Still buzzing...

So, a few weeks ago I posted about that weird honeybee episode in my backyard.  I spoke too soon when I said there wasn't a single bee out there anymore.  Turns out, a handful of bees came back later that day, then a few more, and a few more.  Truth is, they NEVER went away.  The 50-100 that we see at the same spot each day are actually very busy at their job of creating a new hive.  When I thought the queen had flown away, I was very mistaken - she actually flew straight into a hidden "cavern" in our house, a rock pillar/edge that didn't get properly sealed off during construction.  The hive is confined to that pillar, which is entirely outdoors, but it is still unnerving to think that thousands of bees are making themselves at home in MY home.  

The beekeepers don't know what to do.  In order to retrieve the queen and the hive, they'll pretty much have to break all the rock off of one portion of our house and probably destroy the framing underneath.  Or, they can seal off the top and the bees will all die.  I certainly feel bad about thousands of honeybees dying.  I also feel bad about the side of my house being destroyed.  Tough.  We're having our rock contractor come over to give us his opinion.  

Comments

[Michelle]

How wow! That stinks that they are back and that you'd have to destroy part of your beautiful home to get rid of them. Good luck!! Hopefully they will just leave on their own! I know that probably won't happen, but we can hope right :).

[Lindsay]

You have a unique predicament on your hands. I have heard the numbers of honeybees are dwindling, so I would want to protect the bees. Nevertheless, your backyard isn't an ideal place for their home. I wouldn't know what to do either. Maybe your can strike a deal with the queen, give us all your honey and you can move your hive to the far end of the yard.

[Heather Caldwell]

I saw a tv show about this once. I think it was Dirty Jobs. Anyway, the people didn't rip into a section of their eves when the hive was little and it ended up breaking off a part of their house as it got bigger and heavier. I think you should just let them destroy something little now then something really big later. Good luck!

[Lydia]

oh my gosh, Mindy. That's crazy. Honey bees are mysteriously disappearing, I just read about it. So hopefully you don't have to kill them and the damages to your house are minimal. Sounds like you have a team of experts to figure it all out. GOOD LUCK!

[shannon m.]

Oh, man. What a crappy decision to have to make!