I learned today that the wild bees near me are living without the use of chemicals. The one bee tree found as swarmed twice this spring and there are now 3 working bee trees in the area. The University--Virginia Tech released a paper stating that the bees are not treated and they show no sign of any mites. They don't know why though. I am going to experiment with 3 hives this year in the woods without chemicals. We will update this next fall and spring. I think it is so funny that the experts are stumped but the best beekeeper I know of are the bees themselves.

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), May 12, 2000

Answers

Sounds like it's pretty good news for the bees, too, Joel!! I am very happy to hear this myself. I don't keep bees (maybe someday I will make the effort) but I consider myself dependent on them. So hurray!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), May 12, 2000.

Joel--I have a question for you? We are planning a family reunion at an old school-(community center)--which we are trying to save which is another story---but there are bees going in & out of the sidding on the back of the school. Do I need to call a bee keeper to do something with these bees? There are several swarming there! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), May 12, 2000.

Yes, call a beekeeper. If they are honey bees he will catch them and if they are yellow jackets he will help exterminate them.

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), May 12, 2000.

Joel, they are honey bees as my Dad use to keep bees--I'll call a bee keeper in that area this week end! Thanks! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), May 12, 2000.

Joel,

A few days ago I heard buzzing around a locust tree blooming in my yard. Upon investigation, I discovered it to be covered with honey bees. There were more bees than I've seen since I was a kid! I was surprised and very pleased. I live in NE Oklahoma.

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), May 15, 2000.

Hi--Joel, on Sat we had a bee keeper come & look at the bees at the school house. We decided we would have to tear half the side of the schoolhouse off to get the bees out! So kill them or what----we decided to run a long piece of plastic pipe up the side of the school house wall where they were going in & out & see if we could vert them to going in & out at a much higher level & then maybe the kids at the reunion won't get in the center of where the bees are going in & out! Sunday we checked afer putting the pipe there & 90% had found the higher opening & were doing their normal business! There were a small amount still looking for the lower opening. Hope it works. The bee keeper said, it looked like a large swarm of healthy bees!

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), May 15, 2000.

I just found this thread. We are working up to getting bees next Spring and wonder - would it be best to put our hives in our woods?

-- Yolanda Breidenbaugh (ybereiden@peoplepc.com), June 22, 2000.

Yolanda, there are a number of factors involved in hive location (e.g. avoiding depressions that encourage premature frosts, year- round access, water, proximity to horse pasture, etc.), but generally speaking, you might want to think in terms of placing your new hives on the south side of your woods, or just inside the south edge. Most "experts" advise finding locations that provide morning sun, afternoon shade if your region has really hot summers, and some kind of barrier from cold north winds in the winter. Good luck.

-- Rog (flanders@probe.net), June 22, 2000.

Yolanda, it will also help if they have a source of water nearby.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), June 22, 2000.