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November 07, 1991 - Beware the Busy Bees of WinterC8 The Suffolk Times • November 7, 1991 Beware the Busy Bees of Winter By Paul Stoutenburgh A lady called me from up the lane the other day concerning the possibilities of having bees in her attic. Knowing I kept bees she wanted to ask my opinion as to what to do. I know the ramifications of this kind of an intrusion, so I told her I'd be up the next day to see if she indeed had a colony of unwanted guests. When I arrived she took me up into the attic where we found 20 to 30 dead yellow jackets on the floor. They were the intruders and not honey bees. Yellow jackets usually live in the ground, as many a person can vouch for who's run across them while weeding the garden or raking leaves in the backyard. It is unusual to find them in the attic. Luck was on her side, though. Should they have been honey bees it could have been a costly business to get them out. Case in point. Just across the road from where 1 vis- ited the yellow jackets in the attic is a cute little cottage that has been on our lane long before I can remember. Like many of our older houses there are places along the roof and in the walls where an enterprising bee can find en- trance and here's where the trouble starts or should I say winds up? For its true beginning is when the bees swarm. Born to Reproduce The honey bee's sole purpose, as far as the bee is concerned, is to reproduce. It does many other things in the process, such as pollinate plants and produce honey and bee's wax for man's pleasure, but the expansion of the colony is its prime objective and it does this very well. So much so that it sometimes overpopulates the hive. Since the hive can handle just so many bees, the excess has to move out and find a home somewhere else. This is when bees swarm by the hundreds and thousands. It's then they send out their scouts to look for a new home. Should your roof or siding have a hole suitable for en- trance, the scout goes back to the swarm, which then makes the proverbial beeline to the newfound home. Here the entire swarm enters and, seeing there is nothing but empty space between the Focus on Nature rafters or studs of the wall, the bees start immediately to build new combs and set up housekeeping. Again the urge to multiply drives them on until they fill up one open space and then another. Even the entrance hole is chewed away to widen it for the busy throngs that pass in and out carrying their precious cargo of honey and pollen for the newly developing young. You then might hear a buzzing sound in your walls or rafters. This along with the continual movement of bees around your house would tell you that you have a hive in good working order and you now have a problem on your hands. Your choice is to leave them to ex- pand, which will only become more of a problem later, or to get them out as soon as they are discovered. This calls for a professional. You call one in and find out that half your wall mus be removed to get the bees out or in some instances they can be lured out by a temporary hive placed just outside. This tale is typical of many cases I hear each year. The only advice I can give is that you keep your eyes and ears sharply tuned for any suspicious bees flying in and out of an opening around your home. If luck is on your side, your bees might be yellow jackets, as in the case of the lady up the lane where we looked today. In that case, just wait until winter comes and the freezing weather will kill off the workers leaving only the queens which will hibernate in the ground and start anew next year in another area. I would then suggest you plug up the hole so no other insects can get in. Honey Bees Survive The problem with honey bees is that they are not winter - killed like the yellow jackets but stay active all winter long within the hive. Before winter they build up a large store of honey that they consume during this cold period thereby keeping warm and active. When spring comes they start anew outside, gathering Photo by Annie Stepnowsky BEES IN THE WALL —Honey bees are beneficial to man except when they use your home for theirs. Here, Peter Helinski removes combs from a house invaded by honey bees. their honey and pollen. But now, not only will they feed themselves, they will have the additional task of feeding the multitude of young the queen con- tinually produces. There's always much confusion be- tween bees and wasps. To make matters worse there are many kinds of bees and many kinds of wasps. Generally, when we speak of honey bees, we are talking about the small bee that is broader bod- ied and more hairy than the wasp or yel- low jacket. This yellow jacket is the one most know as being a pest around the picnic table. They become a nuisance when cleaning fish or having a sweet drink outside plus the fact they can sting over and over again. Both can be a real problem if they de- cide to use your home as their nesting area. Early detection and a thorough in- spection of any holes and crevices around your home or building are the best deterrent. Living in the country has its good side and bad side but knowing about the bad side makes life a lot easier. Births GUNN —On Oct. 26, 1991, at Western Suffolk Hospital, to Jennifer and Patrick Gunn of East Marion, a daughter, Caelan Shae, 7 pounds, 9 1/2 ounces. � ;) IVY.. '..r• Vii•- ._•r• =r_•Z� � �.•:•L•_r_•_•- •w_•_•_•_� •s�•_� •_rrw-•_r_•_•_•ti3� •��:•L•S•ti Wiz.•_•- •_•.•S•_r_•_• r• �.•.•�•.•? .- - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - -- - -- - -- - — .. to .1 - ROAD, MAIN • • • 71 516-765-5500 �( ao� 4th Annual House Tour ?• Sunday, November QEI , in Advance I Pick • your • map/ticket • • i $12 Day of Tour C, Office and Gift Shop PRINCE / �0E1 TV tj Next to Southold Savings Bank � ��'�w_1�/���_ �N_� �- •�:i_••�= .�•_•_i2�:•_• °i:��iv =� �:s�w_•' -'��� •- :r•:rJ�• R��•�•_� = •:s:•�•_•�� •C��� � ��•�•:• �.wCr -•%� s a- _ � ,�,���p'�.-�f���fA_A� _/�ty,,e������ M� ppyFy9 /����J'�M► _ when cleaning fish or having a sweet drink outside plus the fact they can sting over and over again. Both can be a real problem if they de- cide to use your home as their nesting area. Early detection and a thorough in- spection of any holes and crevices around your home or building are the best deterrent. Living in the country has its good side and bad side but knowing about the bad side makes life a lot easier. Births GUNN —On Oct. 26, 1991, at Western Suffolk Hospital, to Jennifer and Patrick Gunn of East Marion, a daughter, Caelan Shae, 7 pounds, 9 1/2 ounces.