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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » I'm covered in BEEEES!!!

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June 21, 2010 11:26 p.m. ditchdigger Reader

Came home this evening to a swarm of honeybees in my yard. They settled down after a while on a branch of the pear tree. Must be a few hundred of them. Perhaps refugees from the nearby glorybee honey plant?

I will admit that after last years fist fight and subsequent loss to an army of yellowjackets that this freaks me the hell out. But it is also fascinating. I do need them to find a new home though. I don't want any suprises when mowing the lawn and I don't want my dogs to get stung when they get interested.

Any ideas?

Some Eddie Izzard on the subject

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-tl6GBOBo
June 21, 2010 11:43 p.m. xd New Reader

Fire.
June 21, 2010 11:43 p.m. JeepinMatt HalfDork

Go smack it*

* for God's sake don't smack it
June 21, 2010 11:59 p.m. Jake HalfDork

Honeybees are good things. Call somebody from the plant, chances are they'll come collect the colony and take them back to the mothership.

Yellowjackets, on the other hand, are not. I'm still gunshy about a couple patches in my yard where I ran over a big ol' hive last summer. That was no fun.
June 22, 2010 1:31 a.m. NYG95GA SuperDork

Wait for East Coast Mojo to weigh in. She raises those things in hives, and will know what to do.

I had a rental house that had a wall full of them (thru a little hole where a doorbell button had been), so I called the Dept. of Natural Resources, and they gave me the number of a beekeeper who would smoke them out and move the Queen to another area, but before I could get in touch with him, a neighbor had come by and laid waste to the hive with spray. He was afraid they would sting his children. Actually, they aren't interested in stinging people; they just want to find pollen.
June 22, 2010 5:06 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

Just a swarm, they'll move on in a bit.

You could be nice and let the local bee keepers group know about it so one of their members could come get it.
June 22, 2010 6:46 a.m. maroon92 SuperDork

I want to keep bees. Keep them, so they don't get away. put them on long elastic strings, so they come back! -Eddie the Izzard.
June 22, 2010 7:30 a.m. Apexcarver SuperDork

Find a beekeeper and make a call.

At least its honeybees, I have a yearly fight with carpenter bees
June 22, 2010 7:53 a.m. EastCoastMojo SuperDork

They have surely moved on by now, but you may wantto have a beekeeper's number handy for the next swarm. Swarms are not aggressive and they will only take up there temporarily until they find their new home or return to the hive. Most beekeepers will come and remove the swarm for free, although you have to act fast because they won't hang around long.

Thanks for not killing them!

(Did I use enough smileys there?)
June 22, 2010 8:16 a.m. Streetwiseguy Reader

Often when a hive gets overpopulated the queen and a group moves on. That may be what you have. Good advice to search up local beekeepers. Bees are having enough trouble right now as it is.
June 22, 2010 8:30 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

could also be a "new" queen taking some of the hive with her
June 22, 2010 9:19 a.m. ditchdigger Reader

They are still there this morning. In the morning cold they are not moving as much. It really is neat to look at in a "I don't want that on me" kind of way. Like a huge moving pinecone.

I have no interest in harming them. If they are still there when I go home for lunch I will try and find a beekeeper. I just don't want them to find their new nest site in my house.

Geeze. I pretty much know where to find anything I need in most situations. But where does one find a hobbiest beekeeper. Craigslist?
June 22, 2010 9:44 a.m. EastCoastMojo SuperDork

Your local agricultural extension office will be able to help. Or the Googles.
June 22, 2010 9:59 a.m. Buzz Killington Reader

keep in mind that your firearms are useless against them.
June 22, 2010 10:22 a.m. carguy123 SuperDork

Well I guess that depends upon what you call FIREarms

FIREarms" />
June 22, 2010 6:03 p.m. driver109x Reader

Same thing happened to me about 3 months ago. In a couple of hours, they were gone.
June 22, 2010 6:16 p.m. Keith SuperDork

My in-laws are beekeepers - we have four of their hives in our back yard. Bees are absolutely fascinating, and totally polite houseguests. Over the Memorial Day weekend, they got a call about a wild swarm like the ones in the pictures just down the block so we headed out to pick it up. It was a very cool process, basically just sweeping them all into a small box while wearing the appropriate gear. The swarm looked like a football stuck in a small tree. My job was to be Flashlight Man as it was getting dark. From what I understand, as long as you get the queen you're good. They'll follow her if you missed some.

The colony is now happily living in one of their hives.
June 22, 2010 7:45 p.m. ditchdigger Reader

Found a local on craigslist that works with kids getting them involved in beekeeping. He happily cam by, shook them off the branch into one of those wooden hive things and left it. They will be back to pick it up after dark when they are all inside.
June 22, 2010 7:47 p.m. EastCoastMojo SuperDork

Yay! I love a happy ending.
June 22, 2010 8:36 p.m. joey48442 SuperDork

You could have it worse...You could be this guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljYZ-xo-cBU

Thats my good friend Don in the backseat with the bees... (Unbeknown to everyone in the car, except for Don, was that bees were drones...)

Joey
June 22, 2010 10:46 p.m. M2Pilot Reader

You could have called Beverly Perdue, govenor of NC. There was a news report today about her gathering honey from a hive at the state capitol or the govenor's mansion (i've forgotten which). The honey bee is NC's official state insect. (Waiting for responses addressing what your state's official insect is).
June 23, 2010 1:05 p.m. NYG95GA SuperDork

Tonight is Midsummer's Night Eve, and also St. John's Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. The full moon this month is known as Mead Moon, since mead is fermented honey (and damn near hallucinagenic!). It's where the term "honeymoon" comes from, and said to be a night for lovers.

The hives should be full of it about now.. Honey, not mead.
June 23, 2010 1:33 p.m. lewbud Reader

In reply to M2Pilot: Living in Texas I thought it would be the mosquito. Imagine my surprise to find out it's the Monarch Butterfly.
June 23, 2010 2:03 p.m. Keith SuperDork

Huh. Ours is the "Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly". Apparently thanks to a bunch of 4th graders in Aurora.
June 23, 2010 2:30 p.m. Buzz Killington Reader

honeybee is also NJ's state insect.

M2Pilot wrote:

(Waiting for responses addressing what your state's official insect is).

well since you asked:

Pennsylvania's state insect is the firefly, which i love and which happily appear to be making a comeback over the past few years.

other interesting bits:

state dog: great dane state toy: slinky (fitting for our politicians in the capital)

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