Misc Articles

submitted by Donna Hartley

With the advent of longer and warmer days the Pikes Peak Beekeepers are starting to get phone calls in and around El Paso County here in Colorado. People who have bees living in their walls or around their homes and outbuildings are noticing them becoming active again as they are slowly coming out of winter hibernation. On relatively warm days the bees are doing their cleansing flights from their winter homes which consists of housekeeping by removing dead bees from winter die off. They are also hungrily searching for extra food and water and will gather around bird baths, bird feeders, etc. at this time of the year.

The honeybee is a fastidious housekeeper and these cleansing flights are important. The bees are not ready for the shock of having their homes moved as it’s still too chilly and we no doubt have some snow days ahead before the cold season is done. The bees will retreat on these cold days to huddle or cluster together back into their homes in walls, hives, etc. They are busy creatures and are seldom aggressive with anyone unless batted or touched. They also have a certain landing pattern to get in and out of their hives and if a person stands directly in front of it, it is disturbing to the scurrying bee. They will bump into a person and quickly fly around him.

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During this time homeowners will call the Pikes Peak Beekeepers hoping someone will come out and remove the dwellers to a new home in the form of a wooden hive. The beekeepers can only ask for patience now and caution the anxious homeowner to wait for the onset of early summer. Snow can come late here in the high country. It’s heartbreaking to see an otherwise healthy hive that has survived the winter perish because someone decided to plunge into the removal job prematurely. The removal of the bees at this time can be almost a certain death sentence and therefore the bees need to remain with their winter home until they can be moved safely. The chill and disruption of their food supply can only cause severe problems on these winter days.

This morning my husband put out pollen patties for our bees and they quickly arrived on our porch in the thousands. By noon he had to put out more food. They are searching discarded soda cans and uncovered garbage for sugar water; then they search bird feeders hoping to find new pollen among the seeds. My husband and I move familiarly and freely back and forth among them and they are, as usual, hardly interested in our presence. If we are wearing our bright yellow jackets, they will frequently land on us to investigate this possible source of food and then fly off to look elsewhere.

It is good to remember that they are bothered by dark or red clothing or hair. They can’t see red and identify it as dark which signals danger to them. A bear is dark and they are instinctively nervous about that coloring on an animal exhaling carbon dioxide. That can mean a human or a bear.

When a home or property owner finds a swarm or hive he’d like to be rid of, we encourage them to call Mike Halby of the Pikes Peak Beekeepers to get their name on a list. He will list the homeowner’s address and phone and send one of us out to take a look at the location of the hive. It will be dealt with as soon as it’s safely warm. The beekeepers will call the homeowner to make an appointment for a removal of the entrenched hive.

At this time we caution the property owner not to spray anything into the hive, even water. It is illegal for a reputable exterminator to eradicate a hive of honeybees that can be moved and we get referrals from exterminators to take care of honeybees they have been mistakenly called for. By the same token, a beekeeper is not an exterminator and will refer you to one if it’s not a hive of honeybees he’s seeing. Around July of every year the beekeepers get calls to remove "aggressive" honeybees which turn out to be yellow jackets on further inspection.

Spraying anything into a hive of honeybees or closing up an entry hole will cause the homeowner further problems when the weather turns hot. If the bees inside are dead and the temperature has climbed, there are no bees in the home to keep the honey and wax cool and solid. Things start to melt and the bees aren’t there flapping dtocci@juno.comtheir wings to keep the hive cool. No creature works harder for her home than the honeybee!

I often tell the story of a property owner who purchased a house where the bees in the ceiling of the living room had been exterminated. Everything was fine until summer came and he suddenly had honey running down his ceiling, onto his sofa and carpeting. When my husband cut into the ceiling there were seven square feet of comb. What worked in the cold weather was now an expensive disaster.

If the bees arrive in a swarm or ball in the spring warmth and settle in a tree or on a house’s eaves or windowsills or in the garden, the beekeeper will come out and remove the swarm for no charge. The bees will be removed to a hive and settled into a new home out of the family’s way. In this case the call should be made as soon as they are noticed.

The swarm or ball of bees is looking for a new home and may settle into a nearby house or tree or just move on after a couple of days. It’s much cheaper to the homeowner to remove a swarm than a hive living in a wall. The Pikes Peak Beekeepers don’t charge for swarms but I always encourage people to make a donation toward their gas as the beekeepers may travel a distance to remove a swarm for the property owner.

Please remember also that an adult (over 18) is needed on the premises while the beekeeper is there. That can be a trusted friend or neighbor but we ask that you never leave a minor there in charge. Beekeepers always consult with the homeowner about any steps to be taken.

The Pikes Peak Beekeepers can be reached at Mike Halby’s phones at 719-528-5483 or 719-651-9399.

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