omlet Staff Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi guys, I have kept bees and chickens together for quite a while and never had any problems. I keep my eglu about 5/6 meters away from the hive and I am sure that my chickens would have wondered around the hive once in a while but didn't come to any harm. I have just made sure the bee flight path is pointed away from the path, lawn and eglu James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
