We got a call from a friend who was doing a removal and it got bigger than he could handle on his own. This hive was massive and required a different approach. Steve's call for assistance was very warranted, my gosh this was a big colony and it was really hard to get to the comb. Let me first describe the house, it was a cantilever design that sat on the edge of a bluff and the house hung out over the side.
Normally you would go at a colony from below but that wasn't possible hanging on the side of a bluff. Very cool setting and interesting design for the times. The house was going through a major remodel but in reality I think they were almost building it from scratch.
Built in the early seventy's I think the bluff side was all windows in the form of sliding glass doors and the corners of the house were solid (not safety glass) glass windows beveled together floor to ceiling. Apparently the people who owned the house originally loved to see the bees outside the windows. so they had closed up the gaps to keep them outside the house but allowed them to stay in the floors. For at least 10 years this colony of honeybees thrived in this house and regularly put out swarms to the neighborhood.
Since it was mostly being rebuilt and demolished we luckily were able to cut, smash and tear our way through the floor joists, boards and duct works. We never found the queen but in the end this removal produced over 4 colonies of new bee hives. The honey was delicious and the board picture with the spiraling comb allowed us to taste different honey in each area. It was amazing the variety of different flavors. We have to thank the builders and new owners for contacting us wanting to save the bees....we all need A Future With Bees...
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#savethebees #afuturewithbees