Well, it was another weekend with bee removals. If you are not following us on Facebook or Instagram, you should as we always post updates there. As a matter of fact, we often post Facebook Live Streams as well! Here is what we shared with the Social Sphere.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
After the video shut off, mayhem ensued! Then, I decided to get my very old reliable swarm box which no colony had rejected yet. We set both boxes up and decided to let them choose. They divided up into two groups, one on each box. If there were two queens, that would explain that behavior. However, they then all decided on my old trustworthy box. So, what seemed to be a slam dunk ended up being a honeybee roundup. In the end (3 hours later), we got them in box. Since they seem very "swarmy", we are leaving them in the temporary box for a few days versus interrupting them again. After all, getting them into the box and taking a ride down the highway was enough trauma for a very shy queen and her daughters. The bees are now in the garden. | First, I would like to give a high five to Apollo Wood Products for calling a beekeeper to rescue the bees versus just spraying them! We had a long discussion about their work. They are offering mulch and compost to the public. Thank you Apollo! http://www.apollowood.com If you saw our video on Facebook, it seemed like an easy rescue. However, after the video shut off, mayhem ensued! First, they rejected the swarm box. Then, they acted completely confused! So, I thought that they may have been queenless and that was why they were confused. Yet, I saw a very blonde large queen without stripes and then later, we identified with two pairs of eyes, another darker queen! I honestly don't know if my eyes deceived me as 2 queens with a colony is rare. They were swarming everywhere trying to go everywhere but the baited box. |
Sunday, July, 24, 2016
These girls were super sweet! Even when we ran the electric chainsaw to cut down branches, they did not have guard bees defending the hive. However, we had already smoked them with lavender too. Everything went very smoothly and they were nice and calm. They are now on their hive stand in Pinion Hills. Yet, I did have one concern. My client notified her immediate neighbors about the removal. Despite this, one of the close neighbors came out to do yard work next to the area. Even if they are sweet bees, we are handling wild creatures. If you see a bee suit and bees, please stay indoors and away from the area. We never know what will happen and it is best to stay safe. |