I’m thinking of installing some beehives on my property, but I wanted to get some insight from outdoor brewers who’ve had experience with honeybees. My concern is that in my “neck of the woods” we have yellow jacket wasps. They come out in early/mid September and don’t leave until the first extreme frost. They are very aggressive and the sweet smell of boiling wort attracts these things from what seems like miles away. I literally cannot brew during these months because they simply will not stop swarming into the wort or stinging you to get to it. I realize honeybees are far more docile and a different specie altogether. However, the last thing I want to do is contend with honeybees on brew days during those months that I’m not dealing with yellow jackets. Any experience?
Get down to your barber and get a buzz cut. Works every time. 
i keep honey bees and brew outside. They are simply not a problem like wasps and yellow jackets are. You will likely encounter 2 or 3 curious scouts but they seem to understand that this is not a viable food option and apparently don’t report back to the hive. Honey bees pretty much don’t sting in that situation. I say the more bee keepers the better so please go for it, they will be welcome companions on brew day.
Ditto Pete B’s experience. I have a hive about 25 feet from where I brew and little to no problem.
Wasps were a problem until I found a disposable plastic bag trap. I put them out in the spring to catch the queens and keep them out during wasp season. I have about 6 set in various locations around my bees and my house and they are awesome. They have a very strong attractant that is activated when you add water and they will fill up with literally hundreds of wasps. Very, very effective. You can get them at Lowe’s or Home Depot.
I was fairly certain this would be the case…just wanted some real-life experiences before jumping in. Very much appreciated!
What brand do you use? I can tell the wasps will be bad this summer and I’d like to get a head start on the fight.
I’ll check for you when I get home In a couple hours
I would love to reduce wasps. And yellow jackets. Are those two different traps or is the yellow jacket trap work for other kinds of wasps?
It’s the same package. I just included the back in case you wanted more info or needed to mail order. Can’t speak for everything, but they are terrific for getting rid of paper wasps which happen to be my worst nuisance insect around the yard.