Rebecca,
Don't give up on keeping bees in town. My brother kept 2 - 3 hives in
his back yard in Urbana, IL, by putting them up against the garage wall,
and having wooden fences that made the bees go up before travelling
horizontal. There _may_ be bee ordinances there, and they may allow or
control it some. For example, they probably do _not_ want you to plant
dandelions for the bees to build up on in the spring! ;-)
The other "must-have" is an unending water source close by (when they
are flying, above (positive!) 45 degrees.) This will keep them out of
neighbors' swimming pools and bird baths. Once they find a source, they
generally stay with it, so keep it wet.
The county extension agent is a good local source. And get books and
read, read, read! Nothing beats having someone local to show you the
ropes, and demonstrate things hands-on. If you find other locals, also
try to find a club that meets frequently, as each beekeeper has his own
unique approaches. (Put five beekeepers in a room, and you get six
opinions!)
Good luck!
Gerry and the other Visels at
[log in to unmask]
Winnebago, Illinois, USA
On Sat, 18 Jan 1997 20:58:53 -0600 Rebecca Spawn <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>
> I was wondering, where do people living in town keep their hives?
>I hope to move somewhere outside of town, however currently I live
>within city limits and doubt my neighbors would appreciate it if I
>put hives in my backyard. I assume I need to find someone with land
>and ask permission to put my hives on it.
>
>--Rebecca
|