Nicole Helmkamp: That’s probably a question you want to ask your wife. Depending on how comfortable she is with being that close to them and how severe her allergy is.
James Lawless: A sweat bee makes a baseball knot. She’s not to happy with the idea. But I’m trying to figure out a safe distance so I can and keep her safe as well
Nicole Helmkamp: Understandable. Just keep in mind that bees are no respecters of property, so it’s not possible to tell them “you stay over here and leave my wife alone.” she could be minding her own business and they could just have an attitude one day which would …See more
James Lawless: That’s true she does now let me catch honey bees and put them outside other bees I have to kill to calm her she’s terrified of yellow jackets wasp and hornets
James Lawless:
Jacklyn Rymer: Get her an epi pen and liquid benedryl. I’m allergic too, and we have 2 ish acres I’m planting next season. I’m hoping to strike a deal with a local beek who needs the space. My husband is out of town too often and I don’t want to mess with it.
James Lawless: Ya I have need around the house now due to all my plants
Suzanne Berseth: My SIL is allergic, also. I guess she really loves my brother, The Beekeeper, because she’s got an Epi-Pen on her at all times. 🙂
Cameron Daley: If your goal is strictly for pollination, you should definitely look into mason bees. They’re much more efficient pollinators and could easily cover an acre of land. Plus your wife will survive the summer. Bonus!
James Lawless: Are they hard to maintain
Cameron Daley: Not at all. Start a new thread about mason bees. There are several people in the group that can help you. Very knowledgeable.
James Lawless: Ty
Ryan Hurd: Very easy, just provide them a home somewhere and let them do the rest. They are staring to come in soon though. IFA carries them, I believe a small bundle is roughly $20 for the larvae in the tubes. Make / buy a mason bee house and fill the rest of the vacant area with hollow tubes. There are also local mason bee beekeepers in Utah.
James Lawless: I can’t do anything till next spring due to where I live . I’m in North Carolina will that effect them?
Janet Johansson: Epi pen
Debbie Teale: There will be bees coming to your crops. They may be the stinging variety. There’s no way to avoid the possibility of her being stung altogether. However if you do want a hive, you may have to locate them elsewhere for her sake, and your marriage.
James Lawless: I try to point that part out I’m on a lot with close to 200 plants and it’s steady growing weekly
James Lawless: But her safety is number one
Debbie Teale: I’d try to find a willing friend or further away neighbour.
Debbie Teale: And my Hubby is allergic alsi, but less so now that he has gone through a desensitisation course. Our hive is right beside the house, and he mows around it. He loves them. But can’t do the actual beekeeping. However the silly bugger comes right up when I’m elbow deep in there!
James Lawless: I just moved from another state last year and the land I’m looking at I don’t know people around me. May just lease land and get a hive and put it out there just hate to spend extra cash on land I won’t own
Debbie Teale: Might save her life to do a desensitisation course just for her own safety?
James Lawless: Lol that would be me
James Lawless: How’s that work?
Debbie Teale: Weekly visits to the doctor’s surgery. Needles with tiny portions of venom, increasing in dosage from 1000th of a sting, getting slowly larger as the body copes normally with a reaction. If the body has a larger than normal reaction, monitored, then the same dose the next week. And so on and on until they can cope with a full dose.
James Lawless: Umm I’ll talk to my wife it may help her no matter what
James Lawless: We did find out our middle girl is not she got stung last week and didn’t harm her which is great
Debbie Teale: That’s good. However reactions can vary from day to day. It can depend on what stings you, how much venom actually went in, the actual site you were stung, etc. Many variables. I myself have had bad reactions into soft skin like the underarm, where no problem on tougher akin.
Debbie Teale: Daughter got stung in Qld on holiday, some kinda native bee. Leg went hard! Took months to come.back normal.
Solomon Alexander: She should have go to ER if swollening not go down in an two hours on like arm or legs.
Debbie Teale: Actually the other daughter was so sick with blood poisoning from a wart which got infected, the sore leg didn’t get the attention it deserved. We didn’t enjoy our holiday in Queensland! So humid and hot, infection just looking for a place to happen.
Solomon Alexander: Debbie Teale sorry about your holiday.
Charlie Hood: My GF is the same way with bees but she works them with me. Talk to her allergist and make sure she has an epi pen at all times
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: What kind of crops? Native pollinators pollinate many of the same plants as honeybees, and often more efficiently.
James Lawless: Tomotoes are self pollinating but watermelons Apple trees mullberry trees and peppers are not from what I’m told.
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: I think bumblebees pollinate melons.
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: This chart shows the kinds of bees that pollinate certain plants.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/…/List_of_crop_plants…
List of crop plants pollinated by bees – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Stephi Marsh: My BF is a beek with around 90 hives. I’m allergic. He is very slow and gentle with his bees which reflects on the temperament of the bees. I walk around the bees all the time. I carry my Epi-pen and another injection that I would have to use for a rare disease that I have. I have never had to use them.
Ken Hollman: That is what they make epipens for buy a box and have your bees
Leigh Besson: It appears to me the decision was made at “deathly allergic”.
James Lawless: I’m trying to find about how far is safe and Any other safe way to pollinate my crops it will kinda pay my bills.
Twinoaks Apiary: 500 Yards and keep swarm traps away from house. Don’t piss them off, be gentle and careful that she is not outside when you are in the bee yard! I have the same issue and keep epipens in the Cabinet just in case. But I have NEVER had an issue and neither has she or my 9 dogs.
James Lawless: Someone said use mason bees or bumble bees
Jack Spani Sr.: If my wife was deathly allergic I would not be getting bees, but that’s just me. I’m myself am allergic but not deathly!
James Lawless: I’ll need some to pollinate my crops the crop will be part of my family income next year
Eros Biasiolo: if she doesn’t go near the flight path you could put them anywhere. the chance of her being stung is the same as having no bees. how about the roof? anyway an acre of land is plenty…
Adam Rapier: Depending on how she feels I would look into mason bees if you just want polination.
Solomon Alexander: Bee sting showing allergy reaction to throat or breathing problems. See ER and carry Episode pen. However using an Epi- pen is still going to the ER.
Scott Alton Mills: Here’s where I have mine. No issues.
Jack Spani Sr.: James Lawless the only person that you should be asking is your wife, how does she really feel about this bee question. I am wondering if your marriage is strong enough to handle this, because if you do get any bees, there will be people be asking her questions like if James really loves you why would he bring bees into your environment & put you in harm’s way?
James Lawless: Ya I was just wanting to know a safe distance. Ppl keep saying mason bees or bumble bees I know nothing about them do i need to read up a lot before next yr
Jack Spani Sr.: No today I’m setting on 16 bee hives and still no difference, I only see 4 or 5 bees in my yard, they fly other places.
James Lawless: Honey bees would be nice for selling the honey but won’t push my luck lol
Jack Spani Sr.: A safe distance is what does your wife say???
James Lawless: Ya the bumble bees don’t bother her she just swats at them till they leave her alone so my be the choice I go with .
Jack Spani Sr.: The honey money wouldn’t pay for your wife’s safety.
Jack Spani Sr.: Go out to your new place and spend an afternoon looking for pollinators, see what you have already there.
James Lawless: I have lots of reading to do . Ya it wouldn’t that’s why I’m not pushing the matter but I do need bees for my crops and she understands that. Just trying to find a safe distance and non aggressive bee
Jack Spani Sr.: You will never stop learning when it comes to bees, I had bees back in the 80s and I am still learning that I’m wrong on a lot of things when it comes to bees. Nobody has all the answers. They just believe they do, I have found out by making mistakes and now I know not to do them again.
Jack Spani Sr.: The distance depends on the hive of bees you get and bring home,
James Lawless: I’m doing the same with my plants so understand. And starting in bees as well will be a whole different adventures
Jack Spani Sr.: Where do you live?
James Lawless: North Carolina
James Lawless: Mountain side
Jack Spani Sr.: Is’t that the place they have been killing the bees because of the sprayings?
Jack Spani Sr.: Have you bee around bees in a working hive much?
James Lawless: No that’s South Carolina and ya I’ve had jobs that made me be around need. And I’ve farmed have my life. Only bees that I’m uncomfortable with are bell hornet and well any hornet I got face stung between the eyes
James Lawless: But hives no not real experience with them
James Lawless: Sorry just read what I typed autocorrect killed my statement I typed.
Jack Spani Sr.: That’s another thing to worry about, bees dying, having from $300.00 to more in one hive and going out finding all your bees dead or gone! Last year I bought 3 3lbs and 1 5 frame Nuc to build my Apiary up with new stock. Well those all died of this winter. The swarms that I had caught I still have today.
James Lawless: That stinks
Jack Spani Sr.: Find a local bee keeper and see if he will take you into his Apiary and open a hive.
James Lawless: Have a question the bees the bees you bought was they from your area or from somewhere else
Jack Spani Sr.: James Lawless Those bees I started to feed in october because they had very little food on hand.
Jack Spani Sr.: 1 the Nuc was local and the 3 3lbs came from out of state.
Jack Spani Sr.: They were all inspected also!
James Lawless: I was going to say maybe they wasn’t use to your areas weather is why I have no ideas on how that works
James Lawless: But ya see lots of people saying they lost the hive
Jack Spani Sr.: Yes that happens more these days, when I started I sit my hives out and then I took the honey out and that was it, then the government got involved and we know what happened then.
Jack Spani Sr.: The swarms I caught I still have and they are doing great, so i won’t be buying bees again.
Jack Spani Sr.: Oh I did buy a swarm from a local bee keeper, he took my new box wax and frames and put the swarm in it. He lives about a mile away & they died also.
Jack Spani Sr.: Alright I am going outside & check the bees, have a blessed day and most of all listen to your wife and work with her.
James Lawless:
James Lawless: Sorry
James Lawless: You as well pleasure talking to you. I have to go outside as well and pull weeds out of my garden before work tonight.
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: You can find all sorts of interesting things about using native pollinators. It appears there is as much to learn about them as there is to learn about honey bees. Here is an example. You could become an expert on them an work as a consultant in agriculture. ?https://learn.extension.org/events/2952
On-farm pollinator habitat benefits for watermelon pollination – Feb…
learn.extension.org
James Lawless: It’s funny cause I want to get my B.A in crop science and soil management
James Lawless: So they could go hand in hand
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: And more info.https://www.sciencedaily.com/…/2014/12/141208145610.htm…
Organic mulch lets insect pollinators do their job
sciencedaily.com
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: Perfect! You could develop an area of special expertise. ?”Over the last decade, honeybee keepers facing colony losses have struggled with rising demand for commercial pollination services, pushing up the cost of managed pollinators – and the import…See more
James Lawless: Th I don’t spay anything cause I don’t want to harm bees. Atm I grow flowers near my plants to get bees to pollinate my crops . I had no idea of so many types of bees
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: This guy is an amazing native bee resource. Here is a little native bee “eye candy.”http://www.thisiscolossal.com/…/bee-portraits-sam-droege/
Macro Bee Portraits by Sam Droege and the USGS Bee Inventory and…
thisiscolossal.com
James Lawless: I love the blue green bee
James Lawless: Lol know of any bees that would kill cut worms for me I’d love you for ever
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0691160775/ref=mp_s_a_1_1…
The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America’s Bees
amazon.com
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: Ha, ha! I’d love some that take care of deer ticks, too! Birds, butterflies and frogs are also pollinators.
James Lawless: Ya lose more plants to cut worms than anything else
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: You could spend all day here! If you click on each photo, it tells you what bee it is and where it lives.https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/
flickr.com
James Lawless: Give me something to do tonight while I work
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: Sam Droege also has a Facebook page.
Kristi Boyd: How about mason bees. No sting, great pollinators
James Lawless: They don’t have stingers? I just found out about them last night
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: Most native bees don’t sting. Some have stingers, but they don’t really use them.
Kristi Boyd: You can often rent them. They are onlyvaround for 6 weeks then they lay their eggs for yhe following year. No sting, they look like flies
James Lawless: I wonder how much to rent. Need to keep cost down cause it will be helping pay my bills next year.
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: Perhaps you could begin breeding them for rent. ?
James Lawless: So breed them to rent them out?
Mary Laura Fitzgerald: Why not? I dream big – LOL!
James Lawless: Not a bad Idea. Saw out west the make cannabis honey said in a few years will be a multi million dollar business I don’t mess with the stuff but someone will cash in. But that is a idea to rent out bees
Ben Fulcher: James Lawless Mason bees do have stingers but rarely sting, unless they are stepped on crushed. If you want some more information on mason bees may I refere you here http://www.newtobeekeeping.com/mason-bees/
Mason Bees | New to Beekeeping
newtobeekeeping.com
James Lawless: Ty Ben I saw a house for these at a grocery store near my home I’ll have to maybe grab it and set one up see how they do. Is it to late this year?
Phillip Sand Hansel II: Also. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee
Mason bee – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org