Bee colony gets 'a good home'

Volunteers, tree cutters, specialists pitch in on move from doomed oak

FUQUAY-VARINA -- Their gloves stained yellow with honey, bee enthusiasts rescued a colony of wild honeybees Wednesday from an old oak tree that was cut down at WakeMed's campus in Fuquay-Varina.

Volunteers with the Wake County Beekeepers Association and state bee specialists squirted smoke from smoldering canisters into the opening of the giant oak to calm the bees, then moved eight large chunks of honeycomb from the trunk to a new bee box.

"We got them a good home," said Danny Jaynes, president of the Wake County Beekeepers Association and hobby beekeeper. "It's one of the most rewarding days of my beekeeping life."

The combs, containing thousands of adult bees, juveniles and eggs, were placed inside wooden frames. The frames hang vertically like files inside the bee box. By moving the combs, beekeepers expect most of the bees will relocate to raise the young bees and make a new home.

The insects -- vital to crop production -- have been plagued in recent years with parasite infestations that have wiped out most wild colonies. A new, mysterious disease is now also hitting domestic bees.

"It appears to be a healthy colony as far as we can tell," said state apiarist Don Hopkins, who seemed oblivious to angry bees swarming around him. "It wasn't huge, but it was big enough. It's mostly just get them out of there."

Plenty of buzz

Hopkins estimated the size of the colony at 25,000 to 30,000 bees -- a typical winter-size colony. The colonies increase by thousands of bees as honey production picks up during the blooming season.

Hospital officials discovered the colony after finding root rot in the ancient oak tree, which stood 85 feet tall and had limbs hanging above the long-term care facility. As a result, the tree presented a hazard and was targeted for removal.

But efforts were also mounted to save the bees, which are increasingly rare in the wild, causing concern among farmers. Bees pollinate about a third of the food people eat.

Dan McMains and his crew of tree cutters with J & D Tree Pros spent much of the day pruning sections of the tree to get to the hive, which was about 20 feet up the trunk.

Hundreds of bees swarmed around the volunteers and tree cutters, some clad in protective clothing, after they laid the tree trunk on its side and began cutting carefully toward the hive. Wielding a chain saw with a 4-foot blade, McMains endured more than 20 stings and several times had to flee, with bees in pursuit.

"Hello, pretty boys and girls," he exclaimed when workers reached the cavity containing the hive inside the tree trunk. "Is my honey home?"

Some sampled a little of the raw honey.

"It tastes extremely good," said Greg Harris of J & D Tree Pros. "It tastes more pure than normal honey. It is extremely sweet."

For the time being, the bee rescuers left the bee box sitting atop the section of tree that had contained the hive, so remaining bees would be drawn to the combs.

Jaynes said he didn't spot the queen bee but was confident she would follow the brood. He fed the bees sugar water.

"I was really surprised how calm they were until we started cutting about the nest," Jaynes said. "Then they said, 'You're messing with my young ones.' "

The bees will remain on the the grounds of the WakeMed campus. Jaynes agreed to care for them.

At the end of the day, McMains, the tree cutter, said a prayer for the bees.

"We prayed for the safekeeping of the bees," he said. "I was just so excited today about getting that done. I was raised on a farm. I know the difference of honeybees versus no bees."