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Has anyone tried beekeeping in their garden? I've heard that there isn't any nuisance to neighbours because the bees disperse really quickly when they leave the hive, but I'd like to know if this is true! I also don't like the idea of killing the queen after a few years, is this really necessary if you're just keeping them at home? Thanks!

I'm not a beekeeper, but I can tell you that no bee will get angry with you unless you're virtually on top of the hive and looking very threatening. Bees are amazingly tranquil little beasties.

Mike

Strangely enough We had a talk from a beekeeper last night at my Poultry Club. he didn't mention about the dispersal, but he did say that the bees themselves will get rid of an old Queen if a younger one has a stronger pheromone. He said that basically they will just stop feeding her.

You had to do something to stop her from swarming, as she would naturally head to the hills with half of the bees in the hive and look for a new spot, sadly I can't remember what it was. But he definitely never mentioned anything about killing the queen yourself.

Our speaker came from the link below. I would imagine there is a similar set up near you.

http://www.southwilts.com/site/Salisbur ... /index.htm

Best of luck with it if you decide to keep some bees. It was a great lecture and made me realise how little I knew about bees in general.