Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: crazy8days on April 29, 2015, 10:21:54 pm
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Found out today where I usually house 8 hives. Now only 2 after this winter. That the sewer company is running a new line. The property my bees are on has been in my family for 100 years. What's left is my grandparents house which is now rented out and 3 acres. My hives are where the old sugar shack use to sit. It is close to the road but I have put up a fence and there is a strip of trees to block vision from the road. Subdivisions have grown around the property. So this is the only spot that's away from everyone. I have had bees here for 4 years. Well, today utilities cut every tree down behind my hives. All is standing is my fence and two hives. It won't be long and they will have a big excavator digging for the new sewer line. They said I should be ok but I guess I'm in the easement line. Should I attempt to move them or just see what happens. I hate for all the noise, diesel smell someone getting popped by my bees.
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs9.postimg.cc%2Fx5ceqvwyj%2Fimage.jpg&hash=1a259d5a0907440e4455685b72a5b83eee0859f4) (http://postimg.cc/image/x5ceqvwyj/)
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Hi Crazy :) Curious how far are your bees into spring there? Reason in my mind is, it would be hard to move them if there is a flow going on. And, do you have a place to move them to?
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Flow is on. I do have another yard but geez that's a lot to move! Even just two hives! There I'd a lot of good eats here!
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Hmmm, tough decision there, but I think I would be inclined to leave them there. Hard time of year to move them when they are accustomed to exactly where their groceries are right now.
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If they said they should be ok...Just wait and see if one of them gets popped. They will let you know :o
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That may be a consideration there Crazy. I had, note 'had', a hot hive this year, too many stings going on in the neighborhood. Do you know if any of your hives are hot?
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No hot hives.
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I guess I'd try moving the hives back a couple three feet and point the entrance away from the road. Good Luck!
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I didnt read the whole thread, just looked at the picture.. I would have my lawyer call and they would have new trees planted within a week.. they can dig up to 15 feet from the center of the road here, and no further, the rest belongs to me. I would also charge them per inch for the trees that they killed.. measure the diameter and they are liable if they did not have your permission to cut.
No, I would NOT move my bees, in fact I would move the meanest hives I had down there for the duration, just because they neglected to contact me and ask permission..
Just looking at the picture I know they would be out of bounds if that were here... if it is NOT there, I would still be ticked off that they did not notify me, and I would still have about 20 hives within a foot of where their property ended and mine began.. at least until they contacted me and decided to be neighborly and work it out. "THEN" I would meet them halfway with whatever they need.
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scott, roadway right of ways are different than utility easements, and varies. if the trees are within the easement, there is nothing one can do, and the utility company has the right to cut them down. if the trees were outside of the easement, then one would have recourse.
crazy, tough question, if the hives are within the easement, but they said that you would probably be okay? just be sure the utility company doesn't have an issue with it later down the road. hard to tell, but does your fence shield a little from the roadway?
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Well, there's progress for you... What's underground in that area? Do you have ledge or soil that might need to be hammered or blasted? If so, I'd be loading 'em up and heading for a place with some peace and quiet.
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If you should decide to move the hives, move them both at the same time (one after the other, on the same night), the same distance in the same direction, keeping their relative positions as they were initially. This way, you should avoid confusion in the hives. Since you are moving them only a short distance, you can do it over the course of a few days, a few feet each time.
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In the pic you can see the stake with a yellow tape on it. That's the easement. I'm in the easement. No one in the family knew. Ray, hives are pointed away from road. When the trees were there you could not see my hives driving down the road. They were tucked in. The fence was added coverage in winter to keep people from seeing them.
River, They are removing an old lift station about 100 ft. away. There running new sewage line to it. That's why the trees had to go. I have more fence I can put up to block vision but hate to put it up cause it will still be in the easement. Really don't want to move them. It's 3 acres surrounded by houses.
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:sad: A bitter pill to swallow and unless you already have a lawyer on retainer, you might as well chase that pill with a 12 pack. :sad:
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"In the pic you can see the stake with a yellow tape on it. That's the easement. I'm in the easement. No one in the family knew. Ray, hives are pointed away from road. When the trees were there you could not see my hives driving down the road. They were tucked in. The fence was added coverage in winter to keep people from seeing them.
River, They are removing an old lift station about 100 ft. away. There running new sewage line to it. That's why the trees had to go. I have more fence I can put up to block vision but hate to put it up cause it will still be in the easement. Really don't want to move them. It's 3 acres surrounded by houses."
okay crazy thanks! i do see the yellow tape now in the pix.......all, let's lose the lawyer thing, if the utility company goes outside the yellow tape, then crazy has recourse but to be honest, utility companies know the easement because they don't want problems with lawsuits and such from a landowner. crazy, at some point your family has paperwork on this and may have been, or probably paid one time for the easement, and a very descriptive legal paper on it.
this does not matter now. crazy, i wouldn't place any additional fencing within the easement. i would have a conversation with the utility company about the hives, sorry are they located within the easement? the utility company may not care, but at some point they might, and get it in writing. i think what i would do, if you don't want to move them out of the easement for now, i would contact whomever that deals with easements for that utility company, to ensure that your hives are indeed 'okay' to be there for now, get it in writing.....they have a right to remove anything within the easement. i would plan to move the hives outside of the easement in the future if need be to avoid any problems or surprises in the future. you need to have a conversation with the utility company about this. typically they are very open to conversation, and willing to work with the landowner. i said typically....... :D
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bet the workers drew straws to see who had to cut near the hives ;)
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I think I would move them. The first utility worker that gets stung will surely be spraying them with wasp and bee killer.
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wow.. easement... they get about a foot here... anything past a foot I have to deal with... in fact I have a dead tree that needs dealt with now.. they cut the branch back that foot, then told me I better get the tree down or they will charge me to do it... sometimes living rural can have downfalls...
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Thanks River for the info. I called the utility company today. The lady I spoke with was all excited to hear from me. They were concern that they would disturb them. I talked to her for about 10 minutes about bees. She remembers as a kid walking through her Uncles bee yard and never had an issue. She loves bees. She was asking if I sold comb honey. She said she has not been able to locate some in the 900 mile stretch she travels to her home state of Alabama. (I think) She is going to do what she can to keep them there. They have a meeting with all contractors every Monday and it will be brought up. So, we'll see! If all is good I need to locate some comb honey for her. :)
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neat to hear that the utility company was concerned about disturbing the bees.
great crazy, good to keep up the conversation with the utility company. we have been there done that like you. the key is to converse with them.
keep the communication going, they may be willing to work with you. we have three easements on our property, they all seem to work with as as long as we keep the communication going with them. they may even be willing to agree to and/or pay for the planting of bee friendly plants in the easement once the work has been completed. all you need to do is ask. it doesn't hurt. but keep up the conversation with her, and results or feedback of the contractors meetings.
comb honey? i will send you a chunk of comb honey to give to her if need be, just let me know!
EDIT AND ADD:
" wow.. easement... they get about a foot here... anything past a foot I have to deal with... in fact I have a dead tree that needs dealt with now.. they cut the branch back that foot, then told me I better get the tree down or they will charge me to do it... sometimes living rural can have downfalls..."
easements are more than a foot scott. the easement depends on what the easement is for. i live in a very rural area with 3 easements and a road right away; koch/flint gas pipeline, excel energy, local electrical, township. each one is different. all seem to work with us on the easements/rightaway. we have had some issues with flint, and one year, cutting a 100 foot wide swath when the easement is only 50 feet. flint reimbursed us for everything cut down or cleared outside of the easement, not to mention the survey markers the contractors working for flint that they tore out of the ground. flint paid for an additional survey to replace the markers. in these easements are wildflower plantings, and as long as there aren't trees or scrub brush they don't have a problem, and don't have a problem with my bees that are nearby.
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you might consider turning the entrances towards the fence. also a temporary section of fence as a barrier would help reduce any unwanted encounters. if that stake is the dig line they'll be pretty close to the hives.
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Rober, my hives are not in the dig zone. The only reason they would want them moved is the worry of being stung. There is plenty of room for them to lay pipe alongside the cut if they need to store temporarily.
River, you are awesome! If all goes well I will gladly buy some of your comb honey. For myself and her! I will also ask if they are willing to plant bee friendly plants. That's a good idea! This is my 4th year. Even though it's been 1 step forward, 1 step backwards I do love it. I find great job and such relaxation keeping bees!
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crazy, just continue as need be to work with and keep the conversation going with your contact. it goes a long ways to keeping them happy, and you happy.
the fear of being stung is natural. just keep up conversation with your contact, any problems, prepare to deal with it.
the comb honey is a gift to help you work through this. the plants? they may or may not be open to this, BUT it doesn't hurt to ask......OR.........if SOMEONE......later down the road threw down some clover, buckwheat, bee balm, sunflowers, whatever in that easement, rather than weeds taking over............ :D :D :D
all the utility company is going to do is mow it down if and whenever to keep it clear. they don't want trees growing in there. ;D
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I got a call Friday. They are asking if I would please move my hives. They are concerned about disturbing them. I have a week so in the meantime I'll buy one of those 2 man hive picker upers and move them to my other bee yard. Was wanting to use my other yard to house my new nucs this year. Give them no competition over mature hives. Oh well. They said work will be complete by the end of July. Once all done I'll see if moving the fence off the easement and setting up a new bee yard will work. I do like your idea Riverbee about SOMEONE planting clover, buckwheat or such! I was going to shoot that by them to see if they would plant it for me.
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The more I think about moving them the madder I get! I'm thinking about just moving them about 100 ft. That will put them in plain site of drivers, a little closer to neighbors but, at this point I don't care. It's only 2 hives. Ill move my fence off the easement and in late July when they are done ill move them back.
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Yup the county drain commission came here to clean out the creek, not a darn thing I could do about it as they cut down several hundred trees and bushes to make room for the shovel.
But they only have the easement to clean the creek and room to do so nothing else. When Isaw some one spraying along the creek I yelled at him to stop and he said he was contracted by the drain commission to do the spraying and wouldn't leave. Amazing how fast a fellow can run with a back pack sprayer on his back when lead pellets from a 12ga is singing over head.
No they do not have the right to spray so the law never fooled with me either. That was in 1996 and they haven't been back.
I would just move the bees for a while.
;D Al
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Dang, Al, you sound like me.I did the same to 4-wheelers on a gas line easement when I was in Mississippi.
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The lift station 100 ft away should be out side of the bees defensive range so it will only be a problem when they are digging the ditch and laying pipe past the hives. they should be able to get this part of the job done in 2 or 3 days so if it was myself I would screen them in for the few days and if the weather is hot run a sprinkler over them. screen bottom board and cover screen. you can open the hive at 430 when they have quite for the day and replug the entrance at dusk or in the early Am.
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Apis, 100 ft. Will be clear of everything. In moving them should I do it all at once? I'm moving them forward. Would 50' be out of the range?
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There is no set distance it depends on the bees. Most loose interest at stinging at 25 to 50 ft, but I have had the odd hive that have bees still buzzing me at over 1000 ft.
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The more I think about moving them the madder I get! I'm thinking about just moving them about 100 ft. That will put them in plain site of drivers, a little closer to neighbors but, at this point I don't care. It's only 2 hives. Ill move my fence off the easement and in late July when they are done ill move them back.
now that sounds like something I might do... although I would consider moving 50 hives to that spot while they were working... not much can be done if thats the law (easement) I would probably resort to exactly what you said.. move them enough to get make everyone comfortable so they get it all over with and I can get back to normalcy.
I measured the road near the dead tree they are threatening me with.. it is within their 30 foot right of way, so its NOT my tree.. guess who got a call today.. they sent someone out less than an hour ago, and I walked out while he measured... yep, i guess it IS our tree, we will take care of it...
Right, and how many people would have hired someone to take the tree down without even checking? bunch of sheisters!
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crazy,
sorry to hear of this latest development. i know you are mad and i hear your frustration. an easement is an easement, your family at some point was paid for that easement and they can dictate what is there and what is not. move the hives. i think i would take the clue and move them permanently outside the easement and NOT move them back within the easement, save yourself from future headaches with them. with that said, if they want to be particular about it, i would want to have a copy of the easement papers/legal documents.......they have them on file, ask them for a copy of the easement, and don't let them tell you they don't have it.........
asking them to plant bee friendly plants? give it a try. they probably won't. when they are gone do it yourself..........oops did i say that? they only come through every so often to mow or clear cut. just don't plant any trees............. ;D
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asking them to plant bee friendly plants? give it a try. they probably won't. when they are gone do it yourself..........oops did i say that? they only come through every so often to mow or clear cut. just don't plant any trees............. ;D
You are right, river. It doesn't hurt to ask, but they probably won't. And on top of the seed they will probably throw down straw that will sprout all kinds of weed seeds. If possible, I'd remove all that stuff and plant my own mix.
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Went out yesterday to mow and check on my hives. Will move them 50ft or so till they are done. River, I will move my fence so it's not in the easement. As I was mowing the utility company came out and started to spray the area of the lift station with Roundup. Me and the spray man had a little discussion! So I called them up and they said by law they have to control the weeds but will stop due to when the lift station is removed they won't have nothing out there that needs sprayed. They did say if I need a place to put my hives while they do the work I could bring it out the waste station property. They don't spray and have several acres of grass that doesn't get mowed. As good as that sounds I don't want my bees sipping of poo water. :t3816:
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crazy we have 3 easements on our property, flint hills, excel energy, and the local electrical. unfortunately, they have the right to do any 'clearing' or 'spraying'. there is nothing you can do. here, spraying really is a waste of time, they just clear cut, and brush cut.
my HO............just move your hives and fence out of their easement, for less headache.
one last comment though, make sure you know, WHERE the easement is, sometimes 'they' like to creep outside the given easement.
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The owner of this company just built a 4.2 million dollar home, 25,000 sq. Ft! Largest home in town. I'm hoping he gets tired of me, feels sorry for my bees and buys me a nice 25 acre wooded area with a pasture to place my bees on. So far he is letting me put my bees on the companies property. Just a little more time and it will be in the bag! :laugh:
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LOL! you sweet talker you! keep working it!.............. :yes:
and let us know when he gives you the 25 acre wooded pasture to put your bees on!............ :D
whatever they do for you crazy or promise........GET IT IN WRITING.......PIECE OF PAPER.......typed, scribbled whatever, but SIGNED........... ;D