In my blog I plan to chat about nature, crafts, baking, gardening, beekeeping, family, and whatever else seems appropriate at the time. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Hive of bees...not a Swarm

OK folks...listen up...because I'm only going to explain this once...and I expect not to have to explain it again. I might even test you on it someday....See this picture. Look at it closely. Click on it if you need to, to make it larger. You will not see any comb in this picture...none..at all. It is a SWARM.

That is an entire ball full of bees. Slightly larger than a football. It's a lot of bees.

Now look below at this picture. Looks the same, right?

WRONG. This probably WAS a swarm at one time, but now it is bees building a hive on the outside of a tree. Look at it again. See the white stuff. It's comb. That's the difference.


These bees are building hive on an apple tree. Why? Who knows. If they stay there, they'll die this winter. And when you move them to a hive, they usually don't stay. The shop vac hive.... Gone. I put the above bees in the same hive. I wasn't even going to mess with it, but the man that called yesterday morning was concerned about his grandchildren. It was probably a waste of time. We'll see.


The comb broke the minute I put it in the box to move it.


And I put the branch they were on in front of the hive, after I shook most of them into the hive. Hopefully they will smell the Queen's pheromone and stay near or in this hive.


So when you call someone to get a swarm of bees, now at least YOU know whether it's a swarm of bees or a hive. Swarms usually stay in the hive, they are bigger, and worth the trouble. Hives are not!


And now I'm in a bad mood because Winston (my husband's Welsh Terrier) ran a kitten up a tree and would not stop barking. I know the neighbors just love us when this happens. I chased him around the yard until I couldn't breathe, in my pj's...well you can just imagine how lovely I looked. Thank God we have a privacy fence. And who's kitten in our back yard anyway?

6 comments:

  1. I cant believe you handle all those bees. It would scare me to death...
    hugs

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  2. Hi Cindy , Interesting facts on Bees! I keep out of their way usually. You might have had an old post on this. Have you heard of the Sunflower project?

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  3. Cindy,
    Boy you are very busy huh? I am on other website and people were wondering who to contact to get a 'swarm' (I'm sure they don't know if it's a hive or not) out of their back yard. I thought of you but don't know where they live.
    Anyway, again thanks for educating us.

    Winston just wanted to met that kitten......
    Julie

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  4. Cindy...did you find a home for kitten? If not please give to RJ... Its time for her Hubby to let her have anther Kitty :)
    Thanks for the Bee Lesson. INTENSE!!!

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  5. I had a swarm of bees in my orange tree one time when my neighbor moved an old pile of lumber in his yard. Scared the bee-jeebez out of me! Pun intended. :)

    I also had to tell you I thought of you last month. I had a bee in my house and was trying to get it to go outside to no avail. Then it landed on my window seal so I ended up spraying it with furniture polish/oil to kill it. Then I felt kind of bad thought if I was you I could have just charmed it outside. Then later Fried Green Tomatoes was on tv and there is a scene where the main character gets honey covered in live bees. I thought that's Cindy! The bee charmer!! :)

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Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment on my blog. I enjoy reading them. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Cindy