Grow Your Own Magazine

Was reading this months magazine and it suggests keeping bees. We love honey, and get quite a few bees in to pollinate our trees etc, but not sure how difficult it is to keep bees, do they tend to attack the kids for example?? None of us are particularly frightenend of bees/wasps etc, but wouldn't like an angry horde chasing my kids!!!

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I've been keeping bees for more than forty years; my advice is: don't keep them where small children are able to get near them. As a rule, bees don't attack people, but if you stand or walk in their flight path, you can easily get stung. Also, at certain times and under certain climatic conditions, they can get a bit bad-tempered. In the worst scenario, if a young child (or anybody else) decides to interfere with a hive, or knock it over, there is the possibility of serious - and even fatal - consequences. And finally, a small number of people are hyper-sensitive to bee venom, and just one sting can have serious results. All this is not designed to put you off beekeeping, but it would be foolish not to be aware of the dangers before you start.

Hi Claire72, sorry for delay in my reply, been on holiday.
Fireravens is quite right (Hi Fireravens)
I think if you are aware of the problems and can find a good spot then GO FOR IT! bees are great, so much to wonder at! :-)
If you can screen the hive off in someway, the bees will fly up and over and be gone with out too many problems!
How old are the children?
Kids soon learn about bees and most of the children I have given little talks to- love the bees! I have had some very young (fully protected) children as great helpers!
Try and find someone local who would help you start on your way, and maybe would let you help them one day when they open their hive, just to see if its for you!