First I saw a dense cloud of insects — termites, I assumed. But the intense buzzing alerted me to look more closely. They were bees, swarming about the top of a young pittosporum tree.
Having had trouble with bees making their hive too close to a doorway before, I was anxious to see where they were going to settle.
Then I spotted the dark shape at the heart of the Autumnalis shrub rose next to the tree. I had been on my hands and knees, weeding right there, only yesterday.
I hoped this wasn’t a permanent choice of abode.
But I know little about bees. Next day they were further down the yard, in a seething mass on the grass below the lemon-scented ti-tree.
Later that same day, as I planted out calamint seedlings, over the crackle of Radio National on my tiny transistor radio I heard an odd noise. A plane? I turned the radio off. No, bees, on the move again.
They seemed to be searching for a new place to land, and heading my way.
As I didn’t want to caught up in this, I decided it was lunchtime and fair leapt up the steps to the safety of indoors.
I have yet to find where the next squat is located.
They seem to have moved on, Denis, but to where I don’t know. Will keep the bee-capturer idea in mind!
Hi Sharyn
Bees can be scary, but then again, an amateur or professional apiarist would be happy to hear of your bees. I would also have “fair leapt” for safety as you did. Cheers
Denis
Hell, Fleur! Glad I ran! That sounds very scary. Especially as regards Anthony.
I actually saw the swarm on the track almost a week later as I drove out; wonder why they take so long to find a home?
They might like the gypsy life but it can’t be very sustainable in our rainy times, as now.
Swarming bees are a problem, Sharyn. During harvest last year we were minding our own business, blowing the header down for the day’s harvest (no where near trees, bushes or places that they would make a home) and out of the blue, there came a swarm that were looking for a new place to live. They attacked us for no particular reason. I was stung three times around the head and Anthony, who is allergic (to the point of death if stung) had to hunker down in the engine so they couldn’t get to him. Be very careful of swarming bees!