Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Nugget Shooter on February 16, 2017, 10:22:50 am
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This colony is 25 feet up in the side of a wash here in my area and really active now with the flow starting early....
(https://s18.postimg.cc/pfi4xkr45/washhive2017.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/pfi4xkr45/)
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cool photo nugget shooter!
where did you come across them?
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Why is the term wash used? Is that an area that sees flash flooding or something? It would be a shame to see that lost. Are they aggressive in any way? Would swarm traps be an idea if they're gentle?
:photos:
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I don't think Arizona has many actual rivers.
They have a lot of washes though. I used to play cowboys and Indians in the wash behind our house when I lived in Tucson (Goldwater era). The smell of sage will send me right back to my childhood.
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My next trip might have to be desert minded. In the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia where I grew up it was "semi arid". We had low growing cactus that would send spikes through the sides of running shoes for the fun of it, but those were located mostly high up on the hills.
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Why is the term wash used? Is that an area that sees flash flooding or something? It would be a shame to see that lost.
:photos:
In Arizona a ditch with no water is called a river. If it has water flowing in it, it is called a flood.
The ground is so hard that when it rains the water does not soak into it and the water run off can cause flash floods. The ground is like asphalt in hardness.
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Why is the term wash used?...
In Arizona a ditch with no water is called a river. If it has water flowing in it, it is called a flood.
In Wyoming you would call it a 'draw', in Montana it would be a 'coulee'. :)
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During the brief, heavy rains in the desert the water runs down the depressions, that might be a creek or stream in wetter climates, and washes everything downstream.
Sonora Museum has been around for a long time, and has more info:
https://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/ifnm_washes.php
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In North Carolina it is simply called a ditch but we do not have that many as high as nugget is talking about.
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So would this colony ever be in peril?
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"In Wyoming you would call it a 'draw', in Montana it would be a 'coulee'. :)"
.................. :D
very true lee!
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So would this colony ever be in peril?
At 25' up, I think they would only be in peril if the hive was directly below a runoff. Arizona has a monsoon season, but filling a wash to 25 feet? :o :o
Nugget Shooter would probably know better than I do, however.
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They are called washes as mentioned because they run only when we get rain and sometimes they are running many feet deep after the ground is saturated and it is not like concrete here in most places, but can be very shallow then solid bedrock. There are dozens of colonies in these small caves created by erosion and most are far enough up that they will not be washed away. yes the bees are just good ol' honeybees and not aggressive unless ya mess with their home. Hives like this are very common here and I have seen much bigger ones. There are 2 in the wash behind my property that have been in the same caves for over 20 years.
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Like your very own observation hive. I would love something like that.
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I would have those bees in a box! Probably requeened too, but in a box. :)
My mentor, Dr. Wilson of the USDA Bee Lab in Laramie, Wyoming was clear in his instruction about feral hives and the threat they can pose to spread American Foul Brood (AFB). The incidence of AFB has ebbed and flowed over time, but remains a threat to your hives and mine. With those colonies in boxes, you can inspect for foul brood and take appropriate action if it is found. Just my (minority) opinion Nugget Shooter. :)
Those colonies, in their natual state are a thing of beauty. :thumbsup:
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Good morning Lee, thinking it would be dangerous without a cherry picker which there is no way to get in there as the material around the cave is quite unstable with rocks and gravel that is very lose and 25 or more feet up. Would require much more experience and tools than I poses :yes: There are a couple others near here, but again high up and would have to crawl in a few feet to get them :-\\
These bees are more in the open.... (not sure where this is)
(https://s1.postimg.cc/5j5jhwuez/huge_hive.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/5j5jhwuez/)
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That is an impressive open air hive! :)
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Not sure where you are in the state Nugget but I remember there were africanized bees in the areas I used to hunt in the southern part of the state. I was archery hunting javelina and would occasionally see bees flying out of ground entrances on the side of draws and I avoided them like the plague. Seemed like every year I hunted there (near Douglas), I'd hear on the radio of someone getting stung so badly that the victim was hospitilized. Lots of protective gear, especially up high in the air in the hot (for me). cold (for you) temperatures, would be a deal breaker for this old guy. I don't like heat or heights though :) Cool pic though. Thanks for sharing. Is it possible that the colony was underground and the side eroded off, exposing the comb? Made me think of those houses along the California coast that fall down the hill when it gets wet and slippery :)
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Way South of me Chip and yep much more AHB influence there, we get cold in winter sometimes and beekeepers in my area say it is a blessing. Guess they do not tolerate it well and will perhaps die off in cold years. I am new and we have 2 store bought Italian colonies and 4 feral and really no difference in behavior, but feral bees here are much smaller.... Just what I am seeing so far as a newbie.
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Beautiful white comb. Great pics NS, Thanks!
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Sounds like you're in a good spot Nugget. Africanized bees can be interesting to keep. Years ago, I'd get some hot ones back from southern CA and they were difficult to requeen. I'm sure they were replacement queens that were bred by africanized drones. My bees have bee farther north the past few years and they come back with nice dispositions :)
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Good morning Lee, thinking it would be dangerous without a cherry picker which there is no way to get in there as the material around the cave is quite unstable with rocks and gravel that is very loose and 25 or more feet up.
How can one disagree with that? :)