The Reason Bees Don’t Sting When I Mow, Even Without a Suit

One thing new beekeepers fail to think about is, "What about mowing near my bees?" Admittedly, there are many factors that affect how your bees react when you mow the yard. And, there are certainly many ways to avoid getting stung while mowing near your honeybee hives - like gearing up, mowing near dusk, or mowing on an overcast day. But, one of the factors I have found most important for me has more to do with the equipment than the bees themselves. Let's talk about one of the ways to avoid getting stung while mowing only feet from your honey bee hives.
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Explaining Mowing Around Bee Hives
01:57 Demonstrating Mowing Near Hives

[@houstonsheltonbees814]

Great advice brother 👍 thanks good health and God bless

[@macbeebuzzin]

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

[@robinfrazier5940]

I have found that a battery operated weed eater will work a lot better than a lawn mower any gas mower machine this is Rob

[@macbeebuzzin]

That’s interesting. I have found the exact opposite. Gas powered for me rarely agitates the bees. I wonder if there’s much of a pitch difference between battery vs electric. Electric are the ones I have found to agitate them the most.

[@KaosABC123]

Have you tried different fuels to see the impact of the noise or exhaust? I found last summer when I switched to a no ethanol fuel a few of the hives went a bit hot and the guards immediately escalated to attack, getting tagged when I mowed next to and under the hives. When I was running fuels with ethanol some of the guards would give me a bump or two when they got tired of it but never a sting. Same push mower, just different fuel. Now I'm only a sample of one so it really means nothing but curious if you've experienced the same thing?

[@macbeebuzzin]

I’ve never experimented with that. I’m not sure whether the mix of fuel would make much of a difference in the pitch of the engine noise. (Not sure how it might affect the smell of the exhaust? Maybe burning corn fuel smells a bit different?)

[@Socrates21stCentury]

I got stung using a Weedeater and was over 15 Feet away from a hive ... they definitely didn't like that vibration ...

[@macbeebuzzin]

Indeed. Was it gas, battery or electric? I’ve found that my bees are fine with the 4-cycle gas powered, but they’ll bump me if I use battery or electric.

[@waylonjohnson1578]

I was just mowing my own yard on my zero turn and my neghbors bees jumped me.

[@macbeebuzzin]

Were you blowing grass toward the front of their hives?

[@waylonjohnson1578]

@@macbeebuzzin No, I was about 30 away actually, mowing near my garage. May have just been a fluke today, as they have never bother me prior.