Killer Bee Hive Found on Property!
Save the Bees or Save Ourselves?
When Bryson discovers a beehive on our property, he has to make a decision on what to do with it. The last thing he wants to do is destroy the bees, but with the fear of them being “Africanized”, even the experts advise killing them.
Some fears are legitimate and others have been over-exaggerated. Beekeeping has been on Bryson’s bucket list. So he digs in and begins to study bees. Here is video showing his “Bee Adventure”:
Note
When "Killer" bee hives get large they can be extremely dangerous. The man referred to in the video that kills large hives is doing a service if that hive is in a populated area.
Update
There are some bees still lingering in the hive. Bryson has discovered new bees being born (they have white on them). Now he waits to see if the bees grow in numbers and if they can produce their own queen. There are conflicting reports on whether they can “make” their own queen or not. He's told that these bees will die off, but as long as the bees do not give up, he's not giving up on them.
Here is the hive two weeks after capturing it. It's growing...
Update to the Update
Unfortunately, the bees decided to move on. They didn't last quite a month before the hive was completely abandoned :(
CHECK OUT THE NEW UPDATED VIDEO OF BRYSON'S SUCCESS!
Third Time Charm
Bryson is plotting his next “bee” move. There is a larger hive lingering under a fallen wall of an abandoned building on our property. After talking more with the local beekeeper, he learned how to successfully capture the hive. Bees do not fly at night, they crawl. He will quickly sweep them all into his hive but this time, he will completely lock them down for three days. When he opens the entrance to the hive, the bees will decide if they want to stay or go. But how could they resist Bryson’s happy little home he has built for them :)
Shelly
August 2014
How to Build an inexpensive Top Bar Hive: http://www.scribd.com/doc/168332145/How-to-Build-a-Simple-Top-Bar-Hive
Here are some additional links with good information on Africianized Bees:
http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/africanized-honey-bees/management-strategies-for-africanized-honey-bees-part-1/
chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/http://ag.arizona.edu/urbanipm/buglist/bees.pdf
Partners
Resources
www.greenhomebuilding.com/adobe.htm
www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles.htm
www.earthbagplans.wordpress.com
We moved from the city to the country in 2005. Since then, we have been building structures, raising livestock and growing some of our own foods. We are crazy about family, nutrition and want the best for our growing family.
