Bees in the Tree

Over the summer, we had a swarm that decided to make its hive very high up on a branch in our yard. There was no way we could reach it, and we knew that, with the colder temps on their way, the bees needed some shelter to survive.

Thankfully, we have awesome neighbors like Mike’s Tree Service, who gave us a lift early one morning. (If you’re in the Town of Clinton, Rhinebeck or Hyde Park and need some tree work, be sure to give him a call, seriously, what a nice guy! 845-266-3685)

We also talked to Megan over at Hudson Valley Bee Supply in Kingston a few weeks back, who recommended spraying the hive with sugar water once we were up there – to keep them occupied licking all that sweet goodness off – and then zip-tie a sheet around the hive before cutting the branch.

Our head beekeeper Larissa did just that, and was able to put the entire cut branch into a stack of deep boxes, surrounded by a few empty frames. Now that they are in a covered hive, the honeybees will now have a much better chance of surviving the coming winter.