Ignorance & Fear & Bees

Unfortunately, the world is full of ignorant people. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, it is a state of being. When ignorance is combined with irrational fear, it becomes a potent force. One that can not be fought easily and without personal cost. Combining the two conditions you get a near immovable object. Because fear is one of the greatest human motivators it by itself can be insurmountable. But when you add self assurance that the object of fear exists, no amount of persuasion will break through the wall of fear.

Combining the definition of each of the above conditions you get:

“a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, whether the threat is real or imagined; based on the lack of knowledge, education, or awareness and not in accordance with reason;”

What does this have to do with bees?

Unfortunately, 3 days before I was to install my first honeybee hive a male neighbor with whom my wife and I have had cordial meetings at neighborhood parties and while out and about, accosted my wife and told her that he had heard from other neighbors (whom we had already asked for objections and they had none) that we were planning on having a honey bee hive in our backyard. The bee hive is 100+ yards from his house, 20+ yards of 30 foot tale ‘forest’, a creak and a 10 foot high shed between him and the the hive location. However, he stated emphatically “that is not going to happen”, and informed my wife that he would stop at nothing to prevent us from keeping a hive in our backyard and would be preparing a lawsuit. Not exactly a neighborly way to start a resolution of a minor issue, especially when the neighbor within 10 feet of the hive had already been approached and agreed to the hive and even requested that their children be allowed to help.

After the discussion, during which my wife tried to explain that we have children of a smaller age than he and we would not endanger their lives and that honeybees are not aggressive. He would listen to none of it.  Obviously he has a genuine and disabling fear of bees.  Unfortunately an irrational, self assured fear can not be overcome with education.

Needless to say I had two real options. Though switching to raising  yellow jackets, ordering an extra 10,000 bees to release and driving to TX for a colony of Africanized bees (thanks Facebook friends for advice) had been suggested by others.

1) Ignore him and do as I wish. There were already 5+ hives within a mile of his house, he just didn’t know it. (According to my local bee class and the DuPage beekeepers association roster) And if a lawsuit came, deal with it.

2) Find another location for the bees.

As much as the American spirit is to fight instead of run, the prudent and easiest thing to do is move the hive. Though I have to admit, I would have had more enjoyment in court and would be willing to spend the money to have that enjoyment.

So….local beekeepers to the rescue. Within 24 hours I had two offers of relocation sites and more coming in.

But what to do about the neighbor? Not much really…other than to turn the entire backyard into a honey bee reserve. I didn’t say I wouldn’t do nothing.