Bee Swarm!! Oh, boy...

It is not unusual for Stan to hear buzzing sounds in the nectarine tree this time of year. Japanese beetles are always flying around and wreaking leaf havoc. But this was different...we have never--not in the 40+ years we've lived here--had a bee swarm before. At first, they just flew around, wildly, but then settled on a branch and grew into a large cone shape by late evening. This morning, fairly early, I texted the pics to a beekeeper we know from church; his wife said he'd be right over. And he was! I learned a few things...sometimes swarms only last for an hour but since this one formed in the late afternoon, it was more likely that the bees would stay overnight before scouting out a permanent location.

I also learned that swarms in July do not usually produce. May swarms are the best. This time of year, they mostly make honey from soybean blossoms (that's right! I've never seen that advertised! "Clover honey" "alfalfa honey" but who would buy "bean honey"? )

I got stung--just once. Caught me off guard. Scraped off the stinger with my fingernail and then treated it. Still a bit sore.
Thankful I'm not allergic to bee stings...