Honey bee trees
- Thread starter Gwing
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We had one many years ago at the edge of our woods. My neighbor saw them and showed them to me. I was ecstatic to find what may have been native honey bees, most are domestic ones that have left a hive. I went down to check them one day and they were all dead, my neighbor sprayed them with raid, he was afraid his grand kids would get stung. When I was a kid we were doing tree work at Freedmans Hospital in DC. A big hollow Oak had a huge hive in it. Dad thought he had gotten above the hive and cut the top of the tree out. He was wrong, he cut into the top of the hive, and before he could get to the ground he was stung about 300 times. Word got into the ER and doctors came out, but he refused any treatment. When he dropped the trunk it split in half and I got about a gallon of honey out of it. We had Honey and Biscuits for breakfast for a month. In 40 plus years of tree work, I've only seen a half dozen or so bee trees.
The old timers had a method to follow the bees from the flower/pollen source to locate the hive. Locating and storing honey was part of their livelihood.
If you want to read about it there is a book by E.N. Woodcock; 50 Years a Hunter and Trapper, that has a chapter describing bee hunting.
I dropped a hollow cherry a few years ago that had a hive ` 30' up. Didn't know it was there until it was down; I would have left it standing. The skunks, coons , bear found the hive once it was down.
If you want to read about it there is a book by E.N. Woodcock; 50 Years a Hunter and Trapper, that has a chapter describing bee hunting.
I dropped a hollow cherry a few years ago that had a hive ` 30' up. Didn't know it was there until it was down; I would have left it standing. The skunks, coons , bear found the hive once it was down.
I cut a tree down that had a hive. It was mid to late fall and I couldn't find anyone locally to come take the hive before the snow set in. Unfortunately they all died. There was no way to tell the hive was there. When the tree fell the top broke open and exposed them all. It was cool enough where I could walk right up to it.
When I was about 10 we had a hive settle in a big bush in the back yard. My Dad got a butter knife and started digging through the mass until he found the queen. Took him a long time but he finally trapped her in a soup can. He put her in an old wooden wine crate, with separate dividers for the bottles, and the hive followed. They stayed a couple days, made a couple little pieces of comb, then moved out. We had a small water trough that sat in a hollow piece of Oak log, for our horses. Dad was filling the bucket and saw the bees coming out a knot hole. That's where they moved. They only stayed there a few days and moved on for good.
Sawyer Rob
Addicted to ArboristSite
I know where there is a bee tree, it's been there for several years that I've known about it.
I was cutting in that woods, but I never bothered them...
SR
I was cutting in that woods, but I never bothered them...
SR
Had a neighbor buy a piece of property that joined me. He put in a road and dozed out a house site and built a nice 2 story cabin with a deck sticking out into a tree top. He had purposely left that big oak tree standing. What he didnt notice until they built the deck that his deck was just about even with a knot hole in that tree. The knot hole was the entrance to a bee hive. He tried to live with it for a while, but honey bees at your back door dont make good neighbors when your trying to set on the deck drinking sweet tea. He ended up cutting the tree, but the guy that cut the tree was also a bee keeper so he managed to save the bees.
We still have a couple I know of. Have had several over the yrs. I would never take one down these days. They are hard to come by.
I heard one before I saw it.
It was WAY WAY in the back country of Algonquin Park , Ontario. About two day portage into the back country.
Pulled up my canoe and walked around a bit amd heard this buzzing from afar.
I tracked it and found a huge hive of maybe 7 feet tall in a large White Pine.
It was so cool to find.
It was WAY WAY in the back country of Algonquin Park , Ontario. About two day portage into the back country.
Pulled up my canoe and walked around a bit amd heard this buzzing from afar.
I tracked it and found a huge hive of maybe 7 feet tall in a large White Pine.
It was so cool to find.
We don’t have many honey bees. Usually only see them if there’s a beekeeper near by.
We do have the big fuzzy ones that people call “bumble bees”. I once found a bumble bee nest in a barrel that had been storing fiberglass insulation. They moved out after I disturbed it.
We do have the big fuzzy ones that people call “bumble bees”. I once found a bumble bee nest in a barrel that had been storing fiberglass insulation. They moved out after I disturbed it.
Sagetown
Farmer and a STIHL
I've found a few over the years on my ranch. My Bluetick Coonhound found one too. Even treed on it. I saw the squirrel sized hole way up in the oak, and climbed all the way up to it, and shifting around to get even with the hole, I came face to face with angry bees guarding their entrance. The surprise
made me fall out of the tree. Did I ever give a lecture to that hound dog.
made me fall out of the tree. Did I ever give a lecture to that hound dog.
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
On or about 2003 I was logging a bush just outside Toronto at a casino/ race track. Anyway, I dumped a three foot white oak, lopped off the top and while skidding it to the casino parking lot I noticed bees flying out of a large hole in the tree.
It was 10 below, so the bees were dropping like flies as they hit the cold air.
We ended up getting almost 4 gallons of pure cone honey. No one got stung cause the bees were somewhat dormant.
It was 10 below, so the bees were dropping like flies as they hit the cold air.
We ended up getting almost 4 gallons of pure cone honey. No one got stung cause the bees were somewhat dormant.
What were you doing down in my neck of the woods? I'm actually about 3 hours east of Toronto, 30 minutes North of Belleville, Ontario.
I wonder what casino you're talking about. OLG Slots Mohawk near Guelph Line? They have a racetrack. Maybe out at OLG Slots at Flamboro Downs, they also have a racetrack.
The only other casino with a track that I know of is way up eastward near Peterborough and it's called Shorelines Slots and Kawartha Downs.
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
Yes, it was Mohawk raceway on the 401 & Hwy 6 at Cambleville. Someone got back into the woodlot after I got the green gold, and they hammered what I left.
