Actually it should be Honey AND Locust score, since this is not a honeylocust tree.
Tree service called me up and asked if I wanted some locust. I went to check it out and decided I'd take it. Only problem was a swarm of bees in the tree. it was already cut down and in the street, so we needed to deal with the bees immediately to get the street clear. We didn't want to kill the bees, so I started calling some friends, but no one was able to come out right away. We managed to get the tree all onto my trailer with the bees in there as well, so my friends could get the bees whenever they had time.
The pics below show about 1/2 of the wood I got from this tree.
Today a guy (friend of a friend) showed up to get the bees. He told me that this was NOT a good time of year to try and collect a swarm, since they had nothing to eat - it would be best to take their whole nest and honey altogether so they would have honey to eat until things started blooming. We cut the branches back a bit (it was later in the day and a bit chilly, so they bees were pretty inactive), smoked the bees to calm them, and were able to manhandle the huge branch from my trailer into his truck.
Good score all around. He gets a wild swarm, I get some good firewood, but best of all I make a new friend. He and I hit it off really well, and we chatted for a good 30 minutes about theology, bees, tree climbing, and our respective careers over the years. It's always nifty to click with someone so strongly like that. We'll have to invite him and his family over some time.
The bees are actually in the crotch of this branch, but you can see the hollow side is full of old honeycomb.
The crotch was even split/damaged in the removal process, so access to the bees could be easy if you finished breaking it open.
About half of the wood I got. The ditch in the upper left is about 20' across and 15' deep. Tree was just on the other side, and the railing is just a pedestrian bridge. Difficult to get this tree out, but I was only there to pick up the wood - didn't have to do much of anything.
Tree service called me up and asked if I wanted some locust. I went to check it out and decided I'd take it. Only problem was a swarm of bees in the tree. it was already cut down and in the street, so we needed to deal with the bees immediately to get the street clear. We didn't want to kill the bees, so I started calling some friends, but no one was able to come out right away. We managed to get the tree all onto my trailer with the bees in there as well, so my friends could get the bees whenever they had time.
The pics below show about 1/2 of the wood I got from this tree.
Today a guy (friend of a friend) showed up to get the bees. He told me that this was NOT a good time of year to try and collect a swarm, since they had nothing to eat - it would be best to take their whole nest and honey altogether so they would have honey to eat until things started blooming. We cut the branches back a bit (it was later in the day and a bit chilly, so they bees were pretty inactive), smoked the bees to calm them, and were able to manhandle the huge branch from my trailer into his truck.
Good score all around. He gets a wild swarm, I get some good firewood, but best of all I make a new friend. He and I hit it off really well, and we chatted for a good 30 minutes about theology, bees, tree climbing, and our respective careers over the years. It's always nifty to click with someone so strongly like that. We'll have to invite him and his family over some time.
The bees are actually in the crotch of this branch, but you can see the hollow side is full of old honeycomb.
The crotch was even split/damaged in the removal process, so access to the bees could be easy if you finished breaking it open.
About half of the wood I got. The ditch in the upper left is about 20' across and 15' deep. Tree was just on the other side, and the railing is just a pedestrian bridge. Difficult to get this tree out, but I was only there to pick up the wood - didn't have to do much of anything.
