Bee tree from a distance.
Zooming in to the front door.
While following the run up through the swamp, we happened upon a bee tree. (It's that tupelo gum just right of center - the one with the hole at the top.)
Honeybees have had a hard time for the last several years so it is always encouraging to find a wild hive working. Years ago it was a common sight to see swarms up in the swamp, now it is a rarity. We wish these bees good health and good luck.
6 comments:
Sweet! (No pun intended.) And are your temperatures warm enough for bee activity?
KaHolly
We've been having highs in low to mid 50s the past few days. Prior to that we had a couple of days in the 60s and 70s. Of course, this being NC, the weatherman is calling for highs in the low 40s this coming week -- late winter tends to swing from one extreme to the other around here ;)
I haven't managed to find any bee trees here, though we did have a bee water meter! Meter reader killed them before we could call someone to move them. Ar!
Rurality,
Don't you just hate that! Some beekeeper would have gladly taken care of the bees. I second your "Ar!"
The coolest bee experience I've had (and this is coming from someone who grew up terrified of bees) was at my second job as a naturalist: finding a free-form wild hive/comb draped over the branches of a tree. Never got a photo of it...more's the pity. It was of impressive size and a beautiful golden yellow color.
NatureGirl,
How cool! I've never seen a free-form hive, only pictures taken by others. You're right, though, they are a lovely color and I really appreciate the fragrance of the comb.
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