Wednesday, August 21, 2019

THE BAD BEES ARE GONE


Just about a year ago, we posted HERE about the bees that took over the one hive we had left.  It was 100% my fault for not removing the "tempting" empty home when we lost our bees.  I removed one hive but not this one (see post for details).

Then some wild bees took it over.  At first we thought capturing a wild swarm can be a good thing.  But after observing them, we found the new bees to be aggressive.  VERY aggressive.  There are reports in the area of Africanized bees.

A few times they chased me to the house.  I finally just stopped mowing in the former bee yard.  We called a couple of bee removal experts but either the wait was long or they wouldn't come that far out.  They also charged a LOT of money.

Since we were not going to that area anyway, we just sort of left them alone.


The grass grew and the hive became just part of the background.  I could always see bees on it (the white color makes that easy) and so I just stayed away.  Flash forward to last weekend.  I looked in that direction as usual but didn't see any activity.  I carefully got closer and didn't see anything.

The hive was empty.


Here it is after I got up close.  Definitely empty.  What a relief.  I'm not sure where they went or what happened but we're OK with it.


I removed the top so that another hive will not be tempted though I don't think they would since the other creepy crawlies have taken over.

It was too hot to deal with disposing of the pieces we don't want (most likely all of them). Some of you will wonder about honey.  There was none that we could salvage as ants and bugs had taken over. Plus the wild bees took over a hive where the wax had melted and honey had fermented so if there had been any, it would probably have tasted pretty funky.

 We still have one complete hive put up in storage along with the matching copper roof from this hive (wasn't going to let THAT go).  Not sure what else will be salvageable but I think when we next venture into beekeeping, we'll start with keeping just one hive alive for a few seasons as a start.

8 comments:

  1. i think a lot of people were disappointed with bee keeping. almost everyone i know that got into it, got out of it. like chickens, i think they are a lot more work than people think. plus, the whole business seems very finicky. i hope someday you will have success again!

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  2. I’m so glad that the very wild bees left on their own. Now you won’t have that danger at your Farm. That’s scary that they chased you back to the house.

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    1. Agreement with Texas Rose.
      Let's just hope that they don't return but in the meantime looks like your creepy crawlies have found a new home and hopefully no snake has found it as a new home as well.
      Have a great day
      I think bee keeping is basically a 24-7 job; something a person really does have to stay on top of things.
      Maybe once you are able to stay at the farm full time you can start up again with the bees.

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  3. Scary stuff, I'm glad they shoved off. Not all bees are good bees. I always thought about bee keeping...not so sure I'm 100% on board though, it's nice to read about your experiences!

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  4. Everyone is right. Bees need someone to care for them just like any other farm animal. Try again after you move in to the farm 100%. For now take it as a living experience.

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  5. I'm glad they're gone. No one wants to be chased by bees.

    Love,
    Janie

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  6. I love our bees. We have been lucky to not see any of the Killer Bees (the agressive ones you mentioned. I read an article in my Countryside Mag about them moving up to the US from South America. They are very nasty!). We have an agreement with an Arizona Bee Keeper. They come up to our place every spring with over 600 colonies. We are their free staging area since we are easy access, have the space in our field, and centrally located for distribution. They come up here and place all of the colonies in our field for 3 days while the bees relax. Then they come in by smaller trucks and move the colonies to several other counties. All except 1 colony that we keep here. In the fall they do the reverse to move them all back to AZ. I have bees land on me at different times every year when I am gardening - LOVE THEM! I don't hurt or freak out at them, they dont sting and die (unlike wasps - grr!). I feel I work in conjunction with them. When we have severe drought years, we set out shallow pans (like a cake pan) with sugar water and a stone in them. The sugar helps the bees and the stone allows them to get out of the water if falling in (also to get to the edge for a drink). I have seen swarming up-close and personal and it was awesome! Not something you see everyday. Good luck with your bees and I hope the good ones will be ok.

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