A year ago I noticed a feral beehive living in a telephone pole in my neighborhood. When I last reported on them, I was surprised they were doing as well as they were. Frankly, I thought the hive wouldn’t last. The opening to the hive faces a sidewalk, there is a school nearby, the hive is shaded by tall trees, and I thought someone would see the bees and disturb them. The telephone pole is close to a small but busy shopping area, and lots of folks necessarily pass by them every day.
Thankfully, I was wrong. The hive is not just surviving but actually thriving, and is busier than ever (they have definitely increased their population) even in the middle of winter. I can spy more comb in their space, and I notice that they have enlarged the opening allowing for more access to the hive. While people walk by the hive all the time, it seems they easily co-exist with the bees.
How are your local bees faring?
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I was thinking about getting a split from this colony, but alas, we don’t have any more room for another hive. Sigh.
Great video. Bee sure to get a swarm from this colony, could be a very clean queen.
Hi Molly,
That is a cool story, the anise. Did you end up picking some of the seeds for your spice cabinet?
That story about the bee tree…that really made me mad. Who goes out of their way to set fire to a bee hive? When I was talking to the former owner of HMS Beekeeper in San Francisco, she told me that people like to knock down hives! If people were doing something they were passionate about, they wouldn’t have time to bother bees. Argh! I’ll get off my high horse soap box now…
Bless your mom for keeping an eye on the trees. I do hope they’ll come back too.
Thanks for writing.
~Mil
I’m sad to say the enormous bee tree in the woods behind the house where I grew up still has not recovered from whatever fool set fire to the tree a number of years ago. My mom still keeps an eye on other old trees in the area- we hope they’ll come back.
I do have a slightly more positive telephone pole related story: there was a purple, ferny interesting weed that I didn’t recognize growing right beside the telephone pole in front of my house. I decided to let it live in hopes I could figure out what it was. My grand clue came in the form of a young Arab-American boy and his immigrant grandfather who paused by the weed with a jolt one day. The grandfather inspected it, looked around somewhat furtively, and began pinching the seeds from the weed. The next day I had the courage to taste the seeds: anise. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.
I am surprised, but very delighted too. The pole is coated in tar, but maybe you’re right in that it has dissipated. I’m hoping they’ll make it another year.
That is just so cool. Nature finds a way! I guess if that pole was treated whatever was on it either didn’t penetrate all the way in or has dissipated by now.