Thursday, September 1, 2011

September is National Honey Month!

The National Honey Board website has recipes and other information.  If you have a favorite honey recipe, please consider sharing it in the comments.

Hive in a House Video


This YouTube link comes from friend and follower Troy (or Tee-Roy as we like to call him).  It shows what can happen when bees are left to build their colony inside a house . . . for years on end.  Please note: these are exterminators at work.  Not only did they literally tear the house apart (which will have to be repaired at the home owner's expense), they literally ripped out the combs  and watched the ceiling fall in as bees fill the house.

I'm not saying beekeepers will always do a better job in terms of having to tear apart the house to get to the hive, but most will try to trap bees first to reduce the number in the house, use a bee vacuum to remove them while also preserving them for a colony in another location, and do their best to preserve the comb and brood.

I can't imagine anyone was happy when this day was over, as the bees would shortly be exterminated, the house was a mess, and everyone was covered in honey. I suspect the homeowners had to live somewhere else for a day or two.

But the exterminators walked off with some money, that I can promise you. Again, I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid for working, but I'd rather give the money, bees, and comb to someone who would appreciate them and not dump it all in the trash.

Thanks, Troy!