Logging with bees nearby

timk · June 08, 2016, 09:46:49 AM

Quote from: Chop Shop on May 18, 2016, 10:56:23 AM
I brought home a load of WRC logs a few months ago.

One was 3' around and twelve feet long. Its got hollow cedar rot all the way through.

It has a very BIG honey bee hive inside. They come and go thru a hollow limb.

After logging, shoveling it, bucking it, loading it, etc. It was still here.

I have a friend that knows bees and he said they would swarm and leave if the queen had not left already. He said there had been to much outside activity and they would probably not tolerate it. He said it was most likely just left behind confused workers I was still seeing.

After sitting here on its side for a couple weeks, I stood it up like a stump and nailed some metal roofing over the top to keep rain out of the rotten center.

After standing it up, we didnt see any bees for three days. Then about noon they were crazy swarming around the driveway and cedar log/stump. I think I blocked their entry hole with debris when I stood it up. They musta cleared it and been happy to get out again!

So its been a few months now and they are still here and very active. A bee comes and one goes about 1 bee per 1-2 seconds. They come back COVERED in pollen. Back legs covered in yellow and orange pollen as thick as their abdomen!

For ten years we have had a small apple tree. Most fruit we ever got was three apples, but usually just one apple per year. Its always a joke and the wife and I usually go down and eat it together!

The bee cedar is about 40 feet from the apple tree. This year there is an average of 25-30 apples on over a dozen branches so far!!

They might be freeloaders that wont ever share honey, (unless I tear into that log poohbear style!) but they sure are working their buts off making food around here!!

I find myself sitting a couple feet from the log watching them for long times.

At night they block the entrance to keep most of the heat inside. If you run your nose by the hollow limb it smells SO GOOD!! You can feel the warm air coming out too.

They are very mellow and will let you get right up there and enjoy them.

This has been very rewarding and one of the best logs I have drug home yet.

Despite the fact that they are squatting in a pretty expensive chuck of lumber!!

Have any pictures to share of the hive? Very fascinating story. I'd like to see more on it. Great find by the way and good to see they made the move ok and are now doing well.

Chop Shop · June 08, 2016, 02:01:47 PM

I have some pics, but not the time to learn the pic posting process.

They did however swarm two days ago. Im not sure where the new colony is yet. The original guys are still doing great tho.

While they were preparing to swarm, I seen the queen on the outside of the tree bark and kinda making short not graceful flights like a chicken. One flight she came at my flashlight (it was 1:30am!) and landed on my hand. Kinda cool/but surprised me too!

Its a big hive and it could swarm again before spring is over.

DDW_OR · June 08, 2016, 04:23:11 PM

Chop Shop I am in Oregon on I-5 near Exit 80
If you ever want to talk Bees let me know.

I have 4 hives. started with one last year that came with 2 empty hives that swarms moved into.
last month i caught the swarm from the first hive and put it into the fourth hive.

last year i got 12 quarts of honey from 9 medium frames.
used my 9 frame radial extractor. this year i added the motor.

like my friend that has over 90 hives said, "no one gets this much from their first year"
It helps when you live on the edge of nowhere, no competition for the bees.

If i go more than 4 hives i will put the new ones 1/3 mile away.

Chop Shop · June 23, 2016, 04:16:28 PM

So two days ago the bees swarmed again. This time we seen them starting to exit and form the cloud. I followed them to the neighbors where they balled up on a cherry tree branch.

I was able to throw a cedar box together quickly and beat the scouts back to them. I got stung a handful of times but was able to shake and sweep them into the box. Its been two day and they have been flying in and out foraging like normal.

Our local top bar hive guy came over and was as excited as me! He is sure I got the queen and that they are happy. He left me some combs and honey/wax to start some top bars.

So now Im building a top bar hive to home them into tonight. Now I will be able to bait a couple hives and maybe catch another swarm.

My moms place has a big broken cedar with another feral hive in it. I would like to put a bait hive there to.

Its been an exciting and very intriguing journey. I hope to learn lots more in the coming future.

mesquite buckeye · June 23, 2016, 05:27:12 PM

Honey is yummy. ;D 8) 8) 8)

gww · June 23, 2016, 10:54:59 PM

I had about 16 traps out and caught three swarms. Kinda fun.
gww

tburch · June 27, 2016, 01:12:27 PM

Well, I got attacked last Friday by some bumble bees. I bought a huge stack of used marine scaffolding from my neighbor. Went over there with the skid steer to get it. It had been stickered there for years and had a lot of brush grown up around it. I picked the stack up and started backing out, and here came the bumble bees. Got stung about 6-8 times before I knew it. I turned off the skid steer and bolted out of the driver's seat and ran around to the front of the house. After I settled down a bit, I put on 2 layers of clothes, head to toe, put my ball cap on and taped some small checkered cloth over my head and neck, and the put my hoodie on and drew the drawstrings tight. Even put tape on the cuffs of my gloves. I went back over there (and it's 90+ degrees out) and climbed back in the cab, my heart racing... Bees started to swarm again. I had 2 cans of wasp spray and emptied them both. Started the loader and inched out of there. They were flying all around me, but I don't think any of them even lit on me, but I couldn't tell since I couldn't see so good. I got the lumber to the front yard and was able to undress a bit for the ride home.

Later that evening, my left arm was very sore. I got several stings on my left wrist. It even hurt to open and close my fist. But now, I'm all good. Last week was bad - I got stung by a scorpion on Wednesday and then the bumble bees on Friday. I was a bit scared to start my mill on Saturday, wondering if my luck had run out.