I learned what I know from books and online courses with no in-person experiences. We made swarm boxes, hung them, and surprise! some bees came last week. We just installed them into a horizontal Layens hive, but we have so many questions - that's why I'm here. The swarm is a late May North FL swarm. This seems like a super helpful forum. I'm not well-adjusted to forum layouts yet, but eager to take advantage of all the previous interactions here and maybe, one day, be helpful to someone else. :happy:
I'll list a couple issues here in case someone has any insight after reading my intro. If I need to make a separate post, let me know.
1. When we opened the swarm trap, there was a significant pile of wax pieces (not comb pieces) at the bottom of the trap. Surely this isn't normal. After spending 10 days in the swarm box, they only had a small piece of comb to show for it. What would cause this inability to build comb, instead dropping it to the floor? Could the Florida roaches/palmetto bugs be disturbing them (saw two in the trap)?
2. When installing the bees into the hive, we did find the queen, captured her in a clip, and placed her in the hive. In the process of relocating from the tree right down to the hive, the colony swarmed at least 3 times, trying to settle in the new hive. Is this normal or does it indicate a problem?
I have concluded as a newbie that this is a weak, late swarm and may not make it. But they might surprise me in their resiliency.
Welcome to Beemaster, Michelle! :happy: Don't worry to much about the forum organization. Just post whatever you'd like where you think it would be best, and if something isn't to our liking, either myself or another moderator will move it and leave a link to the new location. No harm, no foul. :smile:
Quote from: Michelle on June 03, 2024, 05:36:54 PM
1. When we opened the swarm trap, there was a significant pile of wax pieces (not comb pieces) at the bottom of the trap. Surely this isn't normal. After spending 10 days in the swarm box, they only had a small piece of comb to show for it. What would cause this inability to build comb, instead dropping it to the floor? Could the Florida roaches/palmetto bugs be disturbing them (saw two in the trap)?
Were these wax pieces scales directly from the bees' wax glands? Did you have any comb in the trap? A swarm that has bees producing wax should be able to make comb. But if the swarm sat camped out for a while and the bees were running low on honey in their crops by the time they finally chose your trap, they may have just not had enough energy and wax to build any more than the small comb they made. We have cockroaches and wood roaches here in NC, and I will often see them in underpopulated areas of a hive or between inner and outer covers, but they've never done any damage I'm aware of.
Quote from: Michelle on June 03, 2024, 05:36:54 PM
2. When installing the bees into the hive, we did find the queen, captured her in a clip, and placed her in the hive. In the process of relocating from the tree right down to the hive, the colony swarmed at least 3 times, trying to settle in the new hive. Is this normal or does it indicate a problem?
What exactly do you mean by "swarmed"? Did you have the queen in a clip in the hive, and the bees returned up to the tree several times? Or did the bees exit the hive and return again without landing anywhere since the queen wasn't with them?
Welcome Michelle!
Welcome, Michelle and good luck with your bees. Free bees are the best bees.
It may be that this is a secondary swarm. Sometimes a hive will swarm multiple times and the late swarms often have virgin queens in them. That you found a queen argues against her being a virgin because they are very hard to spot, but there may have been another queen where the swarm had originally landed, or they are just going back because of the queen scent. Sometimes it takes them a while to settle and if the collection site is close to the landing site, they might not settle for a bit.
Were they starting to build comb in the tree? If so, that will attract them back to the spot. It would also explain the wax bits you found. If they were already building elsewhere, they were producing wax for that hive.
Did you try feeding them in the new box? This will often help anchor them in the hive box. I don't know what your flow is like where you are.
Welcome to beemaster. Poke around. Use the search feature. Jump in! :grin:
QuoteWere these wax pieces scales directly from the bees' wax glands? Did you have any comb in the trap? A swarm that has bees producing wax should be able to make comb. But if the swarm sat camped out for a while and the bees were running low on honey in their crops by the time they finally chose your trap, they may have just not had enough energy and wax to build any more than the small comb they made.
Yes, it was the wax scales, like a bunch of clean wax crumbs on the floor. They only built about a 3x2 inch piece of comb in the swarm trap after 10 days of living there. I don't have a feeder yet, but could try to cobble one together with an extra frame. Maybe that should be my priority today. Our sunflowers are just starting to bloom so hopefully that'll help.
The swarm is 12+ days old (from when they showed up on our property). I'm debating whether I should release the queen today or tomorrow from her clip. With so little comb, I don't know how the next gen will make it. :sad:
Michelle I sent you a pm
QuoteWhat exactly do you mean by "swarmed"? Did you have the queen in a clip in the hive, and the bees returned up to the tree several times? Or did the bees exit the hive and return again without landing anywhere since the queen wasn't with them?
We placed the hive right below the tree their trap was hanging. It didn't take long for the small beard on the tree to leave to find their queen, but in the process of trying to rehome the colony (all while the queen was clipped), the ones already in the hive left the hive, flew around erratically, then slowly settled back into the hive. They did this 3 times. This morning, they're all in there except a small beard under the hive entrance (as if they still don't smell the queen). I scooped them into the top of the hive where the queen is. I suppose they were just confused and disturbed from the sudden eviction. No one got stung so they weren't too upset with us. One of my teens found and clipped the queen without equipment (inspired by Texas Bee Works, haha).
Just so much to learn and observe. Thank you for answering my questions! I plan to get connected with a local bee group ASAP. I think BeeMaster2 runs it, so I should be in very capable hands :happy:
Quote from: Michelle on June 04, 2024, 11:07:19 AM
I don't have a feeder yet, but could try to cobble one together with an extra frame. Maybe that should be my priority today.
I'd normally recommend feeding 1:1 syrup with a ball jar over the inner cover, but that's not a setup that will work with a Layens hive. We do have a regular member who uses Layens hives, so maybe he'll chime in.
Quote from: Michelle on June 04, 2024, 11:07:19 AM
The swarm is 12+ days old (from when they showed up on our property). I'm debating whether I should release the queen today or tomorrow from her clip. With so little comb, I don't know how the next gen will make it. :sad:
I don't usually cage a queen when I catch a swarm, so I can't speak to that either unfortunately. If you feed them though, I'd probably release her, since that will help them get started on normal colony operations as fast as possible.
Quote from: Michelle on June 04, 2024, 11:18:05 AM
Thank you for answering my questions! I plan to get connected with a local bee group ASAP. I think BeeMaster2 runs it, so I should be in very capable hands :happy:
Most certainly! :happy: Please feel free to keep us updated on the situation, and keep asking any questions that may arise. It's not only a opportunity for you to learn, but our other members as well.
If you have a good flow then after 12 days you probably don't need to feed. I only do it for the 1st couple of days with a new swarm as long as there's stuff blooming.
12 days is a long time to keep a queen caged. Are you sure it's a mated queen?
Perhaps you got some good private advice.
Quote12 days is a long time to keep a queen caged. Are you sure it's a mated queen?
Sorry, let me clarify. The swarm arrived 12 days ago in a swarm trap. I left them alone for 11 days and moved them yesterday into their stationary hive below the trap. Only then (yesterday) did I put the queen in the clip to make sure all the lone foragers came back to the new hive and she didn't leave prematurely. I let her go this morning and they've stayed put so far.
As far as whether she is mated, it was a feral swarm so I don't know.
I had a great conversation with Bill who lives near me (Thank you, Bill Murray!). He gave me some great advice and homework. I'm working on a feeder right now. We do have some stuff coming into bloom but the main honeyflow, apparently, in our area of NeFL is basically over.
Hoping the best for this late swarm. Learning what I can while I have them.
The dropped wax scales is still a mystery....
That makes more sense :grin:
Good luck with them. Sounds like you are off to a good start and it's all a learning experience anyway!
Hello Michelle,
Welcome to Beemaster.
Swarms are wax producing machines. Once caught a swarm that was on the side of a commercial building for several days. They had balls of wax on their abdomen and on a paper plate that I used to move them. The wax you found, did it look like comb or just balls of wax?
Jim Altmiller
Hello!
QuoteThe wax you found, did it look like comb or just balls of wax?
It was little balls of wax. The sight of it is like coarse salt. And it was just piled up on the floor of the swarm trap. They were indeed producing wax but not building comb with it; just dropping it on the floor.
Do you know why they would do that?
Quote from: Michelle on June 04, 2024, 08:45:40 PM
Do you know why they would do that?
they cant keep a secretion, nor mind their own beeswax ?
sorry, couldn't help it ... it's a disease
Quotethey cant keep a secretion, nor mind their own beeswax ?
:cheesy:
I know little to nothing about this stuff, but now feel guilty so I'll try to help anyway ...
Were the interior surfaces of the swarm trap primed with beeswax?
And especially if the interior wasn't coated with beeswax ... high humidity/moisture in the box ... that might hydrate the wood and make it harder for them to get the wax to adhere? ..and thus increasing waste wax
and ... welcome to Beemaster !
and glad to see you have a sense of humor for dad jokes :cheesy:
Quote from: Michelle on June 04, 2024, 08:45:40 PM
Hello!
QuoteThe wax you found, did it look like comb or just balls of wax?
It was little balls of wax. The sight of it is like coarse salt. And it was just piled up on the floor of the swarm trap. They were indeed producing wax but not building comb with it; just dropping it on the floor.
Do you know why they would do that?
I wouldn?t think the following would be the problem since the bees have been in your swarm trap only 12 days. But in the past when I noticed what you are describing, was a SHB indication. It seems just before a hive is slimed by SHB larva I will see this on the bottom board and just outside the hive on the ground. I don?t think this is your problem thought. So as animal. I don?t know either. 🤷🏻♂️ 😁
Quote from: animal on June 04, 2024, 09:34:17 PM
I know little to nothing about this stuff, but now feel guilty so I'll try to help anyway ...
Were the interior surfaces of the swarm trap primed with beeswax?
And especially if the interior wasn't coated with beeswax ... high humidity/moisture in the box ... that might hydrate the wood and make it harder for them to get the wax to adhere? ..and thus increasing waste wax
Except the overwhelming majority of the wax would be built attached to other wax, not to wood, and they did manage to build a small piece attached to a frame, so that doesn't seem likely to me. On the other hand, I have no better explanation. :sad:
Thanks, y'all, for trying to troubleshoot this with me. All my equipment is brand spankin' new, so for now, I'll enjoy the honeymoon period of having an absence of pest issues. If only the bees could figure out how to make the hive homey for themselves. I still have a small remnant outside of the entrance bearding who can't seem to smell the queen inside. I've scooped some of them in but they still gather outside. Maybe the smell of the fresh hive is masking the queen's smell yet. My rookie guess for all this is something is wrong with the queen (maybe queen is old or not mated?). Even if this round doesn't make it, hopefully, their short time in residence will help other colonies feel more at home in the future.
All else aside, I'm hooked on this beekeeping stuff and so are two of my kids. Even if this swarm fails, it won't be our last attempt at starting our venture into beekeeping.
Wishin' you all a beautiful summer! :cool:
Michelle,
You mentioned the fresh smell of a new hive. Is the inside of the hive painted in some way?
How much comb have the bees produced?
If they are making a lot of comb, the small amount of wax is not abnormal. When they stop producing lots of wax they will probably use the wax that was dropped. Bees do move wax around when food runs low.
Jim Altmiller
QuoteIs the inside of the hive painted in some way?
How much comb have the bees produced?
The hive was dipped in wax at manufacturing. Nothing out of the usual.
When I peeked in this morning to check on the feeder situation,
I discovered they had absconded. :cry:
All that remains is a little orphan beard outside the hive. There were about 8 dead bees on the hive floor.
They had only made a small piece of comb on one frame in all the time they were here (14 days).
Conclusion - it was a weak swarm with a weak queen.
Jim, should I rehang my swarm traps here or is it fruitless to try for another swarm this year? We are not deterred. If swarm season is over, I will aim for a swarm or package next year.
Thanks, everyone for your support!
QuoteI don't usually cage a queen when I catch a swarm
[/i]
Nor do I unless I find multiple queens. And this is speaking in terms of a swarm on a limb or something similar, not in a swarm catch box. In the case of multiple queens I was taught by Jim and others here, that multiple queens usually mean virgins are onboard as well unless one or more swarms joined together.
See the topic Dissecting a Swarm
https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=54466.msg495006#msg495006
In your case, since the swarm was caught in a swarm trap, I dont know. Could have been a virgin swarm. (Swarmed with a Virgin Queen perhaps.)
If so; It could be that the virgin caged queen
was left caged a little too long and the bees simply gave up and went back home. I am using this for just one example of several possibilities. If a virgin queen is the queen of the swarm, it would seem imperative that she is allowed to mate ASAP. Otherwise the nature of survival will take its course and the bees may not stay with an unmated queen for very long. Just a guess in the dark. There are other possibilities as well.
Was this your first bees? If so, dont give up. May I encourage you too persevere!
Phillip
Is there a chance it was a virgin queen and she's off getting busy? If so, is there a chance they'll return?
or would there be more bees left at the hive if that was the case?
or would the queen be in the orphan beard?
just curious
That's disheartening that they took off, sorry to hear about it. Hopefully, you can learn from it and prevent it somehow next time.
Animal I wish I could give you a yea or naw answer. I will have to guess once they go back they will probably stay, most probably leaving an orphaned queen.
I really doubt they will return to the relocated swarm box, once their permanent home is established again at the old location.
The original hive which Queen was left to mate unrestricted, is probably well on its way by now. So I would not think they would go back to the swarm box to take up residence with the orphaned queen (if that be the case). 🤷🏻♂️
Please allow, this is based on my own theory and could be completely wrong. :grin:
Phillip
Quote from: Terri Yaki on June 05, 2024, 02:19:02 PM
That's disheartening that they took off, sorry to hear about it. Hopefully, you can learn from it and prevent it somehow next time.
We all learn as we go. It could be other possibilities that they may have left as well. I hope the heavy hitters will chime in and discuss other possibilities as well. Together we learn.
Phillip
so if the queen had gone off to mate, the rest of the bees would have stayed behind for awhile for her return ?
How long does a mating flight usually take? (I had just assumed a matter of a couple hours.)
ok.. just looked that last one up .. 5 to 30 minutes ! ... not much of a honeymoon .. so that implies the rest of the swarm doesn't have much time to wander off, I guess
Agreed lol 😁! Not much of a honeymoon lol! But remember they have more than one honeymoon as I have learned here at beemaster. They make multiple mating flights.
I really doubt that they left during her mating flight. You ask what would be the case (if they did) and I answered the best of my ability with my assumption in such a (hypothetical case). My answer was not written in stone but an honest effort to answer based on instinct of my limited experience with a hypothetical answer.
Phillip
yes, thanks !
I was confused and you helped a lot
Thanks animal. Man I hope so. I dont wish to lead anyone wrong.
Phillip
Quote from: Michelle on June 05, 2024, 01:31:28 PM
When I peeked in this morning to check on the feeder situation,I discovered they had absconded. :cry:
All that remains is a little orphan beard outside the hive. There were about 8 dead bees on the hive floor.
They had only made a small piece of comb on one frame in all the time they were here (14 days).
Conclusion - it was a weak swarm with a weak queen.
Sorry to hear that, Michelle! :sad: Seems like they might have been more trouble than they were worth though. There isn't by chance a queen in that beard on the outside of the hive? If there was a queen in that cluster and a queen inside, it would explain why they didn't go in.
QuoteIt could be that the virgin caged queen was left caged a little too long and the bees simply gave up and went back home.
Here's a summary of events -
Day 1 - Feral Swarm from unknown location showed up at swarm trap and moved in. No intervention.
Day 11 - We took down the trap after 10 days. Put the queen in a clip and moved swarm trap frames to hive below swarm tree. Noticed lots of wax crumbs on floor of swarm trap. Very little comb built.
Day 12 - Took queen out of clip. 3/4 of bees inside. 1/4 of bees bearded outside of hive below entrance.
Day 13 - Queen and bees inside absconded. Small beard outside remains - no queen with that group. I'll double check
The queen was only clipped overnight and was free the remaining time. I really don't think we did anything out of the ordinary to discourage their staying, unless my curious kids' presence observing them was subtly threatening.
Quote from: Michelle on June 05, 2024, 05:00:11 PM
I really don't think we did anything out of the ordinary to discourage their staying, unless my curious kids' presence observing them was subtly threatening.
I sincerely doubt it. It sounds to me, since it's not swarm season where you live, that they were an abscond already or a very late weak swarm with a virgin. Whatever problems they were having weren't caused by you and your children, the bees brought their problems with them, in all likelihood. As I said, it may be for the best. Better to catch a big strong swarm and start your beekeeping journey that way, rather than with bees who are struggling.
Thanks for the encouragement. In the meantime, I'll keep reading and listening on Beemaster and dream about my next swarm next year.
:beemaster:
eh, some hives are just swarmy, and I found this more true with smaller after swarms. But hey, you learned some stuff, so it's all good. You may get another this year.
Quote from: Michelle on June 05, 2024, 05:19:08 PM
Thanks for the encouragement. In the meantime, I'll keep reading and listening on Beemaster and dream about my next swarm next year.
Or do a cut-out! :cool:
maybe it's like the "throw'em in the river" version of learning to swim, but there are lots of people on this site to throw lines and boat donuts to ya .. :smile:
... this from a proverbial dog paddler...
All we can do is speculate and wonder. My swarm hive isn't big on building come either but fortunately, I had more comb to give them.
QuoteOr do a cut-out! :cool:
maybe it's like the "throw'em in the river" version of learning to swim, but there are lots of people on this site to throw lines and boat donuts to ya .. :smile:
... this from a proverbial dog paddler...
Thumbs Up. That was my way of obtaining my first hive.
Michelle; Looking at your timeline I agree with last few post: Member, Kathy, and Terri. I especially agree with animal about the cutout; but I will say it?s not for everyone and if you choose to go the cutout way. Please do your homework first. It was a very rewarding experience for me but I was glad I did my homework first.
Phillip
I have no idea what a cut-out is. If you have a link or a thread I can check out, I'm game! I'd rather try something than twiddle my thumbs.
A cut-out is when you remove a bee colony that is living a structure, like the wall of a house or something like that, or from a bee tree and put them into a hive. If you peruse around the Bee Removals section, there should be lots of info.
Michelle,
Our swarm season runs from February to late September. Depending on the location and flows. In Jacksonville this is especially true because people have planted all kinds of trees that have flows at different times. Being in Macclenny you have way more flows than I do out here in the middle of Osceola National Forest where our bees will start starving here in another month or two until fall.
Bill Murray lives close to you and can give you a better idea of when your flows are.
Keep your swarm traps set. A full size hive makes a good swarm trap.
Jim Altmiller
cut-out is how I started (not exactly willingly) and rather than describe it as "rewarding" as Ben did. I would use terms that can't be printed on this site...
However ... I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, but I would do several things differently than the first time. The biggest surprise to me was how weak the comb actually is, so my biggest screw-up was dropping a big slab of it on my head and painting top of head to middle of back and chest in bees and honey. As it turns out, it isn't pleasant.
but if you can still let them come to you ... :cool:
Quote from: Michelle on June 05, 2024, 07:10:39 PM
I have no idea what a cut-out is. If you have a link or a thread I can check out, I'm game! I'd rather try something than twiddle my thumbs.
It's when someone tells you by one of various methods, that they have honey bees living in a structure. Walls, floor of a shed, etc and you go cut them out. I don't feel the need to rise to that task.
Well, if cutting out is what Texas Bee Works does, then that looks fun! Problem is, the only place I know of with bees needing removed is in my friend's backyard tree. He says come and get them, but they're inside the tree with the opening at the base of the tree, so I'm just going to put a trap near there and wait till they're feeling swarmy - unless anyone knows of a real way to get to the bees.
The bees we had were pretty chill and let me scoop them by hand. I discovered that I'm more likely to get stung bumbling about with thick gloves than by patiently and deftly working with bare fingers. Cool experience!
Jim, that's super helpful info! I've been scratching my head trying to correlate the "flows" I've read about in Russia with Florida's. Big difference, eh?! :cheesy: Thank you. I'm hoping to meet you at Firehouse this month. And I'll put my traps back up tomorrow with renewed hope. :happy:
if he doesn't want the tree ... chainsaw
If he doesn?t want the tree don?t cut it down. You want to cut it open and remove the comb/bees. I had several calls after they dropped the tree to come and get them. Almost every time, large numbers of bees were killed as well as the queen. To make matters worse, the bees were mean as can be making the job more challenging. Then there is the problem of the comb is all mashed together and then you find out that they spayed the bees with bees g poison. Call me if you decide to cut them out.
Jim Altmiller
It looks to me like if you post ads on craigslist or fakebook marketplace, that you take swarms, you'll get all kind of calls for removals. Both easy grabs and hard cutouts, if that's what you want to do. I follow my local club on fakebook and see many posts from people looking for swarm removal. In that case, the early bird gets the swarm and they do get spoken for quickly.
Here's a fine example. Maybe it's even close to you.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bees/comments/1d970zf/bee_neighbors_need_help/
Quotethey do get spoken for quickly.
I used to get tons of calls for both swarms and cutouts. That was before everyone started keeping hives to save the bees. :grin:
I don't do cutouts anymore because the unions here got twitchy about people doing work on homes. Guess I could still do outbuildings but they are a lot of work.
So many beekeepers around here I don't get calls much anymore. Most of them are Yellowjackets anyway.
OH, Michelle, that reminds me, If you get calls for swarms/bees ask people to take pictures for you and text you. I have had people call for all kinds of things that were not honeybees. I have had people call and want to know if I could come pick the bees out of their flowering bushes :grin:
cutting the tree down first ... yellow jackets ... picking bees out of bushes ... the public never ceases to amaze :cheesy:
Sometimes when they call you and you're in a sarcastic mood, those types of calls can be fun, though...
yes mam , no problem, I can send a guy right over to remove those bees and blooms. But it sounds like a seasonal infestation so I recommend removing the bush before the problem spreads to every flower in the yard. You haven't seen the bees on other flowers yet have you? YOU HAVE !! In that case everything flowering will have to go. I won't be able to get to it for a few days .. so please ! and this is important ! warn all the neighbors of what is going on ! ... and call me back to let me know what they say about their situation ...
:grin:
I did have a woman refer to a hornet nest as a beehive once. They had built it directly on the soffit so it was a cone hanging down and about 12" in diameter. It did look kinda like an upside down version of a beehive like is drawn in cartoons, but still.
I grew up in a rural area where all of God's creatures ran wild so I'm pretty familiar with most of the normal stuff and where it can be found but I have come to grips with the fact that many people do not know one from the other. One of my city slicker buddies just saw his first ever turkey buzzard. :cheesy: OTOH, I get a kick out of people who insist in wising me up that bald faced hornets are not, in fact, hornets. Who cares? I mean really, do you not know what I'm referring to? I have also had enough bad encounters with them that I have no problems ensuring that they will not sting me, ever. I just try to get pictures and try to advise them on what they have and what it can or will do.
.. and hardly anything sold as a bolt is a bolt, but who wants to say "hex head cap screw" or any of the other names for specific fasteners ... I will continue to knowingly(and sometimes unknowingly) call some things the wrong thing to get a point across ... but there's gotta be a line somewhere !
:cheesy:
I think for me, the line is where they start wasting my time :wink:
and it's fun to say "clip" at the range with an evil grin on your face (and an as-yet unrevealed Garand in the case) :grin:
Thanks for the laughs, guys! :cheesy:
I just love how this forum can go from giving insight to hive behavior to volunteering to accompany me in sawing open a tree! My kinda people.
I've already counted this experience more than a win. My 12-year-old son begged me to do bee projects today instead of his homeschooling. He's resetting the swarm traps and even building me a trap stand in one of the trees to set the swarm trap on. Better than book work any day! Our bee garden is about to burst into full bloom. We just need some bees here to enjoy it. I just might ask my friend if he wants to keep that bee tree after all.... ::buzz buzz:: <-- chainsaw, then bees :wink:
Quoteand it's fun to say "clip" at the range with an evil grin on your face
Nope. It's not hard to say magazine and if it doesn't ping it ain't a clip! :grin: That's my brothers rule, BTW. They used to range master a lot.
I also take strippers to the range for some rifles and many that have detachable box magazines can take strippers ... so your brother's rule is suspect and he's fair game for the "I'm empty, could you hand me another clip? while your buddy has a few strippers concealed in his hand :wink:
(call this a tip if you ever want to get under his skin)
strippers can be fun both at the range and talking about using several at the range in front of someone that hasn't ever heard of 'em :cheesy:
Quote from: Michelle on June 06, 2024, 01:02:01 PM
I've already counted this experience more than a win. My 12-year-old son begged me to do bee projects today instead of his homeschooling. He's resetting the swarm traps and even building me a trap stand in one of the trees to set the swarm trap on. Better than book work any day!
That's awesome! We're a homeschool family too, so I can certainly relate.
Quote
animal
Sometimes when they call you and you're in a sarcastic mood], those types of calls can be fun, though...
yes mam , no problem, I can send a guy right over to remove those bees and blooms. But it sounds like a seasonal infestation so I recommend removing the bush before the problem spreads to every flower in the yard. You haven't seen the bees on other flowers yet have you? YOU HAVE !! In that case everything flowering will have to go. I won't be able to get to it for a few days .. so please ! and this is important ! warn all the neighbors of what is going on ! ... and call me back to let me know what they say about their situation ...
:cheesy: :wink: