Our Friendly Bees

I've posted before about the bees that live at our house.  When they first moved in, I'll admit, I wanted them to move along, but now they've grown on me and we're sort of attached to them.  They live in the column that supports the overhang by our side door.  If there was a way that they could get into the roof of the house, they would be exterminated by me and a can of wasp & hornet spray in a skinny minute, but they can't since everything is sealed with vinyl siding.

There is a 1/4 inch gap between the top of the column and the bottom of the roof overhang and that is where they enter and exit the colony.  This was a brilliant choice of a home by the queen bee.

A column full of honeybees

It is a perfect place for them to live.  They are protected from the weather and from people (like me) that would want to steal their honey.  We love honey and use it in place of sugar.  We eat raw honey each and every day.  All day long the bees work, flying in and out of their hive.  In the evenings when they settle down, we stand by the column and you can hear the vibrations of the buzzing of thousands of bees.  It is kind of unsettling!

A little closer

On particularly warm afternoons, our bees become very active and fly around a lot. They've never stung any of our guests, but when they are really flying around, we bring visitors into our back door.  (Nothing says welcome like a swarm of bees!)

Sonnier Bees

When it gets really hot and humid, they cluster around the entrance to their hive and make 'beards.'  I wanted to read about why this occurrence happens, wondering if they were about to swarm.  

Bee bearding

Bee bearding is not about swarming, but is all about the bees attempting to regulate the temperature inside of the hive. During cold weather, they huddle together for warmth.  During hot weather, and particularly in an over-crowded hive, extreme temperatures brought about by the weather and close proximity of the bees in a confined area puts the colony is in danger.  If temperatures are too hot, the young brood could die.  Bees will fan their wings to cool things off and will exit the hive and beard by the entrance.  This cools the inside of the hive.

We're cool!

The bee bearding usually happens in the afternoon to early evening and in the morning, they are all back in the column as the temperature goes down overnight.  It is fascinating to me how they instinctively know how to regulate the temperature in order to help the colony survive.  Bearding is one of the techniques they use to do this. Now, I've seen people get bees to make beards on their bodies.  I would never do that in a million years.

Our bees are doing a good job pollinating the plants in the garden and our fruit trees and I hope they stick around.  I just wish there was a way to rob some of the honey without destroying the column!  My beekeeping friend has crafted a plan, but it involves the destruction of the column.  I don't think that's happening!  If you come visit us and are afraid of bees, knock on our back door, instead!