Wasp Nest
Most people don't take the time to appreciate the intelligent design of the wasp nest for obvious reasons.
I always talk to people when I do removals and they find it hard to believe the intelligent design of a "simple bug". Humans don't have a monopoly on intelligence.
Apis Cerana, the Asian honeybee, unlike Apis Mellifera the European Honeybee, has an impressive playbook of tactics to defend their hives: hypnotic shimmering waves to warn off predatory hornets; defensive balls to roast intruders alive with their body heat; and, of course, their once-in-a-lifetime use of a stinger.
Add another weapon to its arsenal: wings. Scientists in Japan have learned that Asian honeybee guards use their wings to slap pesky ants into next week. Slow-motion video published with a study in the journal Ecology last week shows what happens when ants try to sneak into the hive’s entrance: The guard bee angles up to the ant like a tennis player setting up a mean backhand, then wing-smacks the ant so hard it tumbles end-over-end through the air as it plummets to the ground.
I completed a bumblebee rescue tonight. The nest, and it was a pretty large one, was inside of a dryer vent on the upper side of a condo. So everytime the dryer was used bunches of Bumblebees would come shooting out the vent...that's no way for them to live. I had to stick my rather large hand into a narrow tube and carefully remove all the bedding and nest itself and relocate it into a nesting box, while taking several stings and then seal up the vent to keep the returning foragers from going back inside. The box will sit there for a few days until the nest members all relocate themselves to it then be moved to a safe location so they can live out their cycle. This was the queen. The bumblebee species is the Two Spotted Bumblebee (Bombus Bimaculatus).
#mjdapiary
#beeremoval
#beerescue
#bee
#bumblebee
On today’s episode of play stupid games win stupid prizes, Dumb Ways to Die and The Darwin Awards.
This is another reason why I hate Instagram Beekeepers. They do very unsafe things without protection and have people thinking that anyone can do it..in fact a lot of people think they can. Most of us that do removals correctly are “Specialist”. Not all beekeepers can do removals the CORRECT way. Most are not insured and I’ve even heard of some giving the homeowner honey from the removal. Imagine that, honey that has been built around fiberglass installation, wood that has been treated with asbestos and mouse feces. Sounds pretty tasty, huh?
So on with my rant…. I had this guy call me Thursday. He sounded like he was in his 60s. He said that he had a swarm of bees on his soffit and wanted to know what to do. He initially said he had about 200 to 300 bees. I said that wasn’t a lot and he said he would send a picture. I’m starting to realize people don’t know how to count honeybees. The picture he sent me showed a couple thousand bees and he went on to tell me that there more bees earlier. I told him that two things could be going on. That a swarm had stopped to rest and moved on and these were the stragglers or that they had found a place to move into his home. He said that he went into the attic and didn’t see them. I told him that they would be in a cavity and not in his attic. I offered to come by with my thermal camera on the weekend and see where they were. He asks me if he could use a water hose and spray the bees that were there and get them to move on. I told him if he really wanted to get stung he could. He said that he would spray them and run once they stated coming. Seriously, this guy did not sound like he could outrun me. I told him that bees fly 35 miles and hour and that he would get stung by a few. This coming from a guy who initially asked if I could remove the bees “humanly”. So you want me to remove th
Started the morning in West Bend doing a honeybee removal and then ended the day in Fox Point doing a bumblebee relocation. These are Two Spotted Bumblebees that were nesting in a rolled up carpet. This is the second time in 2 years I've received a call like this. If you have any carpets rolled up outside, you may have a nest of Bumblebees living in it. These were moved into a nesting box for relocation. The homeowner said she got my name from a friend of hers in Illinois. I am known in other states... although it is only Illinois.
The Next removal will be set for next week Friday at 10AM. These bees have mare their home in an overhang in a house in West Bend. I was able to use the snake camera in order to get a look at them.
