RE: Beekeeping For Everyone! - #2 - The Importance of Pollinators
Excellent post!
I know the essentialness of bees; and, wish people would storm the streets for this cause instead of....whatever the reasons for the recent protests.
While I realize their importance, I am also reminded of how territorial they can be. A few years ago, I was just entering the house and saw a whole swarm of bees attach a 'hive' to a tree within minutes.
These may have been a swarm of the Africanized, aka, killer bees. Fortunately, a quick search for beekeepers found me a very calm person who arrived within the hour.
It was fascinating to watch him fully-geared remove the bees. After a small fee for the work he did, only a few remained. He said they'd swarm for a few more hours and move on. They did.
That was an unnerving and energizing experience, with a newfound respect for this many-purposed insect.
Again, thanks for this interesting post. I learned more than a bit!
Peace.
Yes swarming of bees can be a very exciting and intimidating event at first. Most folks associate honeybees with wasp and hornets and assume they will attack. Once you understand that they are 'homeless' and their energy is set on finding a new home it can be quite relaxing to experience. It takes almost a month for a swarm to raise new bees by the time they find a new home, build comb for the queen to lay and then for the eggs to grow, pupate, and hatch. Bees only live 4-6 weeks, so a swarm does not have much time to waste. They have also gorged themselves on honey to get their wax glands flowing so they can immediately start building comb. When they are gorged, they are like we are when we eat way too much, just want to be left alone and not interested in confrontations.
W-O-W!
I will take your word on this ;+)!!! It probably explains why yard crews give them their space. I've heard news stories where some of these so needed insects will chase those who interfere with their objective.
I'm reminded that as the beekeeper brought the hive back to his farm, I couldn't help but remember how close I came to asking for a free jar of local honey. I'm sure he would have accomodated; but, I was too shaken to do more than make the payment and thank him for his help.
Btw, I only saw a couple of bees this past summer when I grew my first ever tomatoes of several kinds. I soon observed that dragonflies, and a few very small insects showed up every day to tend to the flowers. I learned so much, just as I did with your post.
Again, thanks for sharing!
Peace.