Our most recent bee experience...
Headed out the door on my way to work one day this past fall... I happened to glance out the window and ... yup, bees. Not one casually flying around the window... not two... hundreds. And they were not only flying, they were dwelling immediately above my front door entry way. For reference, the hive shown in the picture below is roughly the size of a basketball.
How did we not notice the hive being built - given that it's immediately outside the window and immediately above our front door entry way? Great question ... I have no idea. Apparently I never look out that window, nor do I walk around the outside of my house looking up. I do both now, daily.
I hopped on the internet and started researching what type of bees we were actually dealing with. Per the hive design, I concluded that they were “Bald Faced Hornets.” Great ... just what I needed, another bald[ing] issue...
I had heard that you can contact your local bee keeper to remove such a hive. I emailed the MN Hobby Beekeepers Association (yes, I actually did. And yes, there actually is such an organization). A kind gentleman called me a few hours later and told me not to worry about the bees ... "they wont bother you as long as you don't bother them." Not completely comfortable with that advice, or lack thereof, I spent some more time researching ... I came across the following:
"bald-faced hornets are protective of their nests and will sting repeatedly if the nest is physically disturbed. They are more aggressive than both wasps and yellow jackets, and it is not considered safe to approach the nest for observation purposes. The bald-faced hornet will aggressively attack with little provocation."Got it. Don't approach the nest. Don't enter the front door of my house. Thank you MN Hobby Beekeepers Association Man ... thank you, truly great advice. I bet he hung up the phone and pictured me like this guy:
So what did I do? Nothing. Too cheap to pay a 'professional' a couple hundred dollars to remove it for me, and too scared to do it myself. I let mother nature do her thing. Below freezing temps - take that bees!
