Bee Swarming Basics
An informative and entertaining letter to the editor of the Times-Standard this morning explaining the how and why of honeybees swarming. This is the time of year they do it in Humboldt. As the lady suggests, if you want a swarm removed, call a beekeeper, not an exterminator.
We had a swarm show up in our back yard some years ago. I didn't notice it at first. They didn't make much of a fuss. Then the wife pointed them out to me. They were hanging on the arbor maybe fifteen feet from our back door- a big blob of bees. She called a beekeeper to have them removed but they'd already moved on before he showed up.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 9:23 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
And, learn the difference between honey bees and yellow jackets. Nobody has any interest in handling wasp nests except exterminators. I get at least one hive every year in McKinleyville. If I catch it early, I take it out with a water hose. One I found in a bush was a bit more problematic. Once I even found wasps coming out of holes in the ground... wasn't aware they could have underground hives, but there definitely was a mess of bees in the dirt.
I'm not sure, and there are probably thousands of wasp species, but I don't think wasps swarm the way honeybees do. I'm pretty sure yellowjackets don't.
And, yes, yellowjackets often form nests in the ground. I've had at least one bad experience after stepping on a yellow jacket nest. The entrance to the ground nest is often up to 3 inches wide, but it's often hid by foliage. They seem to like ivy and that's one reason I stepped on the one nest.
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