a bumblebee hive is all well and good as long as it's far enough away from human activity. several years ago we had a bumblebee hive take over an old mouse nest under our front deck. all was well and good for a few months until the population became so large, or they became possessive, that we were not able to walk out our front door, or front yard, without being swarmed, attacked, and stung by them. it became quite dangerous. i had two small dogs at the time that were being attacked as well. i have always made places for the bees, and all other pollinators, but this was just insane to have hundreds of bumblebees pour out of the ground and attack us anytime we went outside our home. it was really frustrating because we had more than a dozen acres of natural property with many areas for them to inhabit, but they kept us from using the front of our house. they seem to be similar to yellow jackets ... once the nest becomes large you can't even make a vibration any where near the nest or they will attack.

i suppose if you had them on your property away from traffic areas, but even then i would be wary if you had to work or visit the area.

i have carpenter bees burrowing into my benches, decks and upright beams and since they are solitary they have no problem with me being around them and i don't mind the wood damage because i appreciate the pollinators. they fly around me when i sit on the front porch and they seem very docile.

i had a honey bee colony in a hollowed out hickory on the back of my property last year, but haven't seen them this spring and i miss them. it was right next to a walking path and they never bothered us or the dogs as we went by on our daily walks or even when i worked in the yard or cleared brush near them. i even put out sugar water for them in the winter and would sit right next to the sugar soaked sponge and visit them as they came to get a drink. they were very docile and most enjoyable to have around and observe.

top bar honey bee hives are similar in structure to a hollowed out tree, but horizontal. you can set up a top bar hive on blocks or a wooden frame and i bet the bees would find it and you would enjoy having them around. just be aware of their flight path and don't put your hive where they have to fly across a path, your back porch, your deck, or wherever, to go to their nectaring spots. if you could find some that were affordable, and put them a safe distance from traffic areas the honey bees may make a home and stay on your property to pollinate your plants.

enjoy the pollinators.