Good management key to keeping bees in your yard

Q: I am just wondering how much space we would need to keep a hive of bees. I have a large backyard by Las Vegas standards with fruit trees, grape vines and a garden. And how do we keep the bees from being pesky to the neighbors?

A: I forwarded this question to our bee expert, Rodney Mehring, who teaches classes on beekeeping at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener's Orchard in North Las Vegas.

You can keep a beehive in almost any space or backyard. Some beekeepers living in large cities will even keep beehives on the roofs of apartment buildings. Check with your local ordinances to make sure beekeeping is allowed in your community.

The food resource in your backyard is nominal in comparison to the 2 to 5 miles from the hive the bees will forage. Bees will work the flowers you have on plants in your yard but also will work flowers across the neighborhood.

There is a limit to the number of colonies a given area can support. Too many hives mean there is not enough food and some colonies will die during the winter . Nevada deserts may not have enough food to support even one colony. However, it is unlikely that you will be keeping more than two or three colonies in a city backyard, and there is more than enough food in your area of town to support them.

How do we keep bees from being pesky to the neighbors? The short answer is management. The Las Vegas Valley has the Africanized honeybee that can make trouble with neighbors, their animals and even cause mortalities. The best way to keep your hives from becoming Africanized is to keep your queens marked.

If you know the queen is the one you placed in the colony by her markings, then you know your colony has not become Africanized. If the queen you have in your colony is unmarked, then you should order a new queen that does not have Africanized genes from a breeder.

To keep them from being a problem for your neighbors, keep the hive behind a fence or structure that is 6 feet or higher. This will force the bees to rise above neighbors' heads and prevent unintended stings. Always put fresh water out for the bees, otherwise you will force them to find water at your neighbor's pool. Always communicate with your neighbors and give them some honey each year from your hives.

If you are interested in learning more about beekeeping, Mehring will be teaching classes at the UNCE orchard. You can get more information or contact Mehring at his website, www.lvbeekeeping.com.

Q: My roses are not what they should be. I am not sure why, but here is what I think. The plants we buy are not the same quality as those we purchased 10 years ago, no matter the cost. The alkaline water has destroyed the soil and I am not using enough soil sulfur.

A: I do not agree. Rose producers, such as Weeks Roses, ship good quality roses . What happens to the roses after they leave their facilities has some impact on the quality of the rose that you can purchase.

First is the shipper. If the shipper is a good one, roses can arrive at the nursery in good condition. Irreversible damage can occur during shipping.

Second are plant brokers. Sometimes plant materials are handled by middlemen, typically called plant brokers. Sometimes the brokers ship directly from the producers. Sometimes they have their own facilities and hold plant materials for a period of time. Damage can occur during plant brokerage.

Finally, the retail outlet may mishandle the plants prior to sale. Shopping at mass merchandisers or places that offer the lowest possible price will affect the quality of the plant. Mass merchandisers shop around for the best deal they can get. This can mean the plants have been held for quite a while because they could not be sold.

Anytime you hold plant materials for long periods of time, the quality of those plants will be affected. Count on it. This is why the producer can start with high-quality material and end up with inferior products with their name on it at a retail outlet six months later.

There is definitely a difference in quality among rose producers. But all these other factors will affect the quality of the product available to you.

To avoid this as much as possible, do your rose shopping when shipments of roses first come to the store. Minimize the time they stay at a retail outlet. Buy roses from a reputable grower. I know at least one nursery in Las Vegas that carried Weeks Roses this past spring. They probably had trouble selling them, particularly in this economy, because they cost more.

Lastly, buy varieties of roses that do well in our climate. I have a list of roses that do well here posted on my blog.

Alkaline water does not destroy the soil. Water high in sodium can damage soil structure, be toxic to plants and cause serious growing problems. Unless you are using softened water , local water used for irrigation should not be a problem.

The five tenets for growing roses successfully in the desert include: Start with good quality plant material; choose the right microclimate in your landscape; amend your garden soil at the time of planting; cover the soil with wood mulch after planting; and use appropriate management which includes irrigation, fertilizer applications, pest control and pruning.

Are you planning on starting or expanding your backyard orchard? Now is a good time to begin thinking about it. The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Orchard in North Las Vegas will take orders for bareroot fruit trees directly from Dave Wilson Nursery this fall. Orders must be placed soon. Call the master gardener help line at 702-275-5555 for the phone number of the orchard to order your trees.

Bob Morris is a horticulture expert living in Las Vegas; he is on special assignment in the Balkh Province, Afghanistan, for the University of California, Davis. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.