A buddy I work with called me today to tell me that he was stuck and ask if I would come pull him out. ( He was not stuck he was buried ) He said that he was about 1.5 miles down an old road and that he would meet me back out at the main road. While he was walking out he found an open air bee hive resting on the ground. So after we got him out he showed me the hive. The bees had started comb in the top of a little sapling about 3/4 of an inch in diameter, The sapling had bent over due to the weight of the comb and the bees and it was touching the ground. The bad part was it was right beside one of the mud holes
we had went thru to get him out, and every time we went thru the hole the water would wash up and get the bottom of the comb wet. I had a plastic tote in my truck so I poked some holes in it for air and then cut the sapling loose and placed the bees in the tote. When I got home I rubber banded the comb into some frames and place them in a 5 frame nuc and put a feeder on them. i wound up with 3 frames of comb. This was the 1st time I had ever seen an open air hive. The comb was all fresh white comb, do not know why they did not find a tree cavity to use.
we had went thru to get him out, and every time we went thru the hole the water would wash up and get the bottom of the comb wet. I had a plastic tote in my truck so I poked some holes in it for air and then cut the sapling loose and placed the bees in the tote. When I got home I rubber banded the comb into some frames and place them in a 5 frame nuc and put a feeder on them. i wound up with 3 frames of comb. This was the 1st time I had ever seen an open air hive. The comb was all fresh white comb, do not know why they did not find a tree cavity to use.