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March 22, 2010 at 2:49 pm #690825
LKTParticipantThanks for the great info., Brad. Are these the sorts of bees that people might want to encourage for pollination of their fruit trees (like Mason bees) or are they really best for producing honey? I’m always happy to see bees in my garden and would like to encourage them to stay, especially if they are homeless!
March 22, 2010 at 3:17 pm #690826
HormelParticipantLKT,
Brad is talking about honeybees, which are great pollinators here in West Seattle. He has posted some good information there and as he said the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association (http://www.pugetsoundbees.org) is a great source of information about honeybees and swarm removal.
Many of the swarms naturally land in trees or hollows and are able to make a new hive out of the way in the ‘wild’. Unfortunately, many swarms take up residence in the walls and soffits of homes. These can be more difficult to remove so some homeowners resort to spraying, which is the worst thing to do since the hive and bees are still in the wall, but dead. So don’t spray but give your local beekeeper a call.
John
(The above information does not apply to wasps who nest in large ball shaped grey paper-like hives)
March 22, 2010 at 10:33 pm #690827
alexiarnpsMemberThank you for this. With everything going on in native wild populations these days it’s nice to see some proactive information to make sure a healthy swarm isn’t exterminated.
March 23, 2010 at 12:27 am #690828
service dog academyMemberlast fall one of my neighbors had a hive in the wood pile the front of his house. do you remove hives too?
March 23, 2010 at 7:16 pm #690829
AnonymousInactive@service dog academy: If you’re talking about hives of wasps and/or hornets, etc…, I suggest Jerry Mixon (http://www.jerrythebeeguy.com/). He has been specializing in this type of thing for years and does it without pesticides. If it is a honeybee hive that has taken up residence in a wood pile, that is a possibility. It just depends on how entrenched they are and how much demolition would have to happen in order to remove them.
And thanks John(Hormel) for putting up the PSBA website and adding more information to this post. I’ll get in touch when there are swarms that need to be retrieved.
April 15, 2010 at 4:03 am #690830
EarlGrayParticipantWe have what I think might be a bumblebee hive in a birdhouse in our apple tree. I think they are bumblebees since they are big and fuzzy but maybe they are something else. The hive has nearly filled the birdhouse up so I can see what looks sort of like honeycomb through the opening and there is pollen on the outside of the birdhouse. Any recommendations as to what to do with these guys? I would be inclined to just leave them be but our house is on the market and I don’t think most buyers would like this feature. Thanks.
April 15, 2010 at 3:15 pm #690831
HormelParticipantEarlGray,
This sounds more like honeybees rather than bumblebees based on the fact they are nesting in a box. Bumblebees tend to be ground dwelling. I would recommend giving Brad (above) a call or if he is not available I would be happy to swing by and take a look. Should be simple process take away the birdhouse and return it back to you empty of bees.
Thanks for posting.
john
May 13, 2010 at 2:25 pm #690832
HeatherBeanMemberI have a swarm. They landed in one of my bushes late afternoon yesterday. I’ve never seen bee activity first hand like this. Consider me truly fascinated. A friend of mine who keeps bees in Vermont is encouraging me to keep these bees, and my husband and I are interested, but alas we are not prepared nor educated. Possibly a future hobby for us?
If this post isn’t noticed, I’ll call one of the numbers above.
May 13, 2010 at 2:31 pm #690833
KenParticipantWhat part of WS are you in HeatherBean?
I have noticed a large number of honeybees harvesting the nectar from the blooming shrubs and trees in the Highpoint area but have not seen an actual swarm yet.
May 13, 2010 at 2:42 pm #690834
HeatherBeanMemberI’m in Gatewood. We have a large number of bees in our shrubs anyway. I used to be afraid of bees, but it seems they are all on a mission and quite docile. :-)
May 13, 2010 at 4:48 pm #690835
HeatherBeanMemberBrad came this morning. Super nice guy, really loves beekeeping. It was a pleasure to have him collect our bees.
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