For three years we have had a colony of honey bees nesting in the wall of our house. They established themselves by entering under the timbers that support the deck on the upper story of the house. We have been working on a plan to remove them without injuring them. This weekend, proving they are a healthy colony, according to a beekeeper we talked to in Martinsville, Indiana, they split their hive into not one, but two new swarms.
The first swarm appeared on Friday, May 16, in a dwarf sour cherry tree in the back yard.
Saturday morning a second, smaller swarm formed.
A close up of the top of the smaller swarm, a solid moving mass of bees.
Sunday morning at dawn, the first, large swarm was completely gone. I assume they decided to move to whatever new home they have found. Hopefully not elsewhere in the walls of our house. By Sunday afternoon, the second swarm had also vanished.
The irises in the front yard are beautiful this year.
