I am still kicking my self in the butt over this colony. I was called
to the sight in mid October to remove the bees. As it was so late in the
year and there are no feral colonies, only recent swarms, I was not
really interested in trying to save mite infested bees I would have to
treat and feed all winter. So I did not care for the bees or the comb as
I should have. This was my fourth tree this year.

The tree was pushed over last spring, to make way for a subdivision. The
day before I arrived, the tree was cut into logs, on its way to becoming
fire wood. When these cuts were made the log rolled.

These were the comb bottoms when they were built. They appear to be
correctly oriented as originally built. Spending the summer with the
tree horizontal they were the south end of the comb. I do not believe
they were vertical for the summer but as I was not present when the log
was cut, I am not sure. The comb was all in use. There were no empty
areas.

After the damage was done many of the bees were in a hive body; the brood
was all dead and the comb robbed out. I let the yellow jackets and ants
remove what brood I couldn't shake out.

All the comb except in the very top of the original space was black and
thick walled. The cells in the bottom of the space were small. I now
conclude I have encountered a true feral colony. No one, in the club,
has seen one since '98.

The last time I opened the hive body, the evidence indicated laying
workers. There are still a few bees coming and going on the warmest of
days. Whether they are robbers or the last of the originals makes no
difference, without a queen, I lost it. I will try to get a trap hive
in the area, come spring, but I have had no luck with trapping swarms in
my own bee yard.

Micky
12/8/02