# Cows and Bees



## PatS (Jan 17, 2010)

I'm looking into beekeeping. My yard is not really suitable, however there is a field across the street that has lots of sunshine and might work. The owner leases the field to a man who grazes meat cows there.

My question, would bees bother cows or cows bother bees? For instance, would an itchy cow try to scratch its hide against a bee hive and damage it or scare the bees? Would the hive need to be protected from the cows by any kind of barrier? I want to find out before I approach either the owner or the cowboy.


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

I have had bees in a horse and cow pasture. We always ran a electric fence around the hives, to protect them. So we did not have a problem. But I always figured that the sweet smell would be to much temptation for the cows or horses to resist, that and the worry about rubbing the hives.


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## fols (Nov 5, 2008)

Ditto - I have cows and bees and an electric fence around the bees. Just about 30 feet out from the hives on all sides, so not a huge section of fence.
Cows did get through once and knocked a hive over. I gave the beekeeper ground beef in payment for the trouble my cows caused.


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## carellama (Nov 12, 2007)

Run a good fence around the hives. WE put a tencel fence around ours and my husband cows got in and tipped over 2 big hives. A total loss!


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We have bees in with our cows, goats, sheep. We've never had trouble with any of the animals getting too close or tipping the hives, but we've got some HOT hives. I have seen the animals get too close though and all of a sudden take off running. It usually only takes a few times of that before the animals give the hives a pretty wide space.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

We have hives just across the fence from the cattle, they get along very well. But I wouldn`t want to have the hives in the pasture with the cows, they could damage the hives and could kill a cow. When my mother was young she had a horse that was stung to death by bee`s, I don`t know anymore details than that. > Thanks Marc


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## PatS (Jan 17, 2010)

Thank you, Everyone. I appreciate your input. 

-Pat


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