LA Backwards Beekeeper Roberta writes:
Mary from Chatsworth called the Bee Rescue Hotline about a two-year-old hive in a tree. The city came by and cut the tree down but the hive remained safely in the stump. There was a hole in the center of the stump but we couldn't see the hive.
It was the perfect scenario to use the new Bee Removal signs that Ceebs made. I love these signs. We put them up all along the sidewalk.
I brought an electric chainsaw but this stump was stubborn. Luckily we had half of the team from the Pierce College cutout. At one point, we had two electric chainsaws going and then a neighbor brought over his bigger gas chainsaw which was really powerful but still not enough.
The homeowner tried to move the stump with a chain strung through the stump and attached to the hitch of his huge truck, but it didn't budge. Then a couple of crow bars and a couple of car jacks were brought out to break apart the stump. Finally the stump gave up and exposed the hive which was in a part of the roots.
There were a few combs with a tight brood pattern. The bees had retreated into the hive with all the noise and when cut out they were very docile. We tied the comb into frames and left the frames in a nuc to encourage the bees out of the nook and crannies of the stump.
The homeowners invited Anne, who will collect the bees, over on Tuesday. He wanted to make sure she had some taquitos from his neighborhood "taquito Tuesdays".
This neighborhood is wonderful for bees and people. We found out about two other hives while we were there. And many neighbors came by to say how they support bees. Mary also brought us some sandwiches to thank us for the hard work.
I'm still kind of sore from holding that chainsaw. What a day of beekeeping.
—roberta
