Whats Buzzing around.

R

R_Schra

Location
Netherlands
I was lucky it were bees and not wasps. Thay got agitated and buzzing around me but no stings :) It is (or was even more) a beutifull Taxus tree and i think one the eldest i know here. About 150-200 years quessed. 10 meters high and 205 cm circumfence at breast height. To bad they made that water beside it so groundwater level dropped almost one meter. You can tell for sure at the look of that taxus that it is falling back.
 

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I removed a large hollow oak that had a bee colony nested up in the top. A mad my last topping cut right above the hive and didn't even know. If i had cut a foot lower, I might not be here today. Anyway, we sure as hell found out when the trunk hit the ground. We had to leave the log on the ground.
I called a friend of mine who keeps bees and we came back to the log donning bee suits, and a smoker. We surgically opened up the log and sifted through the hive to locate the queen. Sadly we could not find her, between the log smashing down and cutting open the log, she did not make it or we could not find her. The hive was doomed. We were able to salvage about two pounds of honey though.

If we were able to find the queen, it would have been a very valuable find as wild queens are valued for their vigor. To get the hive, you must find the queen. The plan would have been to place the queen in a manmade hive and the rest of the hive would have found her and there you go. it was an awesome learning experience. Bees are truly one of natures wonders.

Kevin
 
When we remove trees with a hive in them we use our prentice loader and just take the whole hive to the beekeepers and the hive will relocate into the man made hives.
 
Once I was hauling a load of honey bee logs on a trailer through a busy street, around noon. Lots of two way traffic on a four lane road, along with many red lights.
At a red light, we would crack up watching the people haul ass rolling their windows up. Ha.
Those bees were pissed!
 
I hate bees!
Because of my job I get multiple stings at least every year and I have become increasingly allergic every time, So I may die of that long before I would of a heart attack.
John
 
Last week I was removing deadwood from a big nasty Box Elder tree in a state park. I was climbing up to the highest dead branch to cut, when bees started buzzing around me. There was a cavity with hundreds of them about ten feet under this branch. I asked the ground guys if we had any bee spray; no. I cut a 3 inch dead branch near the bees, and more swarmed out.
I had to decide if I should go for that higher dead branch. The branch was 5" dia. at the collar, and with a house below, I would have to rope it down. The cavity didn't look good, the trunk was maybe 10" dia. with all but the outer inch of wood remaining. I knocked on the wood a few feet up and it sounded hollow still. Box Elder isn't the strongest wood, ya know? ha ha!
I decided it would be safer to leave the branch and finish the other work on the tree. We have other work to do on the property soon, so we'll bring the bucket next time. I'd rather be attacked by bees in a bucket than on a hollow Box Elder branch 50 feet up.
I was planning on using Hornet/Wasp spray. After reading the previous posts, I think that would ruin some fresh honey. The whole limb should be removed, so maybe I'll try
to get some. Thanks for the idea guys.
The bees didn't sting me either, Schra.
 
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I hate bees!

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Bees are fine. It is the yellow jackets that I hate. I hit a small nest with my backhoe a couple summers ago. At the first sign of activity I was gone like a shot, but three of the little buggers got me before I could get away. I crept back ten minutes later and turned the tractor off. I came back after dark and solved the problem.

John, I hope the ticker is doing better.

Cary
 
I've been attacked on at least three seperate occasions that I can remember. Once by wasps, but only one sting to the back of the head before I flopped out of the tree. In my experience wasp stings hurt way more!


Man...each time, the most important thing I learned in hindsight was to CONSTANTLY be tied in.

I'm to the point now where if I'm fliplining up a tree, I always keep my rope and pre-tied friction hitch ready, and looking for a limb to tie into in case I need to burn down.
Personally, that's one of the biggest reasons I finish off a removal with a rope guide. I can't 'fly' down on spikes the way they do on Stihl Timber Sports. Can any of you? John
 
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I can't 'fly' down on spikes the way they do on Stihl Timber Sports. Can any of you? John

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I dunno, with bees chasing me I just might become an overnight sensation!!!
 
When I was 16 or 17 I had spiked up a Maple with my line clipped at my side and only using the lanyard. I got up around 35 feet or so and POW! You got it, lot's of hornets balsting me in the face, chest, neck and head. My only choice was to do the timber-escape down the trunk. I was not an overnight success! /forum/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
If the hole is small enough I have sprayed the expandable foam in the hole in the evening when the bees are back in the hive then i come back early in the morning and cut the tree or branch before they can escape. /forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Maybe I shouldn't admit this but for honeybees I've gone back at night and plugged the hole with a rag and a funnel and poured a half gallon of gasoline down the hole.

This has been for removals only. I've also found a second hole quite often and if that the case the next morning honeybees are everywhere. It pays to really search for other openings to pulg with gas soaked rags.

Dan
 
Djee, just see those replies :)

The bees from that pic i posted will stay there. I had feedback with nature preservers and community.

This was the second honeybee nest i found in a tree. Once i cut an hollow poplar that had one and i got about 1 liter! honey with those eggs in out of it.

Wasps are different, those are agressive. maybe not as much as hornets, luckily we donmt have those. Once doing some field mowing i got chased by wasps, i payed them back by burning the nest with 20liter gasoil. That almost cost me my facial hairs to..... (hot day, nest was in a pit, fireball about 20 meters diameter:))))) One bad day i really got stung by a wasp, again doing mowing a dike. it was steep and i got after some intensive work back up with a two wheel mower. then i feld the sting and within seconds i was jumping around with pants down scratching my 'bags'. told this before i quess.... /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forum/images/graemlins/9lame.gif
 
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