Mountain Fork Honey Bees

10/10/2022

This is a map showing the introduction and spread of the European honey bee.

10/03/2022

circa. 1824 ~ To Find a Bee Tree.
Airy Trails and Trees Melliferous
Like: Historical Honeybee Articles - Beekeeping History

To find a bee-tree.— Spread a little
honey, or sugar and water in a plate
on a stump, where the bees are about.
A passing bee will stop and taste, and
inform his associates, who will gather
about it, and attend it daily in numbers.
Then substitute the plate by a
piece of board, spread with a little honey;
and get a horn or calabash somewhat
in the shape of a funnel, and
open at both ends. Over the small
end, stick on, with a little pitch a bit of
window glass and have at hand apiece
board sufficient to cover up; the large
end. Place this over such bees as are
loaded and preparing for departure so
as to darken them, and they will ascend
to the small end, where light comes
thro’ the bit of glass; it can then be removed
to cover others; and finally secured
by the piece of board to shut up
the lower end.

Having two or three dozen bees
thus caught let off one by raising the
bit of glass, and follow the course he
takes while he can with tolerable certainty,
and then let off another, and so
on. Do not be drawn off from the
course that three or four have taken,
by one taking another course; he is either
a bee from another tree, or he is
not sufficiently loaded to return home.
Thus you will be led to the tree.

Another method to find the bee-tree
scientifically. Take from the bait board,
as above, a few bees well laden;
let them off, three or four immediately
after each other, and note by a compass
the course they take. This ascertained,
leave one person at this place of
observation while another takes a
course off from the one noted, at a little
less than a right angle, for a quarter
or half a mile (unless the tree is believed
to be near at hand) and this person
having fixed on his course, by the
flight of three or four more bees he has
let off, he fires a gun or blows a horn
as a signal to start together on their
respective courses— the tree will be
found at the angle of meeting.

Note: Honey Hunting, Bee Lining and
Bee Tree articles will be found by searching:
'Airy Trails and Trees Melliferous'

Source:
US, Georgia, Macon, Macon Georgia Messenger ,
January 21, 1824

09/30/2022

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Supporting local honey producers allow you to verify that the honey you’re purchasing is truly raw and has the beneficial properties that we need!

09/11/2022

Hive inspection day. Finally found the queen from a cutout last month. She's big, black and now has pretty yellow dot on her back.
And did I mention an awesome laying pattern.

08/29/2022

08/15/2022

08/10/2022

Another cutout in the books. They where pretty docile but due to the tight work space I did take an above normal amount of stings. Total sting count around twenty, most in the left hand from reaching in pulling comb. Hand stings really dont bother me but the bicep and love handleI stings definitely got my attention. I would like too thank for choosing to save the bees and have the hive safely removed and relocated.

08/03/2022

This is a cutout on an old house in Holy Creek. There was alot of bees but judging by the comb color, lack of resources and brood I dont think they had been there all that long. Never seen the queen but im pretty sure I got her in the be vac.