Bee Swarm in down town Toronto

[Catherine]

This afternoon in a neighbourhood just south of me people were treated to a curious event. A hive of bees swarmed. They were clustered in a ball on a tree when they were spotted.
Ontario Bee Rescue was called in and the swarm was safely removed, safe for the bees that is.
Oh, and no people were hurt either.


https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...AUrGNFbfgQ

I guess this is a good sign. Hives swarm when they need to split into two hives. That means some of our city hives are doing very well.

[LPC]

Yes, I read somewhere that towns are ironically now a safer place for bees than the countryside, because toxic insecticides are generally not used in urban areas.

[AnimalFamily]

Wow, that doesn't happen every day.
It actually did happen once right in our back yard.
Bock and I were outside when they moved in. There were hundreds if not thousands of them. [I didn't bother to count, lol]
The noise from them was amazingly loud. When I finally figured out they were bees we ran in the house where we spent the rest of the day!
Later that evening they had all settled on a wooden corner post.
They were a huge mass. I have a pic somewhere.
The next morning they were all gone.
They had moved on to the next stop in their migration, I assume.

[Catherine]

When they are swarming like that it is an impressive sight. I wish I could have been there. The bees move on until they find a safe spot for a hive. I hope your swarm found a suitable place for their new home.

This swarm was moved into a constructed hive. All they need to do is fill it with honey combs and start to work in the gardens.

You are right LPC, the cities are safer for bees. We are working to plant bee friendly plants so they have food. We have hives on the roof tops of tall buildings. We banned pesticides a few years ago. If the countryside becomes too toxic, the cities may become islands of life.  How ironic. We used to think of the country as the "island" of life and the city as the concrete jungle.

[LPC]

There is a small colony of bees in our alpaca shed this year. They don't trouble us or the alpacas. They just fly in and out, doing their business. "Busy as bees"....

[Catherine]

My grandmother always said "If you let the bee be, the bee will let you be".
I think she was right on many levels.

I am sure your bees will give you no trouble and you will enjoy seeing them. We have bees all over the city and we are all fine.
We need to think about how we live with bees and be willing to invite them into our space. The cities could have lots more hives.
Every farm should have a hive or two. If we are going to save bees then we are going to need to work at it.

[AnimalFamily]

(07-09-2016, 02:23 PM)Catherine Wrote: .......... We banned pesticides a few years ago. If the countryside becomes too toxic, the cities may become islands of life.  How ironic. We used to think of the country as the "island" of life and the city as the concrete jungle.

Boy that's the truth! I used to think living in the country was soooo much healthier than the city.
However, having lived here for so many years and seeing what I've seen my thoughts have changed.
I just try and keep my little corner of the world clean and toxin free.
Funny thing is I have a particular wild herb that I treasure. It has been growing on my place for years.
This year there is not a speck of it here. I have seen it growing in ditches alongside the roads but I am terrified to pick any.
I know the county and various other people periodically spray the ditches with herbicides, so anything growing there cannot be safe for human consumption.
So sad, I will have to do without this year.

[Catherine]

I don't blame you for not picking herbs from the ditches.  Friends are always wanting to catch crickets for my lizards when they are out in the country. They don't understand why I say no.  We both know about pesticide use. It could kill my lizards quickly, but it would accumulate in a person and cause long term serious health problems.

What herb is it?  I am guessing it is not Beefsteak plant.

I buy my guinea pig hay from local farms that produce it for small animals and guarantee it is pesticide free.

I try to buy local produce because we have some laws about pesticide use. I avoid stuff from countries I am not sure of.