They're All Africanized Bees!

They are not all Africanized. I want to dispel this myth so bad.  Over the years I have heard it less and less, but I just heard it again today! A lady from Tempe AZ called and wanted bees eradicated from a tree.  She called an exterminator and they said "they're all Africanized" Well of course an exterminator is going to say that, just like a sleezy used car salesman, they are always going to sell you on what they do. Bee Removal Phoenix  Won't do that.  This company is a grass roots group of beekeepers that travel all over the Arizona Valley and even the United States!  They remove and relocate bees to save them.  This is simply the most effective way to take care of bees. Exterminators will never solve a bee problem. 

FYI - Africanized bees need to be genetically lab tested to actually know if they are africanized. And about 80% of the bees in Arizona are medium aggressive to Docile.  So DON'T believe the hype. SAVE THE BEES

Not 1, Not 2, But 3 HIVES and 1 Swarm of bees!

Yes, you read the title correctly.  Out in the Sonoran Desert the Arizona Bees are constantly moving through out March through November.  They tend to move into buildings in the more populated areas of Phoenix, and Scottsdale.  In this particular case a local Apartment complex had 3 hives and 1 swarm all within the matter of weeks. Make sure to save the bees and NOT kill them.  They are not all Africanized and even the aggressive bees can be removed and relocated.
Below you can see the honey comb and bees.

Below is after one of the hives was removed

This is the swarm

This is the 3rd hive where the bees were located. 

Our awesome beekeeper was on the call for this bee removal and relocation in beautiful Phoenix Arizona.  Call the Phoenix Bee removal Phoenix Company in order to get your bees relocated. DO NOT KILL THEM!

Birds and the Bees and Trees!

Birds are interesting, they are capable of making a nice home for themselves in all sorts of places, but the interesting thing about them is that they also leave a nice place for bees to move in, after the birds have moved out.  This can also happen in trees.  A couple trees to note that routinely are places bees love to move in are the Olive, Citrus, and Mulberry.  All of those trees are notorious for bees moving in.  The Bee Removal Phoenix guy routinely removes bees from underneath olive trees and just did a removal 2 weeks ago.  Typically some sort of critter moves in under the tree, and then the bees just fill in the entire empty space with honey comb and brood comb. For more information on this go check out that link above.

Bees-what do they look like? What should I expect?

Bees are just what you think they are, black and yellow bugs with a sweet and dangerous attitude about them.  Here is some other news that may surprise you (especially here in Arizona) they are not all Africanized!  Yes you heard me right, there are a whole host of people who think it is this crazy phenomena that normal honey bees could actually exist, but they do, and to be brutally honest there have been a lot more removals this year than years prior where the bees have been very docile.  Don't buy into the idea that they are all out to kill people they aren't; however, that being said you should not take your casual encounter with bees as rare if they aren't chasing you.  Even the most aggressive bees can still go about their business without trying to come after you, even if you pass by them every day.  The real test of their character happens when you try to get into their hive, or they feel threatened in some way.  That is where you hear the news stories and the people getting stung, hospitalized even killed.

So what do they look like?  Can't you tell the difference between Africanized, European, Italian, and all other kinds of bees?  To answer that question let me ask you, can you tell what ethnic roots an American has?  Now can you tell how aggressive that person will be?  Of course these questions seem ridiculous when you are expected to judge the character of someone just based on looks, well it is the exact same for bees.  You really can't judge them based on looks, and honestly when it comes to their origin it is really a matter of genetics. In other words they need to be lab tested.  Now how aggressive are they?  Well that is something that was explained earlier, but as far as size, color and other odd things I hear from my clients everyday...it's all nonsense.  I cannot tell you what to look for other than the experience. Now the actual shape and color can indicate different species and even different insects all together, but that is usually a little easier to assess than what is being promoted to the public.

If you have found this article to be effective please go to my facebook page and like it at www.facebook.com/abellobees Also check out my website, as well as many other Social media properties we are on...or if you're in the Arizona area call me. All of my information is on my website.  

Save the bees don't kill them

Bee removal and relocation is a highly specialized skill and is more time intensive than simply getting them exterminated.  Go check out Derek the Beekeeper at his best beekeeper in phoenix location. Either way you will not be disappointed with the level of customer service and care that you receive from these no nonsense companies.

Stung in the Head 3 times and 1 in the face!

Today's hive removal, 2 hives removed for the price of one! 

This is the time

Right now is such a great time for the bees! They have   lot of food with all of these wonderful flowers out and they will produce honey!

LA city visit and bees in Orange County California

It was a trip to remember last weekend.  I had a good friend of mine, ask me to bring out my bee stuff to help with his Mom's bee problem in her backyard in Costa Mesa.  I agreed and was glad I did, she had a nice hive underneath a group of trees that required me to dig into.  I will not go into the details of this call here, but she is bee free now!  What an interesting call, this was my first time dealing with bees in a tree.

Interesting Swarm call and Bird House!

Monday was a loooooong  night.  My wife was reminded why she doesn't like coming out with me on bee calls.  We didn't finish up until after 2am!  Like usual the calls didn't go as planned.  The first call was a swarm that was suppose to be the usual swarm call where the bees get placed in a box and removed at nightfall.  Well they were the size of 2 basketballs, "just as our friends said" and they decided to congregate in crazy places outside of the box that night as well.  This was a huge swarm, but the bees don't spread out like that during a swarm call.  This was one of my first crazy calls in the 3 years we have been in business.  Then I went to Scottsdale to get the bee hive in a birdhouse.  Fifteen feet into the air with the hive just above my head, I had to balance and try and sawzall through the screw that held the birdhouse beehive to the mesquite!  This goes without saying to beekeepers and others in this business.  I needed to plan this out well, as to keep the bees from going crazy on me.  I waited and looked, and planned and waited some more.  There was no getting around the mesquite that was situated between other trees and shrubs not to mention the new outdoor light that was delicate and just installed.  I was hanging off of a 2" diameter branch with my left hand and sawing with my right hand.  After much sweat and patient sawing.  I did it...but the birdhouse was still rocking as though it were attached.  Frustrated I pulled and pushed myself up on the ladder on my tip toes and sweating profusely now, saw another screw! Well I was in the thick of it at that point so I went at it, but needed a new blade, since my metal blade I had was too short!  After 10 minutes of looking for the allen wrench I misplaced and getting the right blade on, I cut through that next screw like butter (well really ice cold butter with a spoon as my saw) not literally but it took me a good minute or so of sawing to get through that too.  Well that was just half of the night.  I won't mention the rest unless asked :)

Sleepytime

It is winter time and as most of you may know it is time for bees to settle in for the winter.  They will forage less, if at all, and you may see some dead drones by the entrance of your hive. They are usually kicked out for the winter.  Here in AZ they may swarm all year. Keep in mind to call a beekeeper if you see a swarm, since they may move into your house.  I just had another call from a nice lady who is concerned for the bees, but can't afford a cut out.  Unfortunately she watched them swarm and then move into her house. Enjoy this winter time while the bees hibernate somewhat
and visit my website for some new information I just learned about keeping bees from your pool or other water source.  I say this with pride, "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Thanks for the rain

The wonderful Arizona monsoons have helped feed the bees a little longer this year.  There has been plenty of forage for the bees to enjoy.  Also there have been some great hives I harvested this past week with plenty of honey!

September Surprise Cutout

Today I cut out a nice hive for this couple in the Northwest Valley.  The bees continued into the attic!  Hopefully I won't need to vacuum them up, the hive is also sitting on top of the roof, and I will be back later tonight to pick them up.  

Bee swarm in my pepper tree

This morning  my son says "Look Dad! Bees up in the tree!" Sure enough I thought that I had lost a swarm of bees to my pepper tree. I decided not to take them down just then and continue enjoying my garden and orchard with my wife. We had a grand time, and then they were heard and seen flying away! I was sad, but come to find out, they must have been from somewhere else, or possibly part of one of my hives, because all the bee hives are still there! Praise God, my wife consoled me and said, "hey we didn't want to work on the sabbath anyway." I love when she's right. Now they can go somewhere else to keep our beautiful Arizona desert pollinated. Thanks Jesus for the nice cool overcast day yesterday. It gave us time to fix the AC and my bees some coolness from the heat!

It's getting hot in Arizona

I just had a swarm call in Cave Creek. It was very straightforward. The bees were swarmed underneath an old birds nest in a carob tree.  I cut the limb off and lowered them into a box for transport. They all settled in for the night, and have been successfully relocated! They are enjoing their new top bar hive far away from GMO, pesticides, herbicides and other poisons. By the way my son got in on the action, he was walking around like an old pro in his bee suit.  I got a good chuckle out of the homeowner when it came time to pay (he offered to pay more for the service because of him), I let him know my son was Union!

Spring time 2012

This is my second year as a beekeeper, and it sure is satisfying.  There is something about having these wonderful little creatures in your hands with the sweet and healthy honey dripping through the fingers that simply has to be experienced. I have been quite impressed with how well educated the most of my clients have been this year.  Most are more than willing to wait for the proper beekeeper to take care of their bees than to have them exterminated.  Yet there is still the idea most have that simply taking the bees from them is all the work that is involved.  Actually it is just the beginning of the work.  After the initial capture, the bees are then transferred to a hive, which for a swarm is quick work, but in my experience has been disappointing, since most bees will leave the new hive if they don't have it just the way they want it. The cut out is even more involved. The comb has to be transfered to the new hive which involves cutting and stapling the honey dripping and bees going crazy.  Don't get me wrong this is enjoyable but time consuming work to be done just right.  Once they are moved in it is off to the garden where watching them enjoy their harvest is relaxing and fun.  I hope the next time you stop to smell the roses, you enjoy the little bee inside too!

At sunset Point today

Today was a wonderful snow day in beautiful Flagstaff Arizona. While at Sunset point eating lunch outside, I noticed a couple of bees buzzing around looking for food. I remembered it is cold out, and with the lack of flowers during this time of year, they are looking for food and water. So be sure to share some if you get the chance.

Bees are Swarming

With the quick dip in weather there are still some swarms (usually small) happening. If this is seen in your area, watch out, they will most likely move in to a warm place. Get the swarm taken care of while it is only a swam. I travel all over the valley.

Boat cutout

Yesterday I cut out a hive from the front of a boat. This was a new experience. The hive was difficult to cut into because of the design of the boat. The only issue I ran into was there was a hose, and electrical wires going into the sidewall of the boat. This would not be an issue, but the bees decided to build into that cavity as well! I still took about 99% of the bees and comb. Thanks Vince!

Bees and Ground Squirrels

This is a swarm in my own backyard, from one of the hives that a ground squirrel attacked! Needless to say the ground squirrel is now in the ground, premanently, and this swarm is in the process of being placed back into its lovely hive.

These are pictures of the swarm close up. They were quite big and impressive on this mesquite tree.

Another close up of the swarm. You can see the bees occupied multiple branches.

Looks like something off of a nature T.V. program

Bee In the Garden

Today, checking out the devil's claw in our garden as it is growing flowers. My wife got startled by one of our bees popping out! She said I don't know who was more scared me or the bee!