The problem with bees --yours or his--is that you can NOT control where they decided to harvest their nectar/pollen!! LOL.. You could have 5 hives, sitting in your orchard and IF your neighbor has something that has better quality, more nectar--they are heading over to visit his orchard, wood lot,clover patch or even hummingbird feeder. I have been keeping bees for almost 12 yrs and I love them. It is a great hobby and you can purchase a LOT of equipment/bees for that amount of $$$$. I agree w/ others--plant lots of clover, (herbs my girls love Mountain mint- have it planted around the orchard)Thyme and dandelions... Let an area go natural ( don't mow the wild flowers, weeds--it will bring in all kinds of pollinators... Good luck w/ your decision.

"""Posted by jimnc13 z6NC (My Page) on Thu, May 31, 07 at 17:14 Honeybees are not native, get over it. There are still lots around. Tons of butterflies and birds here in North Carolina. You people need to chill out """" I think you need a little education: https://www.agnic.org/partners/nal/news/mystery-illness-devastates-honeybee-colonies Mystery Illness Devastates Honeybee ColoniesA recent article from NewScientist magazine reports on the losses of honebee colonies experienced by commercial beekeepers in a number of states within the United States. Experts are investigating the causes behind the declines, refering to "colony collapse disorder" (CCD). Twenty-two states have reported on the declines; inquiry into the matter is intensifying as we learn that certain, specific, beekeepers are reporting this as a problem dating back over the past two years. It goes without saying that this is a matter of signifigance; honeybees are important sources of pollination for fruits and nuts; the article comments upon this as well. A mysterious illness is devastating honeybee populations across the US from California to Florida, claiming up to 80% of colonies in some areas. The losses of honeybees could disrupt the pollination of food crops, researchers warn. Beekeepers are finding once-healthy colonies abandoned just a few days later, says Jerry Bromenshank, at the University of Montana at Missoula and Bee Alert Technology, a company monitoring the problem: "In most cases the only one left is the queen, along with a few young bees." The absence of dead bees makes it difficult to know what ails them and where they have gone. Furthermore, experts cannot track the spread of the mysterious illness. "The problem is that it strikes out of the blue," says Bromenshank. At a loss for an explanation, researchers have referred to the honeybee decline as "colony collapse disorder". Reports of the problem have intensified in recent weeks and spanned 22 states, but some beekeepers say that they began seeing their colonies decline almost two years ago. Almonds and applesResearchers say colony collapse disorder might be a re-emergence of a similarly mysterious illness that struck US honeybees in the 1960s. Experts never pinpointed the cause behind that previous bee crisis, according to Bromenshank. He notes that in light of this some people have jokingly termed the problem the "disappearing-disappearing illness". But beekeepers and farmers see no humour in the potential economic costs of drastic honeybee decline. Almond crops are immediately vulnerable because they rely on honeybee pollination at this time of year. And the insect decline could potentially affect other crops later in the year, such as apples and blueberries. Bromenshank speculates that dry conditions in the autumn reduced the natural food supply of the honeybees, making them more vulnerable to some sort of virus such as deformed wing virus  or fungal infection. He notes that the abandoned colonies are not repopulated by other honeybees or insects for at least a few weeks. This, he says, is consistent with the presence of toxic fungal residues from the dying bees that repel other insects from re-inhabiting the colony. Other scientists have tentatively blamed the problem on pesticides or chemicals specifically designed to control mites in bee colonies. For more information on this, go to the web site. http://environment.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11183 If you want, there are about 10,000 other web sites that refute what you think. Chilling out is not what is needed. Did you get stung once or something?

mhayes.... I'm also in MN, about 30 miles NNE of Brainerd. My blueberries are about mid to late in the bloom and they have been load with bees, especially bumblebees. Last year it was cold during the bloom and the bees were very scarce. I agree with beegood, some of the bumbles are huge this year! I think that I saw one that had landing lights.

We have one especially great 'bee' tree in our yard. I know that spring has officially arrived in our yard when the Siberian White Willow (Salix alba, 'Seridea') blooms. The whole tree is just full of bees. This willow reaches a height of about 12 meters (according to one book) and has silvery-gray silky leaves. It is an upright oval tree. The only drawback I find to this tree is that I would consider it a 'dirty' tree, meaning that its branches are very easily broken and fall onto the perennial bed below it. This means more work for me. But I do like the contrast that it makes in the yard with its silvery leaves. We also have a Golden Willow tree in the yard. This tree is not as close to the house as the Siberian White Willow and so we do not see or hear the bees in it as much. The next trees to bloom in the yard are the long row of ornamental pear trees that we have. The large (4 cm in diameter) white blossoms are fragrant and very attractive to bees. These trees were planted in a double row and spaced about 3 - 4' feet apart. There must be about 16 in each row. When these mature trees bloom you see a mass of white blossoms when you come into the yard. Of course, apple trees, cotoneasters and lilacs (little leaf, Japanese tree lilac and all kinds of others) are a great drawing card for bees. But...so is the Linden tree. Our Tilia Americana (basswood or linden) is very mature (about 15 meters tall) and has about 4 main trunks coming from the base. When in bloom the whole tree is very fragrant and you can smell the perfume from a long way. The little yellow flower clusters will give pea sized fruit later in the season. (see the picture I posted in the 'water to ice pictures in the gallery). This tree is also full of bees when in bloom. I love the huge green leaves in the summer and in the fall those leaves turn yellow. Interestingly the leaves all seem to drop in one day. Our Amur maple trees are also very popular with the bees when in bloom but this tree has already been mentioned. Brenda