[SafeHaven]

We've recently moved onto our smallholding, which is very overgrown. I've been spending time out clearing areas, mowing and generally just getting a feel for the property. I've found what I think is a good spot for a hive, which I've wanted for a long time. It's tucked away on a south facing slope, over from the vegetable and herb beds, with a bunch of comfrey growing in front of it as well as an area of mint which has gone to flower. There are a lot of bees there foraging already.

My problem is my partner. He's got this idea that a hive will mean we'll get stung or feel intimidated somehow by all the bees everywhere. I pointed out all the bees already using the garden and he says it's different. The area I want to put the hive is at least 40ft away from the house and minimum 25ft away from anywhere anyone is likey to stand on a day to day basis.

Am I being naive? Will we be in more danger of being stung? What can I say that will make him be less anxious about it? Any advice is appreciated.

[cloddopper]

Make  an enclosure out of 6 x 6 foot fence panels on some concrete H section posts ( slide the panels down the H slot , hinge one panel on a 2x3 inch thick baton screwed & glued to the length above ground of the post furthest from the dwelling  . 
Ensure you have some bricks at the bottom of the panels to raise the bottom of the panels  about a foot off the floor , leaving as much free space under the panels as you can.

 This is to allow wind / air to move under & over a panel to help ventilate the hives with fresh air , as well as keeping the bottom edge of the panel well up from  the dew point on the ground which is about 4 to 9 inches off the ground in most cases . This gap helps prevent the bottom of the panels rotting  )

You'll now have walk a in hands free access on the side furthest away from you house & area of work .
 Place the entrances of the hives  to the early morning sun .. the sense the UV rays even through light fence panels
The bees will  fly up over the panels to get to & from  their nectar & pollen sources .
 They'll fly fairly close to the ground on windy days & on the sheltered side of hedges too .. so beware of openings in hedges or between crops  that may be in a Bee line ( flight path )  .
 It won't take many bees very long to exhaust the nectar & pollen close to the hive  , they'll then go foraging further afield up to about 3.5 miles if the weather is warm  sunny & humid if there is a nectar flow on . 
 They mainly only go for crops that produce the greatest amount of nectar or pollen for the least effort in collecting .
 One thing though Rape seed oil  crops  & peas can give tremendous sustained flows & excellent pollen days  lasting several days .  The bees fairly hurl themselves out the hive in a blind frenzy to get this life sustaining  hive food . If you are in the direct bee line at these times there is a good chance of getting stung .
 To get by this happening at one pair of hives near our nursery beds , I  put one of my trailers  with two 8x 4 sheets of construction ply screwed to make an inverted V & screwed to the trailer bed  close to the pair of hives I wanted to work near during one long flow period in 1999 ( Uk , Sun total eclipse year )
 You could also erect a hessian  wall on guy rope tensioned poles to the same effect if needed .

 If you find your bees are flying undee the panels  block the bottom gaps for a few days till the bees learn the new over the top route in & out of the hive.

[SafeHaven]

Wow, that's a lot to take in, but thank you! I like the idea of the fence panels.

I have so many bees here already, without having a hive. There's all kinds of herbs gone to flower which they are loving, Himalayan honeysuckle, and traditional honeysuckle, and a whole area of comfrey... every, bees. I live on a south facing hillside so I must surely be able to find a suitable spot!

[PK]

In my judgement there might be a slight increase in the possibility of being stung but the risk of being stung nevertheless remains low. Bees are otherwise focused on what bees do. There are certain things that might agitate bees, for example, external factors such as a lawnmower close by, or internal factors such as the loss of a queen, which might raise the risk a little more. But in general bees will mind there own business. Get your partner interested in bee keeping which is a good way of feeling comfortable around bees.

[YorkshireLass]

Get in touch with your local beekeepers association, go on a training day. It will give you a feel for what it is like being surrounded by bees (intimidating at first), and there is more to keeping a hive than you think. I have just started dabbling in bees, with a lot of guidance. I haven't been stung while I've been poking about. Yet....

[Bionic]

I agree with PK about the lawnmower/strimmer. OH always waits until the bees have gone to bed before cutting near the hives. A hive without a queen or a weak or nasty queen can also cause problems. We are just waiting for some new queens to arrive through the post because one hive has a poor or non existent queen and the other hive is a bit nasty.