Tonight at half past nine after a telephone call, I took a swarm in a raspberry bush which came from bee colony in a wall in an old house 20 meters away. The house is situated ”in the middle of the forest” in a small village, which 100 years ago was a thriving small industrial environment. For at least 10 years there had been bees in the wall in the old building that had housed four families working in the small industry. The house would be perfect for Bed and Breakfast. And probably it will end up as such.
– This was the most exciting moment in my life said the woman that had made the call, when I went away with the swarm in a box to the car. I promised her a bottle of honey.
The bees in the wall have swarmed almost every year. They are very small and easy to handle. Quite light colored. But thorax was remarkably black, on the worker bees, black hair instead of light brown. The drones were quite dark.
7 km (4.5 miles) away a niece of mine (Rebecka’s mother Regina) have had bees for more than 10 years so the original swarm in the wall may well have come from her bees. More recently there have been established a couple of apiaries about 3 km (2 miles) in another direction, with my type of bees, Elgon bees.
– What should I do with the bees in the wall, the woman asked.
– Let them live their life there, if they don’t bother you, I answered. They pollinate fruit and berries and flowers, being a source for biological diversity. The break in brood due to swarming will help keep them healthy.