The Bees in the Tree Issue

I thought it might be nice to give you an update on the bee issue in this tree.

DIL Tami Enright is the co-founder and Director of THE BEE CAUSE. (There is a good online site to that group.) So that’s where I went for information. Tami sent me to a local beekeeper for guidance, after noting that perhaps a beekeeper could use available hormones to encourage these bees to move.

BUT, the beekeeper noted that while that strategy might work, the tree is likely FULL of honey–in a place that is virtually impossible to reach–so other bees would find this site and move into the tree.

So there are two options left to manage this situation.

One is to have a beekeeper, who is dressed for protection, cover the entrance permanently with a mesh that prevents the bees from entering or leaving that space. Yes, the colony would die, but no other colony could get established in that tree.

The other is to just leave the colony alone. And that action will depend on the wishes of the two adjacent homeowners (one of whom are new owners and have not moved in yet) and our HOA. The tree is in the middle of the two houses and likely on HOA-owned land.

The sidewalk is not far away, so other neighbors and neighborhood walkers are afraid of the bees. Note that bees don’t really attack unless someone gets right up close to their nest. I don’t know how close the mowing happens… Or if a curious child might wander too near the bees. So I don’t want to totally discount these fears.

I also don’t know if perhaps that big Live Oak is now hollow and poses a risk. Live Oaks are highly prized here–they are so emblematic of this coastal area, with their huge spreading moss-draped crowns. BUT, my family just this past week had to cut one of these trees as it was hollow and was no longer safe. Inside at the bottom was a racoon nest full of babies!!!

Yes, the babies were relocated gently to a pine-straw nest made in nearby woods, and the mother retrieved them as soon as things quieted down in the area.

Is there anything cuter than a baby animal?