Martin housing near bee hive question.

[Thomabear]

This year we are planning to install a new martin rack at another location from home. My question is, has anyone attempted to raise honeybees near their colony? I don't expect honeybees to harm martins especially since they are on the martin menu. My concern is the martins making an easy meal out of the bees. We plan on installing both the rack and bee hive along a pond but they will be about 800' apart. Any input would be appreciated. Also, we are planning on putting up a 300 bat capacity bat house but I don't think they will affect anything since they are nocturnal and will be located away from the pond.

[jhcox]

I personally have eight racks and four beehives and have never had any trouble hope this helps

[Rick B]

I have bee hives about 400 feet away from a martin pole. I also checked into it before I moved the hives, but when I watch the martins come in they almost always have a bee right at tail. I'm amazed how the bees keep right up to the martins turn for turn!
Next year I'll have to try to get a good pic of it.


Rick

[Dave Duit]

As for the bat houses and any troubles the short answer is no problems between the two species. The diets of the two are not any issue either. Dragonflies disappear with the martins and mosquitoes for the bats at night. That is what I call a one two punch for insect control.

[MJM]

I've got 10 hives about 1000ft from my Martin housing and that seems to be more than enough distance to where I have never seen any interaction. I imagine a bee or a thousand go missing due to the Martins over the summer, but the bee colonies all seem plenty strong so it can't be too damaging. As a longer-term beekeeper rather than short-term martin-keeper, I would be weary of putting your bees within 200' of the Martin houses if possible.

[flyin-lowe]

Years ago before I got my behives I was bored one day and set up a camera and was taking pictures of some tree swallows that were feeding young. Once I got on my computer to look at the pictures, each time the adults returned to feed their young it was a honey bee they had in their mouth. They had found a hive somewhere... The photos were published in a magazine as part of a research article on bees and birds.

Good luck with the bathouse, I have tried for years in Indiana at multiple locations and never had bats occupy them. If you have not found it yet there is a bathouse forum that has a lot of good info on it. Like martin houses, it is worth the time to research before buying or building a bat house as some things work and some don't. I hope you can get some bats to occupy the housing.

[Thomabear]

Thanks all for the replies and the confidence of setting all this up. Sounds like I’m good on the bee hive distance but I can move them beyond the planned 800’ if necessary so no problems there. Also thanks for the info on the bat forum. I currently have 5-6 bats working our pond and surrounding areas just at sunset so hopefully I can attract them and others to the house. The Homochitto National forest borders our property on the south side so there’s no telling where they are coming from. Seems it would be close by though.

[millerjr88]

Last year I actually had bats using the gap between my T14 martin house and the pole as a "bat house". Whenever I lowered the house to do nest checks they were clinging to the side of the wooden pole. Did not seem to bother the martins at all. I did replace the pole with an aluminum pole and built a real bat house for the bats to use this year.

[flyin-lowe]

Did any of them use the house?

I built a huge bat house for a friend of mine many years ago. I don't remember the exact dimensions but it was about 5'X5' and was a 5 chamber house. He set two telephone poles on his property. Unfortunately it was never occupied, it was capable of housing thousands of bats....