My wife and I have just started down the path of learning the art of bee keeping and today while walking in the woods in our back yard I ran across something I've never seen before. They are 5 honey combs just hanging out in the open. They are no longer active. I have attached a picture of them. I am wondering two things... 1. Will "wild" honey bee's be a problem to the honey bees I will be maintaining? 2. Why is this nest open?
Thanks!
Jeremy Cowgar
(http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/6491/honey1he0.th.jpg) (http://img518.imageshack.us/my.php?image=honey1he0.jpg)
http://img518.imageshack.us/my.php?image=honey1he0.jpg
1. No, wild bees shouldn't be a problem for your bees. If you have a weak exposed hive, they can start robbing, but this is only a very minor concern if the hives are maintained minimally. They can actually be advantagious if you have them around because they can throw off swarms that you can capture and get new hives that way.
2. If the bees can't find an appropriate cavity when the swarm is resting and searching, they will often just start a hive wherever they are. It is fairly uncommon, but it does happen. Up here in MI they don't usually last the winter and will die off fairly soon in the wind and cold. Yours look like they may have absconded(otherwise healthy but didn't like the location), that comb looks fairly new, white, and empty. If they died off, I think that the comb would be more messed up.
Welcome, and feel free to hang out, lurk and read, or get engaged and ask questions! One tip is to fill out your location on your profile, climate is a huge factor for beekeeping.
Rick
What beautiful combs. :-* Bees are Soooo amazing and mysterious. Thanks for the pic, and welcome aboard!
Quote from: jojoroxx on October 13, 2008, 05:38:00 PM
What beautiful combs. :-* Bees are Soooo amazing and mysterious. Thanks for the pic, and welcome aboard!
If you are interested, here is a better shot, also full size.(http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3239/honey2mc6.th.jpg) (http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=honey2mc6.jpg)(http://img412.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif) (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)
Jeremy
The "open" nest is quite common in the tropic/subtropic regions.
Hawaii has it's share.
doak :)
I have seen 5 or 6 like that this year.
amazing. Thanks for sharing.
I caught some bees like that on the eave of a house last year.
Maybe you could get the comb down, rubber band it in the frames your fixin to get, and that will give your new bees something to get started with. It sure is clean though, isnt it? :)
its a really good "find" too! Its not every day you come across something like this! (Well, unless you're JP...He Always finds cool stuff)
your friend,
john
That's some pretty primo white wax that'll go to waste, unless you can get it down for yourself.