Bee ball!

[Stella_Omega]

My son and his friends just now came climbing out the window of my woodshop-- there is a swarm of bees around the door. They are clustering high up in the grapefruit tree that stands in front. It's a mass of living bronze and gold. Just beautiful!

When I first went out to see, I thought the boys had left one of my tools running, that's how loud the buzzing is.

Just a few weekends ago, I met a apiarist who keeps bees in my area... I wonder if they are his...

 

[neonlyte]

My son and his friends just now came climbing out the window of my woodshop-- there is a swarm of bees around the door. They are clustering high up in the grapefruit tree that stands in front. It's a mass of living bronze and gold. Just beautiful!

When I first went out to see, I thought the boys had left one of my tools running, that's how loud the buzzing is.

Just a few weekends ago, I met a apiarist who keeps bees in my area... I wonder if they are his...

Have you tried his Royal Jelly?

 

[Guest]

Have you tried his Royal Jelly?

Bless me, I laughed.

Neon, you're a bad boy.

Stella, it sounds wonderful! Is there a place in the tree for them to find a home or will they have to be moved?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Bless me, I laughed.

Neon, you're a bad boy.

Stella, it sounds wonderful! Is there a place in the tree for them to find a home or will they have to be moved?

haha, I asked for a way to get in touch with him-- his wife and he both gave me the fisheye.

The problem is that the two pounds of honey I bought at his sale-- is already halfway gone... and they really don't have that much to sell. He says he sells twice a year, basically.The jar I bought comes from the San Gabriel mountains, which stand in the middle distance in my view-- Eucalyptus, mustard, sage, who knows what else.

Avocado honey tastes like molasses.

I do know that he maintains bees at the closest college, and I just called HR there. The woman know who I meant. I gave her my information, in case he wants to take them away. Otherwise, they can hive in innumerable nooks and crannies in this chicken-coop I call home-- I only hope they don't decide that should be my shop!

Pictures coming. In the morning, I might be able to get photos with a lot of sunlight-- they are in shadow, now.

Omigawd, this is SO MUCH BETTER than research!

 

[Liar]

Just a few weekends ago, I met a apiarist who keeps bees in my area...

Shouldn't he keep bees in his area?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Shouldn't he keep bees in his area?

You're just being silly. Bee-ing silly.

Among his jars he had Almond honey. The almond orchards are about 300 miles north of Los Angeles. I asked him how he has bees in those orchards, and he said "I have a bee agent."

That's how he gets avocado honey, too- he contracts to keep his hives there.

The college called him when a swarm nested in the eaves. He said it cost the 10 grand to remove it and bee-proof the eaves-- and three months later, another swarm moved in one building over. At that point they asked him to maintain the bees where they were. They pay him a few hundred a year to drop by, shade his eyes with his hands and say; "Yep, those are bees, all right."

 

[rgraham666]

That's very cool. Looking forward to the pics.

 

[slyc_willie]

They pay him a few hundred a year to drop by, shade his eyes with his hands and say; "Yep, those are bees, all right."

Funny. That sounds like my Regional Director's job. Except he gets a few hundred thousand a year to shade his eyes and say, "Yep, that's a restaurant, all right."

 

[Stella_Omega]

http://probablepossible.com/images/beeball.jpg

They are all snuggled in already

 

[rgraham666]

Cool.

 

[slyc_willie]

They are all snuggled in already

Aw, the cute li'l critters . . . .

 

[jomar]

Okay, you know your kid and his friends are trying to figure out which one of them's gonna poke it with a stick.

Very cool, btw.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Okay, you know your kid and his friends are trying to figure out which one of them's gonna poke it with a stick.

Very cool, btw.

No, that was me, kinda... But I gave myself a good talking to and told me to cut it out.

 

[Belegon]

Afraid that while I know how important they are, this would freak me out big time. I am very allergic to bee venom.

I will stand toe to toe with a human much larger and scarier than me. But if a bee comes near I duck and run for cover.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Afraid that while I know how important they are, this would freak me out big time. I am very allergic to bee venom.

I will stand toe to toe with a human much larger and scarier than me. But if a bee comes near I duck and run for cover.

I don't duck and run, but I would make sure that I had a full box of benedryl around if one of those showed up at our place. Last time I got stung my hand swole up like a catcher's mitt. I love honey and appreciate the bees' efforts at keeping my garden productive but I try not to annoy them in any way.

 

[DesertPirate]

No, that was me, kinda... But I gave myself a good talking to and told me to cut it out.

Keep in mind that when they are swarming they are exciteable and will mass attack if disturbed.

A friend used to keep a couple of hives at my folks place. Sure made a difference in the fruit crop for the whole area

 

[Stella_Omega]

I have no desire to disturb them, honest!


honest!

There were noticeably few bees in that tree when it was in flower, and we have hundreds of unpollinated tiny green fruits falling off the tree now.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I have no desire to disturb them, honest!


honest!

There were noticeably few bees in that tree when it was in flower, and we have hundreds of unpollinated tiny green fruits falling off the tree now.

I realize that this is risky, but if you got a good sized wooden box and carefully cut the ball out (after dark) and put it into the box, you'd have your very own pollinating hive on premises. Of course, it would be better if you had an actual hive with comb base and all but I don't know where you can get that sort of thing over the counter in LA. Ought to be somewhere . . .

 

[jomar]

No, that was me, kinda... But I gave myself a good talking to and told me to cut it out.

Chicken, chicken, chicken. I'll give you a dollar. I'll just stand over here.

 

[ms.read]

just buzzing through...

lovely pic of the hive stella. are they the big bumble bee ( they look fuzzy even on thier body) or the smaller bee kind?

 

[Stella_Omega]

just buzzing through...

lovely pic of the hive stella. are they the big bumble bee ( they look fuzzy even on thier body) or the smaller bee kind?

Honeybees!

Bear; I've been mulling that over in my mind. They are up at the top of the tree, and I don't have a head for any sort of height anymore-- nor a steady ladder. BUt if i put the box nearby, they might move into it on their own, so I've heard...

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Honeybees!

Bear; I've been mulling that over in my mind. They are up at the top of the tree, and I don't have a head for any sort of height anymore-- nor a steady ladder. BUt if i put the box nearby, they might move into it on their own, so I've heard...

So have I. Good luck! You know how bears love honey . . . If it was a weekend, I could be of help. I've got an 8' orchard ladder and love heights. Unfortunately I don't love trying get across the Basin on a weeknight during rush hour.