Bees just got me

[tallyho8]

My phone rang while I was in bed but my back was too sore for me to answer it so I don't know if it was the Ag dept. phoning back. I have made up my mind that I am going to make a flame thrower tomorrow and zap that tree.

I have a few other friendly bee hives around my property and I don't want those to mix with the good ones. I have one hive in the overhang on my house that has been there a couple of years and I have not decided what to do with them yet. A few years ago we had no bees around and our garden suffered from it so I want to keep as many bees as possible.

The bees in that tree are not a typical swarm because bees in a swarm don't attack or sting because they have no hive to protect. Just last month a swarm of bees came out of my overhang and were in a tree in my front yard and I called a beekeeper to come get them. We were able to just walk up to them and shake them into a bag.

Enclosed is a photo I just took of the bees in my overhang. I put my hand in the photo just to show that these bees are docile and if they get crossed with Africanized bees I would have to terminate them.

 

[randy41]

swarms are usually docile as tally mentioned. you could try contacting the local bee club to see if they have some members who might be interested in catching the swarm. the swarm will move after a while.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I have made up my mind that I am going to make a flame thrower tomorrow and zap that tree.

OK...:confused2:

 

[Pilot]

Flame thrower, huh?

Then you inhale the burning poison ivy fumes and you have another problem, as well as getting stung by bees that get scared by the approaching flame and get away.

If you have some kind of protective suit, use a vacuum cleaner. For individual bugs, as the vacuum approaches, they hold on tight to whatever, hang on, hang on, then Oh, sh**! when they lose their grip and get sucked up. A vacuum is less likely to get the riled than most other methods. When I was in Panama and Africanized bees landed on equipment on the base, that's what the exterminators used.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I once used a pressure washer to tear up a nest of bald faced hornets...Nasty critters, but I did not get stung once...

 

[tallyho8]

My back was still too sore today for me to take care of the bees, maybe tomorrow.

I plan or working from inside my sealed truck with just a nozzle sticking out the window and the rest of the window sealed tight.

I don't plan on sticking around long enough for the fumes to infiltrate my truck and I guarantee you I will have it bee-proof.

Since the neighborhood kids are already shooting fireworks, I don't think any of the neighbors will even notice the small fire especially since it will be at least 1/2 mile from any homes.

I could probably figure out a way to vacuum up some of the bees, but the bees aren't the problem. The queen is the problem and I figure she is in the middle of the tree hollow and about 16' high where it would be awful difficult to get the vacuum to her. I don't think she will be able to escape if I have a roaring fire in the entrance to the tree.

I just don't want those bees to start breeding with the good bees in the hives around my house. Darn AG dept never did phone me back. Gov't workers

Maybe I can get my wife to take some photos.

 

[2manyrocks]

I'm more worried about your home made flame thrower than your bees. It just wouldn't do for you to get burned over the holiday weekend.

 

[lockhaven]

The bees will not cross that is not how they work. To change a hive the old queen must be killed then the new queen is put into the hive in a small cage that protects her because the resident bees will kill any bee not belonging to that hive. This little cage has a piece of rock candy or sugar for a door. By the time the resident bees have eaten through the candy door the new queen has taken on the essence of the hive and is accepted. In nature when a hive swarms it is because they have become too many for the hive so new queens are made several of them. when they hatch the first out will become the new queen the others not hatched are immediately killed. I think it is then the old queen leaves to find a new home. she may leave before the new one hatches I am not sure anymore it has been many years since my working with my uncle with his hives.

 

[Barton]

Well, the warning flags go up on this one!

Congratulations on escaping with "just a few stings and a sore back." You responded in exactly the proper way to avoid death. A local bulldozer operator ( one of many links here was stung to death by Africanized bees just last October and 3 more colonies (that I know of) have been found in Southwest Georgia since then.

I know that a lot of us on this forum take pride in our DIY skills and are able to save a lot of $, but... Don't forget about Murphy's Law. I cannot begin to think about all of the unintended consequences that may occur by taking care of this situation yourself with a home made flame thrower. For instance, what if the queen and a few worker bees escape the roasting and relocate and reestablish a colony somewhere else. Then someone (even you) "stumbles" onto the colony and is not able to respond quick enough.

If you can't get the state Ag Dept to respond contact your local extension agent and local honey bee association. They want to know about this and it's to the local beekeepers benefit to ensure that an Africanized bee colony is completely eradicated.

Another warning:

A bee colony in your home will cause a major problem. I have seen it happen. Think about the ramifications of having 100's of pounds of honey and beeswax stored in your attic, walls, soffit, etc, especially when it gets too hot. It is quite common for the ceiling and walls to have to be torn out.

I don't claim to be an expert, but my first full time job after high school was working for the largest privately owned honey producer in the US.

 

[jinman]

Dudley, it occurs to me that it's a good thing you don't have access to nuclear weapons.:shocked:

But hey! It's July 4th, so nobody would probably notice.:laughing: