Prelude “We have some bees, and need them to get out. You can have them, if you want to come and get them.” That is how the conversation began last week. I have been catching swarms the past couple of weeks, and so free bees always sound good. But I had a suspicion. “Are theyContinue reading “109… OW! 110 stings.”
Author Archives: Company Bee
My Girl and the Girls
Lucie does not like my side hustle. Not one little bit. Our dachshund is an intrepid eleven pounds of fierce play. She barks when someone is at the door, letting us know that there is a possible intruder. She is always ready to chase a stray squirrel or take on the neighbor’s rooster. She doesContinue reading “My Girl and the Girls”
Meet Queen Nohra
A week and a half ago, I responded to a request to remove a hive of honeybees that had set up their apartment inside of someone’s house. Re-homing bees does not always work. Sometimes, the girls decide the new space is too large, or not large enough, or doesn’t smell exactly the way it should….Continue reading “Meet Queen Nohra”
An Unsuccessful Blog Entry
He got to watch the bees invade his home. Cool, and terrifying at the same time. Greg Nohra was sitting in his home office, and looked up from his laptop and there were bees outside the window. Lots of bees. Fascinated, he grabbed his phone and started filming. And then he got buzzed. There wasContinue reading “An Unsuccessful Blog Entry”
Overwintering Bees
The week of freezing temperatures was a trainwreck. We all saw it coming, and we all flinched. The bees had been getting out in the warm spring air, coming back into the hives with pollen and nectar – and I don’t even know where they were getting it – when a week-long freeze showed upContinue reading “Overwintering Bees”
Foraging Bees
I am working on an entry on overwintering, but there is a lot of emotion there, because I lost a hive from the freeze. So I still have a little editing to do. Keep an eye out for it. Meanwhile, there are some of my girls out in the neighborhood, doing some foraging for theirContinue reading “Foraging Bees”
Yep. I Fell Through the Floor.
It is the first job of the season, and it came about in the usual way – word of mouth. Quinton, Toyota salesman extraordinaire, listened for a long half hour as I nerded out about bees in the Toyota showroom last week. I talked and I lectured, and, impressive salesman that he is, Quinton managedContinue reading “Yep. I Fell Through the Floor.”
Bees in the Mail
I ordered bees this week. They will arrive some time early in April. In. The. Mail. (I should probably mention to John, our friendly neighborhood mailman – that they are on the way. He might want to take a week off…) I have always thought that was one of the coolest things about beekeeping –Continue reading “Bees in the Mail”
In the Bleak Midwinter
When you buy a house that has been uninhabited for a long time, the first order of business is to evict all of the critters – living and dead – that occupied the space. Lane Campbell, my wife’s boss, bought a house this week. And promptly contacted me and asked if I could help byContinue reading “In the Bleak Midwinter”
How long have they been there?
With trees, you count the rings. With obsidian, you view the layers of hydrated glass. With archaeological stuff, you use 14C dating, or associated artifacts that have been securely dated elsewhere. One of the questions I usually get asked when doing a removal is “How long have they been there?” The homeowner just wants toContinue reading “How long have they been there?”
