Bees Bees Everywhere!!!!

OK...if you read my blog a couple of days ago, you know we are crazy!  Or maybe you already knew that!  However, this time the craziness came in the form of bees!  Our boys had volunteered to collect a wild bee hive out of a tree...thankfully with the help of an veteran beekeeper.

We spent yesterday afternoon in, what I call, a bee hive graveyard.  We picked out two sets of used hive boxes that were in good condition.  We then rummaged even more for the frames needed to fill it.  In the process, we also obtained several bunches of dried and fresh herbs, several plant specimens, and 2 dozen yard eggs.  We were loaded down with all of this about 5 miles out of town.  When we drove off, I heard a ding from the vehicle saying we had low fuel...imagine my surprise when I looked at the gauge and it read empty!  We prayed our way back into town and to the gas station.  I am sure our guardian angels pushed us to the pumps!

I woke the boys up early this morning to take them on a hike with a group from the university.  We thought we were going to be with plant experts so we could learn about the trees and plants of the forest.  Well, we did enjoy the hike but we also realized that we knew most of the plants identified along the way.  It was a very proud mom-moment to hear our boys praised for knowing as much as our guide!

Also, along the way we were each given a shape to look for on our hike.  Brenda, Zaira and I were at the end of the line by several paces.  Brendan LOVED this activity.  I took so many pictures of him with his circle finds!  He really took this seriously and wanted me to take a picture every time he found a circle.  Of course, I could not resist...so I probably have about 20 photos of circles in the woods!  I also was so glad to know that he could take a mile hike without being picked up.  He had a great time and could have probably gone around a second time.

A big thank you to Kerry, Jim and the university students who continue to give the boys these opportunities.  We love the time we have with this group doing what we love most...being in nature!

As for the bees, we came home from the hike and waited for the call....it was like a new doctor must feel waiting for his beeper to go off for the first time!  LOL!  The boys were so anxious that I sent them outside to run around the yard.  I, on the other hand, was just saying little prayers that all would go well and we would not be stung by a swarm of bees coming out of the tree!



When the call finally came, we gathered up the last of our supplies and were out the door.  We actually beat Roger and Marie to the bee tree.  This was good because it gave me a chance to meet the man involved (not the owner of the house but the man who was asked to cut up the fallen tree) and get a better look at what our boys had gotten themselves into with this swarm chasing.  I grabbed the camera and took several shots from a distance but made the mistake of going in a little closer and got stung right on the cheek!  That was silly of me...I knew better but I pulled back and got the stinger out quickly.

I did not have anything to put on the spot to draw out the poison so I thought about what I did have in the car.  The only thing I had was a lime from a drink I purchased yesterday.  I figured it could not hurt so squeezed it on the sting...low and behold it worked!  I have had little side effect as of this moment (some 7 hours later).  I am not going to say it was a cure just yet as I am still a believer that the second day is the worst when it comes to a sting.

It would not be the last sting of the day, but no serious side effects.  I was stung twice more...once on the rear end because I sat on it getting into the car and then on the top of my head. I am thankful for the last one as I thought for sure it was going to sting me inside my ear but buzzed out just in time to get me there instead.  Sean and Henry each got stung once as well...Sean on the neck and Henry on the thumb.  We got off easy as Roger was stung multiple times.  Not sure if I feel to bad for him though because he wore very little protective gear and seemed to enjoy the stings or at least not be too bothered.  I think Roger is just one of those kind of people who does not get too rattled about life.  He made a good partner for the boys.  Marie did not get stung as far as I could tell.  She was very calm most of the time so this helped the boys to not be fearful.

The man who called us out for the bees on the other hand was very concerned about getting stung. He had already been to the hospital over some yellow jacket stings so he stayed in the truck most of the time we worked.  He was not our only audience either...he had three other men join the group watching from their truck.  And, a young boy came trotting up an hour into the removal to tell me he had been stung three times and went to the hospital a couple of weeks ago.  He did not seem to upset by it as he stayed a while and watched and then returned to watch again.

I can hardly blame the audience for coming...it was a fascinating sight!  The tree was about 3 feet in diameter and hollowed out from bottom to top!  About 5 feet of the tree was FULL of comb and bees.  Roger cut into the trunk with a chainsaw and revealed this beautiful sight!  I was amazed at how the comb created by the bees came from each side and overlapped in the middle without touching.  There was a lot of damage to the comb because the tree fell so hard and there was also damage to the comb from hive beetles.

Roger led the others in a search for the queen bee or at least evidence to know if the queen existed.   He predicted that the queen had died soon after the fall because the bees normally would have swarmed by this time (the tree fell a week ago).  This prediction proved true as more evidence was found once he cut into the tree.  The honey supply was low which indicated they were gorging on their honey supply.  Furthermore, they were finding queen cells within the comb.  After sifting through the comb what appeared to be a good quality queen cell was found (several were found that had been crushed...looking at the picture below you can see the queen cell on the right side is larger than the other cells) and was placed in an empty frame to hopefully emerge in the next week.  This would be the only way to keep the bees in the hive box.

I took so many pictures of them working to remove the foundation (honey comb) and shaking the bees into the box.  Then the comb that was in good condition was tied into the empty frames and placed inside the box as well.  After about 4 hours of sifting through the tree, Marie topped the hive box and we left it in place on the tree.  We will return on Monday afternoon to pick up the box.  This will allow the bees enough time to settle into the box and stabilize the frames with their own wax.

There is so much to say about the experience.  I had told Michael that I figured the boys would either love it or hate it.  I am guessing from their enthusiasm that they love it!  At one point Henry came to me upset because Roger was not letting him do enough.  I told him to be firm and ask if he could take on a bigger role.  He did this and he was soon pulling comb from the trunk.  They even found out about another tree down the road that they are going to assist with next week.  I think they are hooked...officially swarm chasers!

The biggest benefit from the experience had to be the fact that the boys went to bed without fuss this evening.  If I had a place to keep the hives, I would have them go out every day.  They literally came home and ate dinner and went to bed!  I am sure they would eventually get used to the bee stings just like Roger.  So glad the boys met him and are able to work with him so easily.  I must say there is not a beekeeper met who has not been a joy to be around.  I am so thankful for the ongoing mentorship the boys have gained from our association.