Save the Bees

Last Saturday, I was walking across our property and I could hear a very distinctive buzz, there was not doubt what is was the question was where were they. Up on the hill over a valley oak there was a swarm of bee’s the side of a small car. I tried to capture the swarm with a “camera” but this is one of those things that you have to see in person. Now our yard has a very healthy bee population, they love the Alove Vera, Santa Barbara Daisy, lavender, Rosemary and all the other pollen producing plants around. We so many things to feed on they never bother us while we are outside. But this swarm had me concerned, I hate getting stung! I was aware of a vineyard owner in Glen Ellen that had started to establish some hives on their property, so with their help we contacted their “bee keeper”. When they arrived the swarm had become a mass attached to the oak tree that they were swarming around. I now understand that what was happening is that a the swarm is looking for a new hive. The swarms job is to protect the Queens while the “scouts” are searching for that new hive. In our case the hope was to capture the hive and give it a great home on an organic vineyard and ranch in Glen Ellen. As we listened and learned the swarm released from the “mass” and started to move. Again something that can not be caught on film or explained, you have to see it. When a honey bee swarm looks for a hive they do not fly far at first. They may gather in a tree or on a branch only a few meters from the original hive. There, they mass around the queen and send 20 -50 scout bees out to find a suitable new nest locations. The scout bees are the most experienced foragers in the cluster. We figured that the scouts had found a possible hive and was moving towards it, we followed.

At one point we thought we had lost the swarm in the tree’s but all you had to do was listen, the “buzz” led us to a old Valley Oak that had a dead branch, covered in moss and a crack in the bark. The branch was covered in bee’s all stepping over each other to get inside, it seems that the scouts had for a new home for this group, the Queen was already inside and they were all back to work.

It is estimated that one-third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of which is accomplished by bees. Contract pollination has overtaken the role of honey production for beekeepers in many countries. But as we continue to see a decline in the bee population seeing this very organized community work together for a common goal was really exciting.

Take a look at http://www.save-bee.com/blog/index/type/2/ there are some really interesting articles. And remember to help Save the Bee’s

more hives at the Jardin Du Luxembourg in Paris

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