So, a few weeks ago we had a pretty good windstorm. Went I went out in the backyard the next day, I noticed an usually large number of dead bees in the pool (there are always a lot of bees in the pool). I looked around, and found several pieces of honeycomb under one of my big pine trees. I looked up into the tree, but I couldn’t see if there was any hive left.
Over the next few weeks, I was still noticing a lot of bees in the pool, so I figured that the hive must still be up there somewhere. Then few couple of days ago we had a really violent windstorm. When I went outside yesterday, I saw another few pieces of comb, with bees buzzing around it (trying to figure out whether to tend it or give up, I suppose). I got my binoculars out, and looked up under the tree, and still couldn’t find the hive. I went outside a few hours later and there was another dinner-plate size of comb on the ground! I got the binoculars out again, and looked up and saw a huge piece of comb (maybe the size of a pizza) about 40’ up the tree. I couldn’t figure out how I missed it when I had looked previously, until I realized that it had fallen from even farther up, and was just barely perched on a branch, waiting to fall in the next windstorm.
So, there must be a really huge nest at the top of the tree. I’m willing to leave them be (pun intended), as long as they don’t bother my family. Of course, these are Africanized bees, so they have a reputation for being defensive and aggressive.
Yeah, that’s the problem…
I’m not even sure you could get a bucket lift up there - there are too many branches in the way.
My wife (who is Buddhist) doesn’t want to harm them (although she would be OK with relocating the hive). So, I’m inclined to just leave them alone, but I’m going to be very aware of them when I’m working outside (I got stung pretty good last year, when I was mowing the lawn - I ended up pissing off an (unknown) hive that was living in a rotted tree at the edge of the yard. Those I nuked, but that was before her conversion).
Do you know for a fact that these are Africanized “Killer” Bees? If so, that sounds serious. I wouldn’t piddle around with having those in the neighborhood. Nuke em!
It has to bee assumed that all wild hives are Africanized out here.
My understanding is that the Africanized bees out-compete the European ones in the wild, and so they are now the vast majority of wild hives in the deserts of Arizona.
Here’s a photo of one of the pieces of comb on the ground - it’s about 1/3 of the comb that’s fallen recently.