How do you cut grass around the hives?
I use a petrol powered lawn mower and a whipper sniper and wear a bee suit, I even cut under the hives that are on stands.
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You can rent a goat.
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I love the rent a goat idea except we have playful German shepherds who might like the taste of goat lol!
However I don’t seem to have any issue with the whipper snipper or mower I do however wear a veil JUST IN CASE… face stings are not something I want to risk my luck on.
I think slow fluid movements do help though!
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Try to hold your breath while mowing past the hive. They target the CO2 we exhale. They’ll probably go nuts on the mower on account of the CO2 it puts out.
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i mow and whipper snip around my hives, i think a mower would be more concern than my c02
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Ever notice them attacking the spark plug?
have four hives here at the house and they have never made a move toward me at all, so no never mate, I wear a suit when doing around their hive with the whipper as its a tight spot and I only just fit past the hive and they never bounce off me or even seem to notice me
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After mowing and whipper snipping without incident for over a year. This happened. One objector, came in like a heat seaking missile and got me on the eyelid. Lots of loose skin there for swelling to take hold. (I swell up no matter where they sting me, I have a slight allergy)
It was gone in 3 days as usual.
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Hi Ron, I got stung yesterday myself. In the ear.
I would take advantage of that defunct eye, and start archery lessons. You only need one eye to aim.
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That’s a bugger Ron, wearing a full suit is way to hot when your mowing but maybe a veil is the way to go. I use one when I’m mowing about my hives as it certainly makes the guard bees active.
Cheers mate and stay safe.
Yeah you too.
Still planning a trip up there, but current madness has postponed it.
See you… Eventually.
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I’ve heard a concoction of Vinegar, Salt and Dish soap is a great environmentally and works great on all weeds including grass. But, is that vinegar smell good for the bees??
I have used that mixture in the past for good weed control providing it doesn’t rain. Funny after the drought I have had unseasonal rain and mild temps, so have had to mow around my hives every couple of weeks between showers. Still days in the mid-late 20’sC, sort of early 70’sF.
Cheers
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@KilahCo, create a pathing stone area around your hive, to control grass growth, also means that you don’t need to get too close to your hive. I did my first mowing this week since setting up my hive, the mower is a large ride on, and not even one bee took any notice, and by the third round I was far enough away from the hive by then. I still intend to enlarge the area around my hive with more pathing squares, just to be on the safe side, as I don’t like getting stung either.