Today we got a phone call from our friend, Kayo, to say that her bees are on the move and if we want some we should come and get them.... Fortunately I had to look after the kids, but my husband went after work and helped to bring a group of bees back. I have no idea about bees, but apparently at this time of year a queen bee from within a hive decides to take off and takes with it a whole lot of workers. They swarm and then make a protective ball around their queen until the workers find somewhere suitable to built a new nest. If you can find them while they are waiting you can put them in a net bag, hang them up in your car and bring them home.... which is what we did (well I wasn't actually involved in this step but I was cheering for them from a very long distance!).
The next step is more difficult - you have to get them to like their new house, otherwise they will just toddle off to another spot. The inside of the hives were painted with sake and honey (I'm not totally sure why...) and then put in their resting place (by this stage it was 8pm and pitch black!). The bees were tipped in and the hive completely sealed. In about half an hour I have to go and help pull the bottom board out and then just pray that the bees will stay in their home rather than all leaving. Maybe I should have ordered a bee suit for myself as well as my husband....I'll keep you updated of the progress!
No comments:
Post a Comment