|
Sounds like the title of the latest scary movie. Actually it was a very interesting, almost inspirational event. On Saturday, April 14, Kent & Carol M hear a buzzing sound; at first thinking it was a loud boat on the waterway. It turned out to be a swarm of bees in their backyard. After several minutes of filling the air, the bees settled on a smal pine tree in their backyard. |
| Kent called and e-mailed as many people he thought might be interested in having the bees. At first, things looked bleak. One source even suggested an exterminator! NO, NO! "We want to save the bees." Then Carol remembered she had a jar of honey she bought in Georgetown with the Beekeeper's name and phone number. They called and he wanted the bees. At the moment he was taking a group of bees from someone's house but would come over in a couple of hours. In the meantime, Kent called a few neighbors and his favorite webmaster. |
| While we waited for the beekeeper, Mother Nature dazzled us with variety of wildlife. |
|
|
| Carol points out the swarm. | A close-up shows just a mass of bees. |
|
Carol served iced tea with honey (what else?) to some on the back porch while we waited. Part of the group wandered out into the backyard and discovered a fascinating collection of other animals. Just across the pond there were two Canadian geese with a brood of tiny goslings. In the pond were some of Heritage's largest turtles. Just over the edge of the pond, there were three coots. Beyond them, on the shore of the golf course was a large alligator. What more could we ask? |
|
|
|
|
Almost on cue, our hero arrives, looking very much like the popular image of a Beekeeper.
|
|
| Paul Crooks arrives with his equipment. | He brought a hive, a smoke generator and assorted tools. |
|
|
| He shook the bees off the tree onto the hive. Looks easy, doesn't it. Want to try? | |
|
|
| Forrest wanted to see if the bees were really docile. He is recovering nicely in the hospital. (Just kidding.) |
The final result. The bees seemed to adapt to their new hive quite nicely. |
Thanks to Kent and Carol for sharing this delightful experience with us. Hope you viewers enjoy as well.
Return to Heritage Happenings.     Please e-mail your webmaster if you have suggestions.