Exploring an Abandoned Bee House
Covered in greenbrier and shaded in the corner of the garden by the last of the fall leaves was an old forgotten bee house.
Instead of buying bees to make a full house, I had gambled that a wild queen might find her way to this wooden home-- guided by the forces that rule such a queen-- but she never showed up.
The Exterior
Nary a buzz coming from the old house, I moved it to the center of the lawn for inspection.
A window shutter blocks the light from the interior, giving the queen and her drones some privacy. The latches still worked, and I loosened one side.
Ants?
While the non-bee insects scattered, I removed the roof for a look inside:
These wooden slats in the ceiling are supposed to remain perfectly level so that the bees will build their combs along the ridges, and the pieces can theoretically be pulled out individually to harvest honey.
A wasp seemed to understand the design
Back to the window, the insects had not scattered, and with a closer look, these 'ants' turned out to be flying ants, or what we call termites around here.
The Bee-house Project
As part of a community project, a group of us got together and pitched in on the supplies to build a dozen of these houses, and we all kept a house-- the plan being to have bee houses all over the farm.
Later it was discovered that the climate here is perhaps a bit too cold for this type of bee house. Now I can see why: the floor of the house is just mesh screen, offering no insulation from the cold.
Possible Modifications
To make this house more hospitable to my wild wandering queen bee, it may help to take the legs off of the house and set the whole thing on top of a stone foundation so that the wind can't get through the floor.
The roof is just a sheet of tin, it could probably use some protective insulation as well, making it thicker and warmer like a hollow tree.
The house should be placed in a location that is shaded while allowing a little morning sun to warm it up on colder non-summer days, and with luck, a wandering queen bee might be told about this dreamy Ozark castle.
Maybe next year my wild queen will find her way home, and then I'll need a bee whisperer to persuade her finicky highness to part with a small taste of honey, if it pleases her.
Wait, you posted this before I put up mine...did I say bee whisperer to you, or did we have another synchronous moment?
Well the whisperer says put a few drops of lemongrass essential oil in a half a cup of canola oil, soak a shop towel in it and put it anywhere in the top bar hive you built, which he says you did an awesome job on, around May 20th. That should attract a swarm. Actually, I'm sure we'll be discussing it when we come ;)
It was both; you had told me about the bee whisperer, and it synched when we both posted bee posts just days apart, so I got the term from you, but something else made these two posts happen so closely together.
You're right! If I'm going to be on someone's wavelength I am so glad it's yours :)
Yay we have to save our the bee's :)
I offer a home for runaway queens, and the rent is free til I get my beekeeper's suit!
Think off all that lovely honey. I have been planting flowers that bees love, got a load ready for next Summer :)
We have a lot of fruit trees around here that the bees like too. My neighbor who has raised bees here once got a batch of clear honey from a hive-- it tasted like honey but it was odd to see such a thing as colorless honey.
(I saw that I'd missed this comment during the slow mechanics of commenting the other day!)
Thank you for replying. :) I have just started gardening this year I stuck with flowers three bees like, I now know what they realty like so will plant more needy year :)
Great shots, brother! And, and an even greater bee house. Too bad it's not fulfilling its intended purpose. You certainly did it justice though. I really like the angles and the extended explanation.
Speaking of bee whisperers, @dreemit actually posted something to that effect a few days ago. @dreemit's husband is one, so that might be a good option :) Talk about another synchronicity post haha!
Yeah I put the 'bee whisperer' reference in there for her intentionally, but I don't think she's seen this. I've been having fun lately documenting things with the camera, and I'm slowly getting quicker at changing settings for different needs, and getting more good shots as I learn about light.
I noticed the improvements with the shots, so great job with that! You got the angles down pat, and that's not something that cameras could ever enhance. That's just the artist in you in full swing, brother.
Oh thanks! Yeah I guess even a good camera can take a bad pic, just like a poor camera can take a good one with a little finesse.
I have also seen that type of bee keeping in near by villages. Honey bee are the symbol of inspiration for people to work hard for success. Thanks for sharing such an amazingly every steps of work by you for their protection. Wish you a very beautiful time my friend .
I'm glad to hear that these kinds of hives work where you are. Here, we decided that the winters were too cold for the bees, and now I'm glad I didn't put any in this hive, as they probably would have swarmed away. Thanks for looking, and please have a nice day!
Thanks for the sweet reply. Wish you a very beautiful time ahead.
That is quite unusual post we see here but I really love it. Bee house seems to have good consideration of architecture while designing.
It is a good design, we had a blueprint for the dimensions, and it would be good in a warmer region, or with some changes.
looking very interesting very cool pics :D