Post by rendezvous on Jan 21, 2015 16:02:59 GMT -5
I thought the queen was the only girl?
We had a swarm in a cherry tree one time, about the size of a basketball in the crouch of a limb and went down the main limb a little too. My wife call the "Bee Guy", he came to take them away. He didn't wear any bee gear and search through the swarm with his bare hands for the queen. After awhile he gave up, backed his truck to the tree til the tailgate was touching. He had a hive on the tailgate and would pull the panels out, letting the bees crawl on it. He would put that panel back in the hive and did the same with a couple other panels. Then he just sat there sipping on lemonade, waiting for the other bees to go to the hive. He felt pretty sure he got the queen. My wife asked him, don't you get stung? He just said, occasionally. It didn't seem to bother him? She video tapped the whole thing, from a distance. She was allergic to bees.
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
histopicker
Swamptalker Extrordinaire Swamp Talker of the Month - 02/2015
Post by histopicker on Jan 21, 2015 16:25:04 GMT -5
The Queen and all the worker bees are female, The drones, male bees, do no work, have to be fed and have no stinger. All the drones are removed from the hive in the late fall and the hive raises new ones each spring.
Post by rendezvous on Jan 21, 2015 18:12:35 GMT -5
I didn't know the workers were females! I did know drones didn't have stingers, the Patterson twins brought them to school in mason jars one year('69), on the bus they were taking bets that they would put the bees in their mouths. I think I loss my milk money that day...
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
histopicker
Swamptalker Extrordinaire Swamp Talker of the Month - 02/2015
Post by histopicker on Jan 21, 2015 19:35:55 GMT -5
they are. This photo was last spring. They are actually finding some pollen right now but I have no earthly idea where it is. Our daytime temps are around 60f now. I need to get into the hives and see how much honey they have left from the fall and start giving them some more room to expand. the fruit trees will be blooming in three or four weeks and the dandelions should be coming on soon.
Post by rendezvous on Jan 21, 2015 19:41:14 GMT -5
I have another "Bee" story. I worked on a farm as a young man. Mr. Truncali knew I like to hunt, fish and trap, he would pull me off the job for excursions. One excursion was to check on his bee hives, one time he told me he heard a bear was getting in them! When we went to the hives, we had no gear. He would tell you don't swing at the bee, you don't move. I listened and never was stung. Before we got back in the truck he told me turn around, he would check me for bees and flick off any that were there. He would then turn around, check me. We also checked some deer sign and did a little fishing.
Most of my stings came from running around bare footed...
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
rendezvous
Swamptalker Extrordinaire 07/15, 12/15 Swamp Talker of the Month - 2015 Swamp Talker of the Year
they are. This photo was last spring. They are actually finding some pollen right now but I have no earthly idea where it is. Our daytime temps are around 60f now. I need to get into the hives and see how much honey they have left from the fall and start giving them some more room to expand. the fruit trees will be blooming in three or four weeks and the dandelions should be coming on soon.
Unbelievable! It was -12 here this morning...
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
