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The Kansas City Parks & Recreation Board and I have entered an agreement that will help to place Haven hives around the metro area.
This summer I was called about wild colony found living in this tree.
On May 17th I got a call from a Fed Ex driver telling me about a swarm on one of the trucks in the ground transportation yard.
There was a lot of vigorous waggle dancing going on by the scouts.
After returning home with the swarm I installed the bees into a HAVEN hive.
The bees have moved in and await installation on their post.
After only 10 days this close up shot of the entrance shows the bees have built an impressive propolis curtain to reduce the lower hive entrance. The orange pollen on the returning worker’s legs means the queen has probably survived the transfer and there will be brood to feed.
Due to a mild winter, swarm season started very early this spring. Here is a shot of a swarm I collected on Easter.
The swarm is moving in to the HAVEN hive. Some of the worker bees stand at the entrance and fan their wings to spread the queen’s scent. This helps guide all the bees into their new home.
The swarm has completely moved in and the outer shell has been placed on the hive. It will sit here in a holding yard while the post is fabricated and the final installation site is prepared.
Once up on the ladder I was able to get a photo of the propolis curtain wall the bees made to reduce their entrance size for the winter. I am interested to see if they open it up again in the summer.
I modified a hunting ladder to fit on HAVEN’s post. This gives me easy access to the hive and only takes about 15 minutes to set up.
The temperature hit 58 degrees the other day and the bees came out for a cleansing flight.
Speaking at the Lakeside Nature Center.
Speaking to students at the Kansas City Art Institute.
