plod Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 First of the season, and it must have been on steroids. Could it have been a queen looking for a nesting-spot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baypond Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 We saw one this weekend, I don't think it was a queen. However, we did also see a few regular wasps that looked large enough to be queens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 It will only be a queen at this time of year.http://www.planetepassion.eu/WILDLIFE-IN-FRANCE/Hornet-or-Frelon-in-France.htmlChris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Could do with a bit of advice from Chris on this subject.Our neighbour's house is a residence secondaire and we became aware of a lot of flying activity around one of the upstairs (closed) shutters. I've just been inside the house for a recce and found the nest between the outside of the window and the shutter: an enormous inverted cone, about 30cms in depth, probably 20cms in diameter. Hundreds of hornets or wasps (pretty sure they aren't bees).Obviously this needs to be removed and I've had a look under Apiculture in the Yellow Pages - plenty of people around. I've also heard that the Sapeurs Pompiers take care of this, or is this an urban myth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Any chance of getting a quick photo of the nest and one of the insects? They won't be going anywhere, so it's not life or death.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 [quote user="Gardian"]... this needs to be removed... I've also heard that the Sapeurs Pompiers take care of this, or is this an urban myth? [/quote]They used to remove them FOC, but this is no longer the case.if they do remove them, the householder is likely to be presented with a bill for the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 [quote user="chris pp"]Any chance of getting a quick photo of the nest and one of the insects? They won't be going anywhere, so it's not life or death.Chris[/quote]Will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 First try at doing this, so hope it's worked!Picture resized by a moderator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Sorry about the sizing! I tried re-sizing the pic before uploading, but gave up!Those panes of glass are 30 x 26 cms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 That's a swarm of honey bees, you need to try and find a beekeeper fast, I wish I lived near you that's a fantastic swarm.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Chris .................Thanks very much for advice. I'll get on to one of the people in the phone book tomorrow - there are several quite closeby. Will let you know the outcome.I must admit that taking that photo was quite unnerving, even though there was glass between us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Lovely photograph, Gardian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 You need to be fairly on your toes with it, they won't hang around and may move into the roof and then you can never get them out. In theory they can stay in that temporary ball for a week but in practice it's no more than three days.Evening is the best time to take them followed by early morning.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 [quote user="Gardian"] Thanks very much for advice. I'll get on to one of the people in the phone book tomorrow - there are several quite closeby. Will let you know the outcome. [/quote]Hi Gardian,If the phone book doesn't work, there's a list of people who can help here (S.O.S. Essaim d'abeilles) - hopefully there'll be someone near you:http://abeille.gudule.org/(How do I know? We had a swarm on a lamp-post here in Montpellier over the week-end. Right in the middle of town, 15 metres off the ground, bees dropping onto the pavement, getting crushed. Unfortunately, no-one could help, it being where it was; and the swarm, getting smaller all the time, finally disappeared after a couple of days. Shame ...)AmicalementCraig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Thanks for that link Craig, I've just e-mailed them to be added to it and I'll put it on planetepassion as well.Nice one.[:D]Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 My pleasure, Chris.Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Many thanks to all for the help & advice. As a matter of courtesy, I checked with our other (French) neighbour before acting. She's on her own this week while Michel is away on business. It was he who spotted the bees first and was going to do something when he gets back, but when we talked with her last night, we thought we'd better get on.Anyway, she then showed me a big pile of earth in her garden (say 1m high x 4m2) which has multiple pencil-size holes in it. She said that about a week ago, she needed a bit of soil for something or other and started poking the pile around. Bees emerging everywhere! She demonstrated it again tonight. loads more. Was that the start of it?So .............. rang the closest Apiculture man. "Errr, non .......... mais mon collegue, etc." Rang the suggested M. Dupre. Wife answered: explained the situation & she yelled out at the top of her voice "Dupreeeeeh". I just had the feeling that he was otherwise engaged on the loo or something like that!!! Anyway, he rang back 20 mins later and he'll be round "Demaing" sometime-ish. It's a bit like that round here. If I'm unsure about whether he knows what he's doing, then I'll politely send him away.We'll see what tomorrow brings: never a dull moment. By the way, the bees have been there since at least last Friday.Watch this space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 The bees in the ground are something completely different, try Googling Miner or Digger bees.Good luck, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Well, Monsieur Dupre dropped by this afternoon for a recce. His comment when he saw the swarm was unrepeatable in polite company, but along the lines of "Oh my goodness me"!!!He's about 60, 5'5" and with the sort of paunch that can only have been acquired through a life of good and prodigeous eating. Lovely man, with a local accent that you could cut with a knife. He's an enthusiastic amateur with his own hives and keen to have the bees. He knows one of the people on the link that you gave us Craig (next village in fact). Said that he'll be round tomorrow morning to do the deed. No charge involved, but I'll 'see him alright for a drink'.I asked how he was going to unhook the shutters, given that he had to do that from the inside: "Doucement, tres tres doucement", he said.Re the Miner Bees in our other neighbour's garden, you were of course absolutely right Chris. M. Dupre called them abeilles de terruaire, but I think that they may also be known as abeilles des sables. Best left alone he said.I'm looking forward to tomorrow's action: will try to get some pics (from a distance!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Well, it was all very low key in the event.M. Dupre turned up just after 10.00, said leave it to me and got on with it. Basically, he removed the nest from the brickwork and placed it in to a hive that he's left on the windowsill. The bees were a bit excited, but he said that they'd soon realise that the queen was in the hive and that this was their new home. He's coming back after dark, when he said that they'll have gone to bed and he'll take the hive away.I asked him how many bees. "20k - 30k". Hmmmmm !!Never a dull moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I asked him how many bees. "20k - 30k". Hmmmmm !!Yes, that was my estimate, closer to 30,000, nice swarm, productive queen, brilliant, well done.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 All done Chris.Mr & Mrs D duly turned up at 21.00 and the hive was in the back of their Transit before you could blink. He's left another hive at ground floor level, because there were quite a few bees 'interested' in one of the other volets. He'll be back next week to collect it and to give us a pot of his honey.Amazing experience: thanks again for your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventodue Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Excellent outcome - well done!AmicalementCraig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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