Hi All
 
Yesterday was a beautiful day in the eastern cape. The eucalyptus
trees are flowering and supers filling noticeably despite the
shortening days and pesty predacious birds.
 
Swarms are numerous from wild hives, and some of these had settled in
the roof of an Anglican retreat in the mountains near my town. A
number of San Franciscan monks are about to move in there so the
sisters resident there now called me in to get rid of the bees as
apparently the brothers heard about the bees and fear for killer
bees.
 
Nevertheless, in shorts and t shirt I sat on the rooftop of the
chapel removing tiles and large honey combs under the rather slack
jawed stare of the local gardener (who had previously tried to remove
the bees and ended up in hospital).
 
Once removed I smoked the bees out and they settled in the tallest
tree nearby. The top section of the tree was quite thin, so after
talking for a while with the relevant sister (in charge of the
garden) I recieved permission to shoot the top branch of the tree of.
Half a box of ammo later (.22) the swarm came down neatly and landed
in a lump on the lawn and rapidly resettled. I trimmed the branch,
put the whole lot in a microwave oven's box (sent in advance by kind
people from SF) and drove away in my car - leaving a gardener who
could not understand what his ancestors were up to. (Xhosa people
believe the bees are the ancestors - I am therefore on better terms
with the gardeners ancestors than he is as I recieved no stings even
although I probably put a few bullets through some of them!!)
 
Oh yes - in the distance I could see the light blue ocean with a few
ships on it and a nice yellow beach. One of those days that stands
out as being 'special'.
 
I am sure it will rain this weekend.
 
 
Keep well
 
Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey