How to Carefully and Safely Mow Around a Beehive

If you’ve never mowed the lawn near a beehive, you might be worried about a swarm. Bees are known to head toward a perceived threat, including loud, vibrating lawnmowers. Fortunately, you can keep your lawn looking fresh without getting stung if you follow our steps.

To mow around a beehive:

• Use electric mowers since they don’t give off fumes
• Wear a bee suit
• Try a weed trimmer near the hive
• Keep the grass clippings away
• Don’t use chemical treatments near the bees
• Plan your mowing route beforehand

In this post, we’ll show you everything you need to know about mowing your lawn near a beehive. You’ll also enjoy learning about several safety tips and tricks for cutting grass and gardening around bees and other bugs.

Mow With an Electric Lawnmower Near Bees

Gas-powered lawn mowers aren’t the best choice to mow around a beehive for two reasons:

1. They give off fumes that trigger the bees’ desires to protect their home. According to About the Bees, the exhaust from a lawnmower is enough to send a swarm of them in your direction. They don’t like the smell, nor do they enjoy the irritation it causes to their bodies and eyes.
2. Gas-operated mowers vibrate much more than electric lawnmowers. These vibrations agitate the beehive and make it much more dangerous to mow the grass near them. Electric mowers, weed trimmers, and other tools can be much more beneficial when cutting the grass by bees.

If you want to use a riding mower, make sure you have the deck on it. Riding a mower without a deck will send grass clippings into the hive, bothering the bees.

Whether you use a gas or electric mower, you’ll need to keep the next step in mind at all times.

Wear a Bee Smock Suit Around a Beehive

Bee smocks, also known as bee suits, are excellent clothes for mowing the grass near beehives. These clothes protect your head, neck, and torso from bee stings and wasp bites. You can also wear gloves, pants, and boots to keep the rest of your body safe while mowing around bees.

The Reliancer Beekeeping Suit comes with head-to-toe protection from bees when you’re using your lawnmower. This cotton-polyester suit comes in large, extra-large, and XXL to fit almost any adult. It also has multiple pockets and elastic sleeves to prevent bugs from crawling inside.

Bee suits come in handy if you agitate the hive. While most bees won’t swarm you while mowing the lawn, it’s always better to stay on the safe side. Speaking of which, let’s go over a few mowing suggestions below.

Use a Weed Eater to Edge the Lawn

If you don’t want to mow too closely to the beehives, you can use a weed trimmer. The electric trimmers are the best because they don’t vibrate or create as much noise as gas-powered timmers. Angle the weed eater at a 45-degree angle away from the beehive.

Weed eaters are better for cutting the grass near beehives because you can control the speed, direction, and precision much more than a lawnmower. Many mowers have decks that prevent them from getting close to the edge, which is another reason trimmers are better.

For more information about using a weed eater near a beehive, check out this video by Fall Line Ridge:

Keep the Grass Clippings Away from the Hive

Grass clippings flying around the yard can cause the bees to swarm around. Nobody wants to deal with thousands of grass blades in their home, including these insects. The good news is you can mow with a trimmer to point them in the opposite direction, then follow it with a lawnmower with a low-sitting deck.

Mowing the lawn can also rip apart the flowers the bees intended to pollinate. Be prepared for them to swarm around if you cut their food source. Most foraging bees sleep at night, so it’s best to avoid mowing the lawn first thing in the morning. Wait until they’re out of the hive and looking for food.

Remember to get rid of the grass clippings as soon as possible if you have invasive bugs in the grass. For example, ticks will live in piles of grass, leaves, and other lawn debris. They use it as a home to attach to animals walking around the area.

Don’t Use Harsh Chemicals Near Bees

One of the main reasons people lose their beehives isn’t because of their mowing techniques; It’s because lawn chemicals kill bees. Some of the most popular yard treatment solutions are terrible for beehives, so it’s important to stick to natural sprays and powders for the grass.

However, you can dilute vinegar and spray it on nearby grass and other plants to dry them out. If you don’t want to mow the lawn near a beehive, this technique will save you tons of work.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Mix one cup of water with one tablespoon of white vinegar.
2. Spray the solution on the grass bordering the beehive.
3. Repeat the second step daily for a couple of weeks, or until the grass is gone.

Some people use various essential oils and neem oil, but some of these treatments are known to repel bees. Make sure you know which ones are okay to use, so you don’t harm the beehive.

Plan Your Mowing Route Quickly

Planning your route is always better when you’re mowing a lawn, but it’s even more important when you’re doing it near beehives. You want to spend as little time as possible near the bees, especially since it can disturb them.

Try these tips to make a lawn mowing route for beehives:

• Decide if you want to use a weed trimmer or lawnmower around the hive.
• Choose whether you’ll go clockwise or counter-clockwise when cutting the grass’s edges.
• Use a grass bag, lawn sweeper, or another device to keep all of the debris away from the hive.
• Always keep the lawnmower moving since stopping near a beehive can make them swarm.