Garth wrote:
>
> Hi all
>
> Just thought I would share some interesting things that I have seen
> to do with bees lately:
>
> I removed a beehive a few days ago from a three storey building. I
> put up scaffolding below the entrance. The bees in my area are
> usually docile and safe, but these seemed to have more of their true
> african bee haemolymph than the rest and they flattened me. It is
> much more difficult putting scaffolding up with a bee suit on!
>
> Anyhow, I drilled out four bricks to a happy cloud of bees. Got into
> the hive and found that the other side of the wall was actually below
> the bath in the flat. This is in a school so the bath is well used
> and a pipe runs from the geyser through the hive. This goes to a
> hostle kitchen where cooking happens all day. Anyhow, I removed about
> sixty kilograms of comb, capped, from the hive. The brood nest would
> equate to about seven or eight frames. For the middle of winter this
> hive was cooking! Anyhow, I removed the bees and came back the next
> day to patch the hole. The bees were really lucky with this spot! I
> felt inside and it was about luke warm in there, heated by the pipe!
> So that's how they got away with such a big winter nest! Most of my
> hives have only two or three frames now for winter, and the weakest
> have less than one.
>
> Secondly, a few months back one of my hives swarmed. I had it near a
> train line, and just as the bees were moving the train went by and
> they all settled on the branch again? Is this a confirmation of the
> thunder and lightening/bangin pots theory?
>
> Then there are the things that crawl into the hives: So far I have
> found: Slugs-more and more of the slime balls
>            Snails-on the top board
>            Earthworms: I found three earthworms in the middle of the
> broodnest, curled up in cells. It appears they like the moisture.
>             A legless skink: gave me the fright of my life as it is
> like a small snake.
>
> Anyhow, those are my strange sightings and interesting things (well
> at least they seem to be interesting to me)
>
> Keep well
>
> Garth
>
> ---
> Garth Cambray       "Opinions expressed in this post may be those
> 15 Park Road         of Pritz, my cat, who knows a lot about
> Grahamstown          catfood."
> 6140                       *[log in to unmask]*
> South Africa               Phone 27-0461-311663
>
> In general, generalisations are bad.
> But don't worry BEEEEEE happy.
Great story Garth, interesting to hear what is happening with bees on
the other side of the world.
Best wishes,
Doug McCulloch