Howdy ya'll,
That's Texican for Hello.
I really wish I had done a few days ago what I did yesterday and this morning. But first a little about me.
As of April 5 this year I turned the half century mark in age. Still feel and mostly act like a seventeen year old. I just don't remember all the aches and pains at that age.
I was a trucker for several years. Before that I had many different jobs. Then after wife number two dumped me I met this wonderful nurse that would not allow me to be gone for months at a time. She yanked me out of the truck and have been stay at home dad since 1991.
I have had this hidden "want" to be a bee keeper since I was about eighteen. Aiways found the critters fasinating. And due to recent events I have decided to become one.
When I get done with my story you guys will probably get a rope and come looking for me. And it is why I wish I had gone searching the web several days ago.
About a month or two back I discovered a small swarm of bees in my dirt driveway, half overgrown with weeds. My wife was out mowing those down as I was about to fire up the tractor to mow the rest of our five acres. I went to help untangle the cord for her (electric mower) and almost stepped into the bees. Mowing stopped right then as the cord was into the swarm. I think they had gathered on a weed and it feel over from their wieght as they were on the ground. I called a beekeeper who said that probably noone was interested in gathering the swam because there were so many bees around here this year. She suggested I spray diesel or something on them. I chose to leave them alone because I like bees. I was just concerned they might be African. But they were not.
Next morning they were gone. But the story never ends..... Right?
A few nights ago I awoke about two in the morning and there was no running water in the house. I checked the circuit breaker for the well and it was fine. I checked to make sure there was electricity there, it was. So I got in the Durango and went to the well.
The well is mostly underground with a box sitting on the ground covering all the controls. I was going to check for electricity getting to that point. I popped the lid loose and raised it up on one end. Well I found where the bees went, yep inside the box. So I gave it up until day light. Spent the rest of the night wondering how to take care of the problem.
I was going to try to wrap a bag around the box, pick the whole thing up and close the bag under neithe the box. I thought I had it (the box) fixed so I could do this. One end how ever was not going to come up because the water pipe runs throught a slot in the side. I had cut the slot on one side a while back to make it easier to raise up and do things inside, but left it to work as though it were hinged.
Anyway. Now don't get mad I was ignorant back then. I sprayed some wasp and hornet killer down into a hole that was right above the comb they had made. They started bubbling out of there. I watched for awhile and went on to other things, waiting for them to settle down, die off, or move on.
Sometime later I went out to check on them. Some were grouping around a faucet as if perhaps swarming and a lot were buzzing me. I came into the house. Then I noticed three bees in a kitchen window, thoought perhaps they rode in on me. I got rid of them. Later there were a couple more bees in the window. I found they were getting in through the range hood vent. I removed the screens turned the fan on and sprayed ant and roach spry to discourage their attempts of moving in there.
I had this ummmm premonition??? to turn the circuit breaker back on. I had water. Turns out that the switch (inside the box) was sticking. After sundown I went to the box, opened it, and sprayed everything down with the ant and roach spray. Those bees had already started building comb on the other end of the box.
I really didn't want to kill them off but I was ignorant. After reading most of the beemasters web pages I realize I had other options. But perhaps the colony was too small to survive a winter. But my intrest in beekeeping has been renewed and I now know a lot more than I ever did before. Also learning about the plight of the bees against the mites I have decided to start my own beeyard to help out. After all I do have five acres of land here close to Lubbock. And I have another twenty acres down in the desert close to Big bend national park. Perhaps I could get some going down there as I learn more.
So how was that for an introduction?