Friday, January 31, 2025

Relocating Our Grumpy Pollinators


Bee keeper Shawn searching for the hive in our wall

If you walk past my yard, you will see signs that read, "Plants for Birds" and "Rainwater Harvesting Basin at Work." And you're likely to see birds enjoying the desert trees and bushes in our basins. But you might wonder how exactly those basins are "at work" considering we have had so little Winter rain? While things are looking a little sparse this time of year, the basins are still providing shelter for pollinators. A few of the pollinator plants I planted this year are hanging in there, like our Mexican Honeysuckle and a pine needle milkweed.


But it's the remaining mulch (made up of woodchips, mesquite leaves, horse purslane and poppy stems) that provides a nesting place for our native bees. We are always amazed to see them show up in mass when the desert broom blooms. #lovemyrainbasin


Meanwhile, in the backyard we had a less welcome pollinator - Africanized honey bees. They had built a hive in the hollow support post of our back wall - right by my little veggie garden. For a while, I just lived with them - cringing when they buzzed by my ear. But then it happened... I was picking a piece of plastic out of the nearby compost pit and disturbed a bee that chased me through the yard, into the house, through the hallway, all the way to the back bathroom - where it stung me. Yep. It was time to get them out of my garden. 

I posted a note on Tucson Beekeepers Facebook page asking for help removing the bees without killing them. A few days later I got a message from Shawn (amateur bee keeper and all around bee lover) offering his services. That was the start of our bee relocation adventure. 

This process wasn't as fast and easy as simply exterminating them. It ended up taking almost three months. Unfortunately, ours was a particularly difficult removal because the bees were well established. Usually it takes two to six weeks.

First, Shawn sealed several cracks and holes with caulking just to see better where they were going in and out. They chewed right through it like was nothing but it gave him a good idea where it would need to be sealed with steel wool. But in our case it was the pretty much the entire wall that needed to be sealed with steel wool - since there were lots of cracks and holes left from the nails used by the previous owner to hold up vines. 


"The wall had so many cracks and pin holes that it was like Swiss cheese and every time we sealed them up they found another entrance further down the wall. And that's why I also offered to open up the wall to get them out that way so we weren't just chasing a very persistent hive." Shawn explained.

But apparently we can be just as stubborn as the bees, so we decided to wait it out. 

The next step was hanging a "trap out cone" which allows the bees to leave but not re-enter the hive. Since we were trying to safety remove them, Shawn also hung a box (called a Langstroth hive) and filled it with queen bee pheromones in hopes that the bees would move in there. 

Shawn used steel wool to seal any opening other than the one we wanted them to use which was through the trap out cone.


The bees that were locked out of the hive started to gather by the exit hole near the trap out cone. Why don't they just go into the box?!!!


Frightened by that swarm, I got Dan to water the few plants we still had growing under those bird cages (pictured on the right.) When it was my turn to take our kitchen scraps to the compost pile, I flung them and kitchen sink water into the pile (pictured behind the prickly pear cactus) and rushed back into the house as fast as my legs could carry me. 

On the other side of the fence the bees were trying to get back in so I had Dan water the plants in the backyard too. 


Then it was time to watch and wait for the queen to leave the hive - followed by a large swarm of frantic bees.

As I mentioned, it took nearly three months due to all the holes in the fence and because the previous hive had not been properly cleaned out or sealed. 

Shawn explained, "Since your wall already had a hive in it previously my guess is that there was already a comb built for them in there which is what takes the longest and most resources to build. They essentially got a free furnished home and only had to move in, so I'm sure they had a good stock of supplies inside which also contributed to why they were very stubborn ladies."

Since this process took longer than expected, we had to cancel having our eucalyptus tree pruned since the chainsaw might attract the already aggressive bees. Safety first. And I never did get my Winter garden planted. 

I wouldn't recommend doing this in the Winter since the worker bees get locked out in the cold. We saw some dead bees that had been locked out all night during the freeze. Why can't they just use the box? 

The bees nearly put a cramp in our annual Christmas sing-a-long celebration - since we hold it on our back patio. But we noticed that the bees didn't seem as active on the cold winter nights. To make sure, we performed a little test - turning on the porch lights and singing "Jingle Bells" at the top of our lungs accompanied by enthusiastic bell ringing. No bees in sight! The party was a go! 

We finally saw a wild bunch of bees swarming around the hive. Was this it? Was the queen finally leaving the hive?!!!  Shawn came with his smoker and bee vacuum and grabbed the hive to take it back to his property in Vail. 


I wish that was the end of the story, but a few days later we found these in the garden. 

 
"That may have been a new swarm trying to get in. Which again is why I would like to seal it up. It's a beacon to any other swarm to move into a fully furnished house You will have bees trying to get in as long as there are openings so I will check to make sure they are gone and then try sealing it up a bit."

Altogether Shawn picked up three good swarms! What's happened to the bees?

Shawn shared, "To save the bees I have moved them to my apiary here in Vail where they are next to the wash and have all the mesquite trees they could ever want without being in someone's backyard.
When spring rolls around we will requeen which means I will order in a gentle honey bee and replace their queen with her. That way when she lays eggs the new brood and bees will have those gentle genetics in them (since your girls have been very spicy!)"


I asked Shawn if the bees were doing alright. 

"Oh ya I checked in on them yesterday with my kids. We walked to their set up and could see them being busy bees bringing in pollen so they got right to work!"

LATEST UPDATE FROM SHAWN

"They have what's called "capped brood" now which means the queen has laid eggs they fed the larvae and they sealed up the cell they were in for the bee larvae to pupate into an adult bee. So they are doing well and very VERY spicy girls haha. They do not like me. haha." 

But Shawn definitely likes them... 

"I save the bees because they awesome! Just sit and watch them for a while and you'd be amazed at their little collective mind. They are also a pollinator for a lot of plants and while there are many other insects that aid in pollinating none that I know except for the humble honeybee that give us back honey! On my property I have a little orchard. So they love spring and go crazy for all the different apple, peach, pear and wildflowers I have. Then of course in my area we have acres and acres of mesquite trees that they collect the nectar from which gives you the signature mesquite honey."


I started doing this since I was beekeeping and one day a friend said they had bees under their shed and asked if I could help since I had a bee suit. I said "Ya, we can give it a shot" and went for it! And I fell in love with it! Since then it just has grown by word of mouth and referrals."

So that's our bee adventure! What I learned was to get them out as soon as possible when you see them. Don't let them go for months!  Don't let it go until Winter. And be sure to seal up the wall (and/or wash it out with soap) if you have bees exterminated or relocated. 

Thank you, Shawn. I look forward to getting back to my garden. 




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