By John Dokurno
“The bee is more honored than any other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others” – St. John Chrysostom
It’s often been said that there are no coincidences in life, perhaps implying kismet or karma at work or even astral alignment. I’m not entirely sold on that belief but this could not have been truer when last summer an unexpected catastrophe “landed” at our store. Let me rewind to a couple of weeks before the event to see how a chance meeting turned a disaster into a kind of feel-good story which I would like to share.
I had recently purchased a used pickup and had stopped at a local grocer when a gentleman approached me and asked if I would be interested in selling my truck. I laughingly told him I had just bought it and the short cab was all I needed for my dog and myself. He was looking for a similar sized truck for his beekeeping operation and after exchanging pleasantries he handed me his business card: Chris Campbell owner of Hiveshare. I was familiar with the brand as Lynne and I had been buying this local honey since we moved into the area and found it delightful.
Interestingly, Hiveshare is a unique program that offers people the chance to purchase a hive or a share in a hive and receive the honey produced after harvesting and extraction. The management of the bees and the harvesting of honey is done entirely by Hiveshare.
Fast forward two weeks. It was a Friday and I was working the store when a customer mentioned that there were some bees in an upstairs skylight. When I investigated, I found a large group of confused bees trying to escape, but equally as many coming in through a gap between an adjoining garage. When I went outside to find the point of entry, I found myself amidst a swarm of tens of thousands of bees making a bee-line (sorry) for that gap. It was a spectacle of a lifetime as they flew by, the eerie sound of`thousands of beating wings surrounding me. This was a disaster in the making. In an instant I recalled my meeting with the beekeeper Chris, weeks before. Coincidence? Maybe. Weird nevertheless. After frantically describing the situation to him, he calmly replied “I can help you”. Shortly after, he arrived at the store with a “swarm box” spiked with lemongrass oil and honey comb which we promptly positioned in front of the gap. I quickly sealed any entries into the room and watched as many began to fly into the box but others were finding other points of entry. These too were sealed with expanding foam but the numbers were overwhelming. Soon the swarm box was full with an estimated 10 to 15 thousand bees and another was quickly deployed. The early diagnosis was that these bees were either scouting a location for their queen or she was already behind the garage wall in a new hive. Unfortunately, the latter was the case and we quickly pinpointed the hive by the loud drone and the heat emanating from the garage wall. This was now a removal situation. We quickly cordoned off part of the store’s front porch as the bees were becoming a nuisance to our customers but once we posted signage of our intent to rescue and relocate these bees, the response was terrific. Chemical eradication was suggested by some but we were determined to save these bees by any means necessary. With expert help from both Chris and son-in-law Mitchael, we began the task of removing the drywall to expose the comb. Once uncovered, we were shocked to see the size of the comb which measured almost four feet square containing up to 20 thousand bees. The effort expended by these worker bees to build this comb in such a short period of time is another miracle of nature. All good stuff! Donning bee suits and using a traditional bee hive smoker they quickly removed several pounds of comb. This of course was a family event for our granddaughters and they watched they’re dad in awe as he bravely battled the swarms of bees around him. The most amazing part through all of this is that the bees showed absolutely no aggression and no one was stung. I had been waiting for the moment the first piece of fresh, honey-filled comb was extracted and Chris presented me with a healthy chunk, oozing with goodness. Honey was a staple in my family growing up but I had never sampled a fresh comb directly from a hive. It was absolutely fabulous! Even the girls sampled it, but found it too sweet, probably because they are already both chock full of sweetness!
Once the comb was removed the bees gradually flew from the garage and within a few days the swarm of the decade was finally gone. As Chris was leaving with his new hive mates I jokingly asked if I needed to worry about another swarm next year to which he replied “probably”. In preparation for that possible event, a swarm box was suspended behind the store in the fall, and as predicted the swarm reappeared in mid summer of this year. The swarm was much smaller in size, perhaps a scouting party, but finding no more entry into the garage these bees went directly into the swarm box and were quickly rescued once again. I’m not even going to ask about next year.
Special thanks to Chris Campbell of Hiveshare @www.hiveshare.ca for his expertise and pro bono work on this effort and loving thanks to my courageous son-in-law Mitchael, never afraid of a challenge, for his finesse in tackling a daring situation. I’m sure he will remember it, as I will, for a lifetime.
Plant wisely for the bees. They need your help