WHAT A CRAZY DAY …. We had a bee swarm descend upon us …..just warning you now… if you don’t like bees, you might want to divert to another blog….
I can’t say that I am crazy about bees or that I even like them around…. but this was such an interesting event that I thought it was worthy of recording it here…
On Wed. afternoon, I heard a crazy sound outside… a LOUD whirrring… huh??? I looked around… then I LOOKED UP >>> OH MY GOSH>>> a SWARM of bees about 20 to 30 feet WIDE and about 20 feet up into the air !!! I was FREAKED OUT !!! I’ll admit it.. I called the police (not 911) and asked what do to.. they directed me to a beekeepers association website where I could find names of beekeepers that would come take care of swarms or hives. The bees settled down over the next 30 minutes or so and I spent the afternoon calling the beekeepers listed on the website… then the next day …..
ENTER JOHN SHOEMAKER… OUR HERO FOR THE DAY !!!
he promptly announces that he won’t be needing a suit or netted hat… OK>>>>>> Whatever you say John !!
So here is what the swarm looked like from peeking over our back fence:
this view is looking up at the back of our house from the street that runs behind our house:
Here are a few photos from different angles…. it was just the craziest thing to see up close!!
Every close up of the hive looked blurry… i think it’s their moving wings!!
OK>>> so, back to John our Hero…. here is his gear:
He used a low horsepower shop vac to vacuum the bees into a 5 gallon bucket….
After sucking up some of the bees, he quickly decided he needed a 2nd bucket!! He filled 2 buckets…he estimated between 20,000 and 30,000 bees !!!!!!!!!!!!
He has over 100 hives and takes them around California to pollinate various crops. He also cultivates the honey and sells that at local fairs and farmers markets.
I know some of you are laughing at this CITY GIRL.. this is just a whole new world for someone like me who has never been on a farm or been around anything like this…
He showed us the wax they had started to form for the honeycombs:
he was totally fearless… me on the otherhand.. I was a little more cautious!
Here I am with a neighbor and Jason talking to John … see… I look a little concerned.. LOL
here is our neighbor Sandy listening to the bees through the vacuum hose.. it sounded SO cool!
here is Eric listening to the bees in one of the buckets:
So, Thank You Bees for the excitement…. and thank you John for rescuing them and taking them to a new home… but bees.. please don’t settle here again… this was enough excitement to last me a lonnnnnnnnnnnnng time ! 🙂
WoW, I would have been so scared! The same thing happened here in San Diego on Tuesday afternoon at my Son’s Elementary School. My 5 yr old thought it was so cool.
OMG, did they suddenly appear? That looks like an established little community. YIKES!
holy carp, Patty! That was insane! Glad they’ve gone to a better place 🙂
oh my land!!!!!scary but how exciting to capture this on camera! I live on a farm ..have never seen anything like this!
just amazing! thankls for sharing
OMG, Patty! You are so hilarious with your descriptions and pictures. I would have freaked out. I am like you when it comes to bees, insects, whatever is creepy or crawly. I’m and half city girl, half country girl but have never…never seen anything like that.
Oh My Goodness! I would have been a total mess! YIKES!!! I hope they don’t return anytime soon!
Holy Moly! I would have freaked too. I can’t believe John didn’t use a suit. He must really be used to being around bees. Wow!
hey Patty
wow I grew up in the country and NEVER saw anything like that AND it’s Ok if I never do!!!!…how brave to take pictures…amazing how in just that short of time they started laying the wax.
right now I am dealing with a cat colony…no idea where they came from or why they like my yard but calling several cat rescue organizations to find homes for them
blessings
patti moffett
I’m with you!!! And can I just say WOW!!!
Oh, that is so CREEPY!! Makes my skin crawl just looking at the pictures!! I would have been freaking out right along side you.
Oh, my word…that is so ICKY! That would have totally freaked me out too! And amazing too how much they had already started on for a new hive. Just wow and ewwww at the same time!
Thank you for sharing those cool photos…my whole family enjoyed them! Can handle bees in photos..that’s about it..lol There was a big rig crash in Patterson, CA the other day…truck was carrying bees..I wonder if that’s where they came from?? Thank goodness for beekeepers! Does this make you want to pull out a bee stamp? 🙂
Did John ever say why they chose that place to colonize? I would have freeked out too.
I think you have another calling as a photojournalist! Great photos and they really tell the story! Glad all ended well. Happy Weekend!
STILL in shock he didn’t have any “gear” on. HOLY MACARONI!! Ok you need to scrap these pages with “Just Buzzin’ By”. LOL
See you in July Patty!
WOW! Love it!!! Though I am allergic… it’s great to see honey bees! They are becoming endangered here in Colorado. I was amazed to see how much they had accomplished in such a short time. (the wax) The bee keeper was incredible!! I would have been running in the opposite direction. :0)
WOW, John Shoemaker would be my hero to, he was fearless, but it sounds like you called the right guy to take care of it for you. Hope they don’t come back. I don’t know anything about bees but I would make sure that the bees wax was all gone to.
Wow, that is FASCINATING! Thank you for posting it! I’m a 100% farm girl, and I have NEVER seen anything like that before! I’m so glad you got a good guy to come rescue them; of course we NEED the bees, and there is no reason to hurt them!
Have a wonderful weekend. And a bee-free one, too!! 😀
All I can say is “Oh my word!” I would have been freaked out also!
Pretty fascinating…thanks for sharing! And I say good riddance!
LOL-I can relate!!! We had a swarm of wasps settle in our attic. We would hear them “purring” in the evening. I swear! It sounded just like a cat purring. Sorry, I was not so humane about disposing of the wasps. We called an exterminator!
Kym
WOW!! I give you credit for sticking around – I would have checked into a hotel till those bees were GONE!!! In one picture they actually look like little bunches of baby bananas! LOL – I HATE bees with a passion – no matter what I always get stung and it is not fun! Did he remove the beginning of the wax they started? I would think that other bees would come back if not……… glad your bees are gone and you can now relax and browse through the new catty! Enjoy your weekend!
We had a swarm in the tree in our front yard a few years ago. I went over to see what in the world was “hanging” in the tree…and beat a hasty retreat, then called the local pest control. Wish I had the presence of mind to grab my camera!
whoa! Looks like you had a beesy day with all the bees. 🙂 That was very interesting. Love the pictures! Thanks for sharing.
OMG! I think I would have gone into my house, locked all the doors, closed all the windows and pooped my pants!!!!! WOW!
Patty, I’m glad you got someone who cares enough to collect them and release them somewhere safer – while I don’t like the idea of getting stung, as another person said there is something that is causing a big reduction in the bee population and we don’t want that to happen! What an amazing thing to have happen!
My grandpa was a bee keeper. I remember the space like suit and eatting honey comb. He owned an orange grove and had several wooden hive boxes back in the day.
Debi Pippin
Florida
Did he give you any reason why they did this and if it happens all around the U.S.????? Just wondering:)
We have something in common… Every year around this time (I’ve seen it three times now) a black cloud starts heading for our house. The first time I saw it, I ran in the house and locked the doors. The bees settle around our chimney and go into this really tiny hole. They’ve been doing this for several years now. We replaced the roof 6 years ago and my husband could see the hive between the stone chimney and our log house. I think the bees think our house is an old tree, lol. They don’t come in the house, but it sounds like an air conditioner running outside.
Well now I have a son-in-law who raised bees in New York, we live in Maryland. Just the other day he told me his plan to capture our bees…that’s right, with a vacuum. I will have to show him your story, he will love it. Stay save and don’t worry they won’t hurt you, they are what makes our plants bloom and our vegetables produce.
PS. loved the pics of the cruise, Jan Wakeland is one of my up-lines.
Linda Webb
honey bees are endangered everywhere, so the more there are, the less expensive honey will be. That’s amazing, perhaps he’ll bring you some honey from the bees that get relocated!! Great story and pics!! TFS.
It’a wonderful that you called a bee keeper!!! Honey bees are so amazing and they have such a hard time anymore…so many people I’v heard of that have a swarm come around and the people, instead of doing what you did, spray them and kill them. They are pretty important to our well-being food wise.
Once we had a swarm come to the ranch where we use to live and a bee keeper came out for them. They’d started filing their cones and we had some of the honey. It was THE BEST honey we’d ever had…right out of the cones.
Thanks for the great pictures and the happy ending.
Your photos brought back so many wondeerful memories. My husband and I raised honey bees while living in NY. We harvested about 800 lbs. a year. There were many swarms such as the ones you showed. We just gathered them up and started new hives.
Had a swarm come thru here about 10 years ago – heard them, saw them swarm on a tree in the backyard behind my house.
I didn’t have the presence of mind you did to call anyone – just sat there trying to decide what to do – then it got dark, and they were gone the next morning when I woke up!
I hope they swarmed somewhere where they were welcome… Cause I wasn’t real happy they were so close to MY house!
Wow. Wow.Wow. Only a true scrapper would document this wildness for future generations! Thanks for sharing, I’ve never seen anything like it!
Oh my gosh!!! What a cool experience!!! How boring would life be without all our wonderful wildlife?
Ermajean = )
What an incredible story! And what fabulous pictures to document the whole thing for us. You are the bestest!!! Fun to see it all on this side…course I’m in Missouri!!! Thanks for sharing. Glad they have a new home away from yours!
Well, you are a much braver woman than I would have been, I’m with Melinda, I would have been staying in the safe confinds of my house until I knew for sure they were gone….a few bees don’t bother me, but as soon as I had spotted that swarm, I’d have been calling the neighbors telling them all to stay inside…and then calling the beekeepers. THe pictures are really cool and as much as I like to take pictures, I think I would have passed on that (or just given my camera to the beekeeper and let him take some for me – LOL! And like Wanda G. said, this will be a great time to use the “Just Buzzin By! stamp set.
Thanks for sharing with pictures. You were lucky that the bees didnt come to your house in the attic. I saw it on the TV news about the bees in someone’s house in the attic.
Fantastic! We had one at our home quite a few years ago but they did end up leaving on their own. I must say we lived in the country and had plenty of room for us both to live without any harm.
oh my!
I would have been freaking!!
But in a odd way they were pretty all grouped up like that. (From a distance!)
Rhonda
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
For having these bees rescued!
With an epidemic of bee hives failing, it is important to conserve all the bees on Earth… they are the miracle machines that give us flowers, fruits, veggies and so many other things we have taken for granted in this day and age.
John was amazing and gentle with these most precious of creatures. Thank you for sharing and looking out for them too. You rock Patty!
Wow, that’s a LOT OF BEES!!! But you know, you are lucky, Patty. Up here , there is something killing our bees, tiny green frogs and snakes. I’m not overly concerned about the snakes being gone however, everything is needed to keep nature in balance. We have had a severe shortage of honey bees for a few years now and no one seems to be able to discover why. Now the secret is out … they have all flown to California!
Oh my goodness! Thanks for sharing your ordeal. Did *you* charge John to take those bees away? I’m sure they’re a precious commodity to him LOL!
Susan
I have lived very rurally and NEVER have I seen such a spectacle!!! But honestly, you captured it so beautifully (better you capturing it than me!!) Thanks so much for the photos and your commentary, I found the whole thing really interesting. That photo of the hive they were building was amazing, as was John of course!! That last photo, of the bee on the flower, should be entered in a photo contest! Or maybe all of them should!!
h my goodness!!!! You look a lot calmer then I would have been!!!! I showed the pictures to my children (my daughter was just learning about bees in school) they were amazed! I am officially not allowed to lose those pictures!
I have never seen such a thing! I’m just glad that the bees were able to be relocated, and no one got hurt!
Cool, Patty! TFS. Good that John could capture and release as opposed to killing them all. I think we’re damaging our environment enough right now, don’t yuo?
What a cool Birthday present!! God gave you something you have never experienced before! At least they weren’t building their hive in your house (eaves, roof etc), that would have been much worse. Ahhhhhhhhh the beauty of nature!
Love the pics!
wow, it’s just an incredible experience but so interesting! Thanks for sharing your photos!
I LOVE that you called a beekeeper – that was such a perfect, environmentally smart way to deal with them – way to go with not panicking! 🙂 You are again, proving to be my idol. 🙂
Someone asked if they would come back – no they won’t. It’s not the hive they are attached to, it’s the queen, and the queen is now in the bucket (and by the way, they are probably pretty happy there for now, as it is nice and dark!) – they swarm when it’s time for a new hive, and the queen starts the swarming. It’s a natural event they have to do once in a while, and of course Patty has such a gorgeous garden, who WOULDN’T want to be there! In fact, we’re thinking about swarming as well.. 😉
Wow! Great Pics you should scrap it! 🙂
All I can say is with ALL of the pics of the beautiful flowers you post, I’d want to live in your yard too!
Patty, you are SO good about taking pictures & those that tell a story. I’m amazed that you got that close to take the pictures! I’m deathly afraid of bees & that is when I have ONE near me! I can’t even imagine a swarm of them. John, the bee-keeper is fearless. So did he get stung at all??? Truthfully, I would never EVER go out my door again until they were gone! Glad you were able to get help and that the bees have found a new home 🙂 Looking at your pictures really make me miss my days of living in Berkeley & working in San Francisco! I’ve got to come back for a visit. TFS
I am surprised they moved them, we had that happen at my mothers place last year, we call and they said they would just eventually move on, and they did about 2 weeks later, I wonder if its a different species, its pretty amazing thing to see. Now on to stamping!! haha
Oh my goodness that is a lot of bees!!! I’m so glad you were able to find someone that would transplant the bees instead of killing them that is wonderful 🙂
Thank you for this story…I’m so glad he will use the bees and take care of them.
We need the bees as they keep everything growing..with their pollination..
Great pics..and he was brave..I would have run for the hills..
pat
Oh. My. Goodness! That is crazy and amazing at the same time! I’m not necessarily a “city girl”, but I’ve NEVER seen a swarm of bees like that! And it’s amazing that they were making the honeycomb so quickly. Makes you wonder why they decided to settle in at that particular spot…
And I don’t blame you one bit for being cautious (and a little concerned)! Kudos to John for coming to your rescue!
Patty, I think those bees just heard about the $99 Demo Kit, and who else’s house would they swarm?! 🙂
Great story, thanks!
Oh WOW, what a day you all had! But I must say, I’m so glad this man could vacuum them up without killing them. There’s always flowers elsewhere that need pollenating. Well, I just sent to all my friends, your blog link for today – you will be getting more hits today! Had to share. TFS
I’m amazed how John was touching them with his hand without a glove or suit and not afraid. I’m with you, I’d be freakin’ out.
Thanks for sharing,
Chris
Patty,
I found this a great post. It is very fasinating! As a gardener I love bees and love to see them in my garden. I would have been freeked though, to have a hive in my yard though.
How was the sound? Are they really loud? I am so glad that a bee keeper came and got them. I watched a documentory last year that there is a shortage of bees and thus there are bee keepers who drive all across the States with their bees to pollinate crops. As you know without bees to pollinate food would be in short supply.
Did the bee keeper tell you why they would seperate from where ever they came from and start to make thier own hive? So fasinating!
Trina
Ottawa, ON
Great pictures! This is crazy! It happened across the street from me a few days ago and I live in Oklahoma. The bees tried to make the neighbor’s mailbox into a hive! A week or two before that my husband and I were driving on a highway in Texas and drove into a swarm of bees. It sounded like torrential rain for a few seconds and coated the car. It was very random! I think there is certainly something up with bees this year.
Not only do I love your Bee story and amazing photos, and fearless John – I think I spied a freesia, a pink freesia, in your last photo. I can almost smell it from here mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
We had a very similar situation here in Illinois several years ago. We happened to see a swarm come into our backyard one day (we were in the house) and just all swarm around a tree in the back part of the backyard. Had never seen anything like it! They were gone the next day…had they not been, we likely would have called someone too! Wierdest thing! Enjoyed your story, Patty!
I had to share this with my sister. She was taking beekeeping lessons this past weekend. What makes a swarm of bees decide to make a hive somewhere??
Wow Patty, these photo’s are fantastic. I sent you a personal email about our experience with bee swarms last summer.
Thanks for sharing these great photo’s and story.
Uuuuuuuuggghhhhhh, sitting here shivering just thinking about all those beeeees! Just one is enough to send me screaming in the other direction… which, of course, my DH thinks is totally hilarious! HUMPH! I am scared to death that I will die being stung by a swarm of bees! I know we need the bees ( hey, I watched Bee Movie!), but I wish they would stay FAAAAAR away from where I am! Thank goodness for people like John Shoemaker!
Well, I’m a country girl but I’d freak out with all those bees at my house! I got stung by 8 bees at once when I was 6 so I have a bee (wasp, hornet, etc) phobia. I’m not sure I would have gotten so close, I’d have to use my telescopic lens from safely behind my windows!
OMG!! so THAT’S what we were hearing!!!! we could hear them patty!! my neighbor on the corner (on your side) could hear it too! they wanted some of your gardens good stuff!! our ‘hood thanks you (and patty) mr. shoemaker!
Hi Patty. While I was growing up (during my early teen years) my Dad started his Apiary (Honey Bee) business. He had several hives at the back of our property. He had a hive of them swarm once, into a tree in our yard. I called him at work and he came right home, cut off the branch, and put the swarm into a new hive. He’d get calls from others in the area for the same reason. When honey bees are swarming, they are full of honey, and cannot sting. They are surrounding their Queen, protecting her.
Since my Dad died 13 years ago, my brother took over the business, and has the bees at his home now. This is the 50th year for those same bees to be in the honey producing business.
I loved helping my Dad extract the honey from the frames in the Fall. The smell was heavenly, and the memories are so special.
Usually, HONEY BEES will not sting you, unless you bother them.
It great seeing your swarm and reading your story. Thank you for publishing.
Donna
How fascinating! Thank you for journaling it. They are so fascinating and without them working so hard we would have no vegetables or fruit. I’m glad you took care of them in such a humane way. Beekeepers know when they are angry or when they are calm enough to work with without clothing protection. This is the first time I’ve seen a vacuum used though. Cool idea.