Bee's home under limb on tree needs removed

[ToBold]

I have a lake lot that I visit several times a year. The last trip we have found that a bee colony has made a nest under one of the limbs about fifteen feet off the ground. We used some binoculars and noticed that there is at least three large combs created and covered with bees. Is this a safty issue? We did not have any problems with them, even when mowing the yard, but are concerned that they could be African Bee's. The lot is on Palestine Lake close to Tyler Texas. What should we do with them, if anything?

[Michael Bush]

Since we, on this forum, raise bees, we don't generally think of bees as pests. Usually on this forum subject we talk about diseases of bees and the pests we talk about are things that kill bees.

There is always the complex issue of what constitutes "safe". If there is a one in a million chance of something and you are the one, you probably think you weren't careful enough.

On the other hand things can work out to be the opposite of what you think. If these bees survive the winter, which they probably won't, and they continue to live there they will fill a gap in the ecology that might otherwise be filled by some Africanized bees moving in. It might be safer to have them there than to remove them.

I have fourty bee hives in my back yard right now. In fact I have one hive in my living room (under glass with a tube to the outdoors). Obviously I don't consider bees a threat in any way. The world is full of pollenators, as evidenced by the fact that life continues on this planet, and many of them can sting you, but few of them ever do.

What you have probably looks a lot like this:
http://www.beesource.com/eob/feral/index.htm

If not, then maybe it's something besides bees.

[ToBold]

Thanks for the reply Michael. The attached site that you sent looks like what I have on the property. I will just let them continue there adventure and hopefully they will find a better place before winter so they don't freeze. I never have been scared nor concernedwith bee's and have helped my Grandfather collect the honey from his boxes when I was younger and he was still around. The concern of this colony is because it is outside just above the trailer door and we have young grandchildren, so I just needed someone that deals with bee's to let me know what they thought.
The only thing I would want from them is the Honey http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif - and I don't think I can climb that high.
Thanks for the reply.

[Robert Brenchley]

I've lived with bees on my allotment for years, and only get the occasional sting when I open a hive. There's nothing to be concerned about; bee 'attack' incidents usually occur when somebody does something idiotic like spraying them with a slow-acting insecticide or throwing stones at the colonies.

------------------
Regards,

Robert Brenchley

RSBrenchley@aol.com
Birmingham UK

[Michael Bush]

Your grandkids throwing rocks is not an unreasonable expectation eventually, but then they have to learn to listen sometime. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif

Once they build that much comb they probably won't move. How cold are the winters there?

[ToBold]

Heard all that. They will learn if they try it, and will also learn what the "Peach Tree Switch" our grandparents refered too is all about. I will just watch them, the kids too, and maybe the grandkids will also see that nature is interesting. Who knows maybe the colony will stay and it will really get large.
Thanks for all your replies.
Tommy