Dammit! The water company killed my BEES!

[jandrok]

Bastards. See, I have a covered water meter out in front of the house. Over the weekend, we discovered that a hive of honeybees had taken up residence in there. They were nice, gentle bees; the European variety, not the more aggressive Africanized bees.

Anyway, we really didn't want to have the bees in the water meter, so we called the water company to see how they wanted to handle it. In short, their policy is that they take responsibility for removing the bees, but they do so by killing the hive. What a frickin' bummer. I got up this morning and discovered that the water company must have come out in the late evening and poisoned the hive. There was no activity at all. I opened the meter cover to discover a large and elaborate hive system, full of honey. The hive had obviously been there for a while.

I was really hoping that the hive could have been relocated rather than killed. I like honeybees. I have always wanted to be an amateur beekeeper, but have never committed to it as a hobby. Still, I have a lot of respect for the hardworking honeybees. They're an integral part of the ecosystem. I really got kind of attached to my little hive of industrious bees. They were fun to watch.

I'm sad to see this little hive put out of business in such a lethal and final way.

[Swede]

1. I didn't see that post coming.

nt

[solinvictus]

2. I love them too..

my stepdad and I put out little pans of sugar water for them when they came out of hibernation this year. The little guys loved it! They'd clean a 1"x8"R pan in a day. His dad kept honeybees and they were always gentle and easy to harvest honey from.

[Spinzonner]

7. Actually, they're little gals

worker bees are all female.

[GOPisEvil]

3. Why couldn't they have had a beekeeper remove the hive?

Gah, that sucks that they took the easy cheap way out. :(

[jandrok]

8. I was really hoping they would remove it....

...rather than kill it. Hell, I'd have been willing to pay for it myself, but I never got the choice. I should have just bypassed the water company and called a beekeeper myself, but by the time we thought to do that, it was too late.

[Sid Demo]

4. My Dad was a bee keeper

It was fun. We gave our phone number to the local fire department and they would call us whenever someone called them to get rid of a bee hive. It was free $$$$ and about 50lbs of honey a year to us with no advertising. I must have saved about 25 hives that summer. Bees are fascinting.

[Maddy McCall]

11. That's a cool story!

Welcome to DU, Sid. :toast:

[gmoney]

5. Probably should have called a beekeeper...

Not quite sure how you find one, but they'd probably be happy to come out and take care of moving the bees.

For future reference...

[jandrok]

9. Yeah, we learned a lesson.

If it happens again, we'll handle it ourselves instead of getting the water company involved.

[jobycom]

6. As the reincarnation of Ghandi, I will punish you for your sin

You must now fulfill your goal of starting your own colony, to atone for the one you lost...


I hate those guys, too. The phone company wiped out a whole bunch of ladybugs on me once. Some people have no respect for life.

[jandrok]

10. That's good advice.

That might be the thing that spurs me on to trying my hand at starting a hive. Karma is important.

[virgdem]

12. It's too bad that they killed the bees...

there is a significant decline in the honeybee over the last 50 years (about 50%). The honeybee decline, which is affecting domesticated and wild bee populations around the world, is mostly the result of diseases spread as a result of mites and other parasites as well as the spraying of crops with pesticides. I've had a problem with Carpenter bees, and the guy that will be removing them is also a beekeeper. He was saying that many people don't understand how important the honeybee is and that many kill them with pesticides or plain old stupidity. Next time, best to call a beekeeper.

[jandrok]

13. Yeah, we learned a valuable lesson.

Some other folks have given me some good ideas. I think I'll contact some local beekeepers and put them in contact with the water company. There might be some interest in getting the two groups to work with each other.

[MadHound]

14. That sucks!

We're starting to experience a serious bee shortage in this country, due to our own stupidity and polluting ways. Whatever you do, do not try eating whatever honey is left over, it is probably poisoned also. I would also remove the hive and toss it, since it will probably attract other bees.

[KurtNYC]

15. Can he move the remains of the hive

to a place better suited for a new hive?

If the general location was good for a hive, perhaps a new one will show up nearby? :shrug:

[MadHound]

17. He doesn't want other bees coming into contact with the old hive

It is probably poisoned also, and will kill any new bees that come into contact with it.

There are obviously food sources around that are attracting the bees, seal up around the water meter so new bees won't get in there, and start keeping an eye out for the new bees, they will set up shop near by.

[jandrok]

19. I've disposed of the remains of the hive.

They used some type of a powdered poison to kill the hive, and the stuff permeated the hive and the honey, so it's of no use for anything.

Good advice on sealing up the meter.

We're rural, so we have plenty of food sources, especially since we have wildflowers galore out here.

[Texasgal]

16. In some states

it is illegal to kill a hive of bee's. I know in Texas it is. Bee's in general are essential for pollination, especially in urban areas. I would find out what your local/ state regs are.

[jandrok]

20. That's interesting to know.

So my water company basically did something illegal, then. Hmmmm. Not good to get on the bad side of one's utility company, but maybe I could get them in touch with some local beekeepers and gently inform them of the laws.

[Texasgal]

22. I would.

Where in Texas are you?

In Austin, if you call the city about an animal complaint they farm out the calls to different agencies or private companies. Hence...bee keepers.

This is horrible what happened, especially since honey bees have such an impact or our enviroment.

[jandrok]

24. We're in Lockhart, Caldwell County.

About 25 miles SE of Austin. I'll look up the state laws regarding bees, and see if I can't hook up the water company with some local beekeepers.

[Texasgal]

26. Well Howdy Neighbor!

I loooooove Lockhart! Please tell me you live in one of those fabulous old homes!

Good luck with you bee quest, hopefully all will work out in the end.

:)

[jandrok]

28. Back atcha, neighbor!

We're living just North of town right now, in a rental. But it's a cool rental, with 2.5 acres of wooded lot, a wet-weather creek, and a big playscape out back for the kiddos. It's a manufactured home, though, so we don't want to buy it. It's good for right now, though, while we save up a down payment for a place of our own.

The older homes out here are very nice. We want an old farmstead or one of the old Victorians, assuming that it has enough yard. No hurry, though, we're not unhappy with our situation.

Thanks for the good wishes on the bee situation. I'll work something out. The folks at the water company are good people, and I'm sure they'd be willing to work with some local beekeepers, especially if it keeps them on the up and up with the laws.

[supernova]

18. How awful!

Honeybees are having it rough lately, being wiped out by a parasite. I haven't seen any in my yard this year. Although, I don't know what it would take to move an entire hive.

I hope the water company didn't spoil your honey with the insecticides.

[Redstone]

21. Bummer. I'm allergic to bees, but wouldn't kill a honeybee.

I know they won't bother me if I leave them alone, and they're fun to watch (besides being important ecologically).

Now wasps and hornets, on the other hand...those little bastards wake up angry in the morning, and go to bed pissed off at night, and would as soon sting me as not. I'll wax as many of them as I find.

Redstone

[jandrok]

25. Well, even some species of wasps are good to have around.

Especially the mud dauber types. They eat a lot of bad insects, and some also do their fair share of pollination.

The big red ones and the paper wasps are usually the ones that I'll try to get rid of. I never poison them, though, I just remove the nests and let them build elsewhere.

[Redstone]

29. I don't use poison either.

Got a couple of those glass traps that you bait with apple juice or similar. Works great, and the ones that don't come around to where I am can go about their business.

Redstone

[jandrok]

31. Good man. Those traps work well. (n/t)

[knitter4democracy]

23. Man, between them and the power co's killing trees everywhere

What is with them? How hard would it've been to call a local beekeeper to come out and take care of it. Those bees are practically endangered, and we need every single one we can find.

My dad for a few years let a beekeeper have some hives back by the creek, and they were wonderful to have. Not one of us ever got stung, and we kids were back there all the time. We'd just walk right between them and keep going. My stepmom was happy because it was really good for her flowers and all, and the local farmers were too.

Maybe you could find a local beekeeper who could help you get just one box or something going on your property in a safer spot. With all the wildflowers around, you need bees. From what I understand, it's a pretty cool hobby or business. We have a lot of local beekeepers up here, but we also are a major fruit area of the state--and we have the best honey around. ;)

[jandrok]

27. We're rural, so there are a lot of natural hives around here.

Problem is the development in the surrounding areas is pushing the bees out of their native habitats, and they're taking up more residences in urban and suburban areas. That's happening everywhere. Another vivid example of how our society is developing itself out of balance with nature.

[knitter4democracy]

32. Absolutely!

We just moved to a different city, and our new neighbors have been telling us about the deer as well as the chipmonks living in the deck and the bunnies we've already seen. I grew up in the country, so I'm used to that sort of thing, but my husband and my kids aren't. They're kind of cute about it, actually.

I wish we could figure out how to live in balance before the major die-off hits our species. Of course, with Bush at the helm, that won't happen . . .

[Deja Q]

30. They don't care about life. Only money. They wouldn't care if

you died, except that you'd no longer be a customer.

Local governments, parks, utility companies, et cetera, are far more likely to kill because it's the most "cost effective" solution.

Karma will not be kind. It may be slow, but it won't be kind.

We are not a culture of life, we are a culture of money.