Any bee keepers out there?
- Thread starter mark cline
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Yes it would. You can make cut comb honey or just crush the comb and strain. You need to be sure there are no pupils in the cells first. Also, the honey won’t be as clear as the grocery store but will likely taste better.
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I'll have to get back there next weekend , if it stops snowing . We have had more snow in the last 2 weeks than we have had since Christmas .
That's really cool. I found a really old one once inside an ancient dead pine that I cut at my mother's house. No honey but neat to find anyway.
The wax is very brittle when cold so handle with care.
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If there are bees be sure to smoke them first. That calms them.
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Being cold out , I figured this would be the best time to get the honey. There are bees wedged between the comb , so the cold will keep them dormant.
They won’t move much in the cold but you will likely kill the hive. If you know a bee keeper they may want to attempt to combine the bees with one of there hives it try to box up what bees they can. A package of bees is about $130.
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Killing the hive was in the back of my mind. Honey bee populations have been way down over the last 8-10 yrs , so to kill the hive for a quart of honey , doesn't seem right or worth it . If I can take about 1/4 of the comb and leave the rest for the hive , would be a sensible approach .
Wild honeybees have a uphill fight these days. I would leave it alone this late in the season. The last of the honey is usually taken in early fall while it still warm out so the bees can adjust to what's left for them to survive the winter. We need the pollination you know. Kevin
I agree 100% , we need the pollination. I'll keep an eye on it and show the grandkids for a learning experience .The tree is rotted bad , so the wind will take it down in the near future , I'm sure.
bfitz3
Feeling the Heat
A feral colony is not likely to survive winter these days due to varroa mites whose population grows with the bees’ during the summer and continues to grow as the bee population drops going into winter. Once the varroa proportion is sufficiently large, the colony is doomed. Also, a wet bee is a dead bee... I can’t see a colony surviving as seen as it’s exposed in a cold environment. I suspect the comb goes well up into a hollow in the tree. If it does, there could be live bees. I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.
As for saving the bees... I’m of the belief that feral honeybees are a detriment to beekeeping. A feral colony is undoubtedly a varroa bomb sitting in the woods. Its mites will infect nearby managed colonies WHEN they start to die out. If the colony throws swarms to “outrun” their varroa issues, there will be even more varroa bombs out there ready to infest kept bees. The issues with honeybees are big and it’s great for folks to consider them, but honeybees are managed and kept for mass pollination of industrial scale flowering crops. With respect to that colony, letting it live will make local beekeepers’ management more difficult. Even if YOU don’t kill it, it is likely to succumb quickly to varroa... it’s like a feral cow with bovine tb grazing next to a dairy farm. It should either be euthanized or treated/managed.
The real issue everyone should be concerned about is the demise of local pollinators. Solitary bees are generally far more effective at pollinating than a honeybee. Their populations in many areas are gravely threatened due to habitat destruction/monoculture crops and pesticide use. If you want to ‘save the bees’ you should look into planting pollinator friendly landscapes, abandoning pesticides, and especially for us, we should put some Mason bee houses in our stacks.
So, I say have at the colony. Do it without guilt! Crushing/straining will work great, even if it takes awhile. Proceed cautiously as you go near the hive. Look at the base of the tree for fresh looking dead bees on the surface or little yellow micro-turds. If you see either, i’d stay away. If you hear anything, get away. If you don’t, whack the tree near the hive and listen. If you hear anything... only then, think about cutting off some comb. Listen carefully. If you hear anything, a local beekeeper may be willing to get everything out of there in exchange for some of the honey. If you’re going to get a beek to take a living colony out (rescue it) wait til spring so the beek can start a new hive for themselves, paying for their troubles. If there is no activity, leaving it there until swarm season could lure a swarm to the tree, again giving a local beek a shot at a new colony.
If you decide to have a beekeeper have at it, remember they will be on a ladder with thousands of angry girls buzzing their everything while covered in sticky/slippery honey. Don’t ask them for money for the hive... a quart of honey or some comb, maybe, but only if there’s a lot. Beekeepers have “craigslist laugh of the day” posts too.
As for saving the bees... I’m of the belief that feral honeybees are a detriment to beekeeping. A feral colony is undoubtedly a varroa bomb sitting in the woods. Its mites will infect nearby managed colonies WHEN they start to die out. If the colony throws swarms to “outrun” their varroa issues, there will be even more varroa bombs out there ready to infest kept bees. The issues with honeybees are big and it’s great for folks to consider them, but honeybees are managed and kept for mass pollination of industrial scale flowering crops. With respect to that colony, letting it live will make local beekeepers’ management more difficult. Even if YOU don’t kill it, it is likely to succumb quickly to varroa... it’s like a feral cow with bovine tb grazing next to a dairy farm. It should either be euthanized or treated/managed.
The real issue everyone should be concerned about is the demise of local pollinators. Solitary bees are generally far more effective at pollinating than a honeybee. Their populations in many areas are gravely threatened due to habitat destruction/monoculture crops and pesticide use. If you want to ‘save the bees’ you should look into planting pollinator friendly landscapes, abandoning pesticides, and especially for us, we should put some Mason bee houses in our stacks.
So, I say have at the colony. Do it without guilt! Crushing/straining will work great, even if it takes awhile. Proceed cautiously as you go near the hive. Look at the base of the tree for fresh looking dead bees on the surface or little yellow micro-turds. If you see either, i’d stay away. If you hear anything, get away. If you don’t, whack the tree near the hive and listen. If you hear anything... only then, think about cutting off some comb. Listen carefully. If you hear anything, a local beekeeper may be willing to get everything out of there in exchange for some of the honey. If you’re going to get a beek to take a living colony out (rescue it) wait til spring so the beek can start a new hive for themselves, paying for their troubles. If there is no activity, leaving it there until swarm season could lure a swarm to the tree, again giving a local beek a shot at a new colony.
If you decide to have a beekeeper have at it, remember they will be on a ladder with thousands of angry girls buzzing their everything while covered in sticky/slippery honey. Don’t ask them for money for the hive... a quart of honey or some comb, maybe, but only if there’s a lot. Beekeepers have “craigslist laugh of the day” posts too.
Wow , now I dont know what to do.Its been in the low 30's for weeks ,with night time temps in the 20's . So I'm sure there is no bee activity.I may go out to have a look this coming weekend . I'm not going to get a bee keeper to remove the comb or bees . I'll probably let the wind take the tree down . Its in rough shape , I don't really want to get near it . Its about a half mile back in my woods , so its not going to fall on anything.
bfitz3
Feeling the Heat
I just re-read your posts... noting there are bees wedged between the comb, you may very well have a living colony. Come spring, if there are bees, a beekeeper would love to try to recover the hive. I encourage you to contact a local bee club offering the colony up for recovery.
Also, don’t hesitate to show this off to your grandkids. Honeybees are generally quite docile. If one stings you, it will die. Evolution has ensured that honeybees will sting only as a last resort. I’ve sat a few feet in front of hives peacefully watching the show many a time. Some beeks will tend their hives without gloves. If you keep the kids on the ground and out of the bees’ flight path, you should have no issues. The kiddos will be fascinated!
Also, don’t hesitate to show this off to your grandkids. Honeybees are generally quite docile. If one stings you, it will die. Evolution has ensured that honeybees will sting only as a last resort. I’ve sat a few feet in front of hives peacefully watching the show many a time. Some beeks will tend their hives without gloves. If you keep the kids on the ground and out of the bees’ flight path, you should have no issues. The kiddos will be fascinated!
The grand kids can't wait to see it , temps are going to be quite cold for a few weeks . So we will be out watching and using it as a learning experience. I will be in touch with a local bee keeper to see if he wants to recover it. I'm working on a home brewed beer recipe , like a honey brown lager or a honey amber lager.
I was able to get out this past weekend to take a look at the honey comb. The snow was 18" deep , so it was a slow long walk. Snow shoes would have helped . Some animal got to the comb and tore it down , but from the looks of it, there was very little if any honey . No dead bees on the ground or on the snow , maybe under all the snow. The tree is scary , 4ft diameter, and rotted through the trunk to where your could almost climb through . It is hard to believe that it is still standing . It will fall soon , but I'll stay away until it does. Should be a good full cord of ash for the future.
My great uncle kept about 20 hives under a lean-to next to the honey shed. Also kept a swing set for the kids about 20' at most away from the hives. We never had a problem with any stings. He had had these hives for decades and never had to smoke the hives for access to the honey combs. They were probably has domesticated as they could be. Just had to share. Great memories. Kevin
