The Birds and The Bees

Last Saturday Jeremy pointed out our dining room picture window where we have a tree right outside it and told us that a robin was building a nest there! We were able to sit and watch as she would go to various locations picking up moss, twigs and other materials and build her nest. It was so amazing to watch! We have enjoyed seeing her every day since as she sits in her nest and just looks about. We are hoping she is going to lay her eggs there and we can watch as she cares for them. This was a new experience for Steve and I as well as Jeremy!


On Sunday our neighbor across the street called me to say that a swarm of bees was outside the front of our house. We were amazed at what we saw when we looked out there! I have never seen anything like it. A whole colony of bees swarming about and establishing residence in our big oak tree. We had just come home from church before the swarm began and were safe inside as we watched them buzz about. I immediately called Steve at the church and directed him to go into the house through the garage as he would have had to pass through the swarm in order to reach the front door. Later that night, the bees were all nestled in the cone they had built and knit tightly together.

This beehive was made in less than 4 hours!

The bee keeper gathering the bees

                                                          The bees all gathered in the box

First thing Monday morning, I called the pest control and then it began...my education on bees! The lady immediately directed me to call a bee keeper, who I found in the yellow pages. He came out in 1/2 hour time and got busy collecting the bees. I learned that when bees swarm like that, as long as you leave them alone, they will not harm you. I learned all about the queen bee and why the others favor her so much. She is the only bee that can reproduce. Several days before they plan to swarm, they start to starve her to take down her weight so she will be ready for flight, otherwise she will not be able to fly. She can carry about a million eggs at one time! She lets off a scent that leads all of her colony back to her. Once the bee keeper had her in the box, the other bees followed. They found their way back to her by dusk, when it starts to cool again and they colonize to keep warm. By the time he came back around 7:30p.m., the bees were all at home and inside the box together. It was fascinating to watch.

Thus our lesson, within two days, on the Birds and the Bees!