Not a bee in her bonnet, but bees in her bin

| Environment | Gardening

Amanda from SOMA Bodywork (WSB sponsor) also mentioned this in the WSB Forums, but in case you are or know a beekeeper and haven’t seen this yet:

I was gone for a week and a swarm of honeybees has moved into my worm bin. Real honeybees like we had when I was a kid. I hardly thought they existed anymore! I actually wondered if someone had lost their swarm. Anyway, I’d love to have access to my worm bin again, so if any beekeepers out there are interested in capturing them, call me! 206-979-6106. Between Juneau and Findlay on 46th Ave SW.

Brian Allen May 19, 2009 (3:18 pm)

I can help anyone who has a swarm of Honey Bees in the West Seattle area (or thereabouts). Just give me a ring: (206) 973-7374.

Please note: I do **NOT** remove Yellowjackets, Wasps, or Bumble Bees. Please visit this excellent site to help you tell the difference between them: http://www.pollinator.com/identify/whatsbuzzin.htm

cheers,
@brian

Steph May 19, 2009 (3:19 pm)

Any beekeeper would love to take these off your hands. Here’s a list of PNW bee people:

http://www.ebeehoney.com/zWA.html

Brian Allen May 19, 2009 (3:21 pm)

Also, I should point out for folks OUTSIDE of West Seattle, that we have our 2009 Swarm List out on our website for the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association as a PDF file: http://pugetsoundbees.org/Swarmlist.pdf

B-Squared May 19, 2009 (3:23 pm)

I called my neighborhood beekeeper and left a message about this. i also called Amanda and left her a message about said beekeeper. hopefully they can hook up as i know those are important bees, especially now. don’t hurt the bees!!

WSB May 19, 2009 (3:27 pm)

Thanks – we also sent along a tip – “don’t hurt the bees” is our mantra around here – I remember being propagandized with bee and other bug fear as a kid and took care to teach our son that bees in particular are to be cherished because they’re in danger and our lives depend on them … TR

MargL May 19, 2009 (3:28 pm)

Puget Sound Beekeepers has a call list posted, too.
http://www.psbees.org/Swarmlist.pdf tho’ the map is kinda wonky and it’s not clear if West Seattle is in their Zone B (bee, heh) or C.

MargL May 19, 2009 (3:29 pm)

D’oh Brian beat me to it!

somanda May 19, 2009 (3:37 pm)

Wow! what a buzz! I’ve got 3 voicemails from folks wanting the bees..yea! My folks kept bees when I was a kid, so in addition to “not hurting the bees”(silly people who would hurt bees…) I’m feeling quite blessed. I’m actually wondering if I should let them just stay and have the worm bin. I’ll give the keepers a call and see what they have to say…

Kelly May 19, 2009 (3:49 pm)

I’m so jealous! This must be a sign of greater luck than being visited by a ladybug. I had baby bumblebees in my black composter a couple years ago. Very cool.

Brian Allen May 19, 2009 (9:00 pm)

@B-squared: Hey, that was Nancy B, our PSBA president! She gave me a ring when I was onsite collecting the swarm, to see what was up. It’s a small world!

She was also at our SWS 2009 Festival with one of the club demonstration hives two weeks back (http://sustainablewestseattle.org/festival).

@brian

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