Bees. Life on the farm with swarms

Last year, about this time, we were visited by a wandering swarm of bees. They landed on the upper floor of the house and found a little niche to get into the attic. However, after one day, they left and formed a ball in the nearby tree. We were relieved, thinking they were headed to another part of the world. Silly us.

They returned to the house and began to set up house keeping. Knowing that we didn't want bees in the attic, we sprayed  and killed them. Hard thing for a gardener to do, but the cost of having them professionally taken out of the wall was high...and the keeper told us there are too many Africanized bees hives here in the south. That no self-respecting keeper would take on wild swarms. He would kill them also.

Well...fast forward 12 months. This lovely swarm landed in our front pine tree. It was there for five days before the exterminator could come and take it away. He wrapped the entire ball in a bag and then gassed them. Again...sorry fate for the bees, but our house and the lingering smell of last year's honey was too tempting to hope they would move  the woods. 

The keeper thinks there must be a huge bee tree somewhere nearby that is "throwing these swarms" off. I will buy my honey in a jar thank you. I am thankful also for zoom lens!