[Az-Geocaching] Cache Bees

[Jerry Nelson]

I checked my Why? cache today after a couple no finds and a report of bees.
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=52218

The cache is still in place and sure enough, so are the bees! A nice 2-3
pound swarm about three feet from the cache. I've kept bees as a hobby in
the past but had to give up this fascinating activity because of the obvious
problems of having bees in the city with non-understanding neighbors.   It
was hard to resist the urge to grab my old equipment and hive the little
suckers.  I miss all that good honey.

Virtually all wild swarms in this part of the country are mixed with the
Africanized Killer Bee strain. They're aggressive and need to be avoided.
I'll temporarily disable this until it's safe. This one can still be had if
you want to go caching in a bee mask, gloves and jumpsuit. In a park this
large what's the chance a swarm would choose to perch right here?

Bee facts: In the spring bees follow the swarming instinct to increase their
number of colonies. They raise a new, second queen who leaves with about
half the bees in the old colony. Unless a new home is found quickly, they
set up temporary quarters by hanging in a clump, usually on a tree limb.
Scout bees then search for a permanent home, maybe in a cliff crevice or
someone's attic. In a mild climate like Arizona's, I've seen bees that
decide to stay and build comb right on a tree limb but this is rare. My
guess is that the cache bees will be on their way soon and I'll reopen it.

Jerry
Offtrail