And that's not a typo. This post is long over due. Sorry!
The year started out with a broken pool heater. As the pool tech was working on the heater, he leaned over and had the classic "plumbers crack". X-rated. And of course, I didn't want to stare... so I stood far away and as he was working I noticed some insects flying around the roof. On closer inspection (well, as close as I could from the ground) they looked like wasps or bees. I later asked my lawn guy what he thought they were, as he's much taller than me and he said they looked like honey bees to him.
So after the heater was repaired, I called a bee man. Someone who could remove the hive and relocate the bees (if they were honey bees). This was week one of the new year (that I called the bee man) and he showed up in full regalia bee-gear the next week.
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| Bee Man looking for hive. |
After drilling holes and putting a camera on a scope into the roof eave he found the location. It was indeed honey bees and they had quite a comb established. He had to saw off part of roof eave to get to it. All the while I'm a nervous wreck, i.e. can he save the bees? will they swarm? (he warned me to stand back) How am going to fix the roof eave?
This is what he found!
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| Bee Hive (Honey Comb) |
He then brought a large rubber container and scooped the comb and bees out:
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| Catching bees! |
Once he got the majority of them including the Queen Bee, he had to scoop out any remaining comb and spray a preventative chemical to keep the "straggler" bees from returning. My house was dripping with honey....
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Home Sweet Home
Literally, that's honey dripping down the house. |
The bees were relocated to "the Green Swamp" a place where the bee man and his father keep their bee hives.... So the honey bees were saved, except for a few stragglers who stung the heck out of the poor guy when he was tidying up! He also was able to replace the boards he sawed off and even repainted them, so alls well that ends well...
Then when I went to download the photos for this post, my camera died. Couldn't retrieve a thing! All 3000 pictures gone! Pictures going back to Bob and Boomer etc. I was heartbroken, though as you can see, I finally retrieved them. Took days... Still working on retrieving the others.
Meanwhile, the ice maker broke down and while waiting for a new ice maker, I went into the guest house to find ice cube trays and opened a cupboard and found A SNAKE! EEK! I tell you, I was outta there fast!
Thus started the "snake man" saga... an "animal eviction service". So this past week, while retrieving photos and dealing with The Snake Man and The Ice Man... I've barely had time to work on anything....
So today, the ice maker is back in service. The guest house is set with traps and all holes that could allow critters in have been sealed. Pool heater working. Bees gone to a new home. And I will be retrieving more photos today (and probably tomorrow and the next day etc...)
That's all, folks!
