Cutting bee hives into a living tree.

[SteveA]

I've seen a number of log hives in various shapes and forms but this is the first time I've seen somebody carving one into what looks like a perfectly healthy tree (a 150 year old sweet chestnut).

 

Can't see myself doing this in our woods but is quite fascinating.

 

What are your thoughts on the health of the tree following such radical surgery?.... keeping in mind that bees would probably propolise the entire cavity.

 

 

cheers, steve

[David Humphries]

Saw some old neglected ones in beech trees in the mountains of the Basque a few years ago.

 

Imagine it was shepherds and woodsmen mimicking what they saw happening naturally in pasture and woodland where bees would colonise natural cavities.

If there were more trees left standing with natural cavities (target dependent) then we may have more woodland bees, like in this last image.

 

 

.

[Aicchalmers]

Last one looks like somebody's put in the gob cut and given up?!?

[SteveA]

Thanks David. Great photos

I guess if we had more ancient forests then there would be lots more natural homes (not carved by humans) for bees.

 

Unfortunately, I think the biggest trouble for UK bees comes via ever smaller sources for pesticide free forage (throughout the whole year) and virus' issues via our globalised importations + climate change. Not much of that looks set to change.

 

cheers, steve

[Johny Walker]

thats good to see, is that somthing thats going on in the uk.

[SteveA]

"It's important to note the tree won't be harmed..."

 

errr, really?!....hmmm, I'd have thought that cutting a gurt wedge cavity out of a living tree would do a fair amount of harm to the tree. Am I missing something here?

 

cheers, steve

[TGB]

I don't see the point. Ok, so it's been going on for ages somewhere else; but when placement of hives in the UK is not that big a problem, then why cut into a perfectly healthy tree. There's plenty of natural voids in trees, that can be made use of if required by human-bee interaction or by bees on there own. To attract a colony, there are wipes or sheets or even sprays or old clean cone, that can help entice the bees.

 

If you want to harvest honey and or wax, there's much easier ways. And less invasive too. If you're just doing it to help the bees. Why not construct or buy a 'bee house' akin to this:

http://shop.beesfordevelopment.org/shop/product_info.php/products_id/495/osCsid/babdfa53a664024c43133e78961b4f0a.

 

Best at least 7m off the ground but you can use your imagination. Less than two weeks ago, I helped install six of these in deciduous trees. To join another five of various designs already in trees, some made of clay or hollowed out off-cuts, etc. The highly respected beekeeper, (of international repute) also has nationals, warres and top bar hives. Some for honey & wax. Some just for the bees. If placing non-invasive bee-houses up trees is good enough for them, I see no good reason to hack in a tree.

[SteveA]

I don't see the point. Ok, so it's been going on for ages somewhere else; but when placement of hives in the UK is not that big a problem, then why cut into a perfectly healthy tree. There's plenty of natural voids in trees, that can be made use of if required by human-bee interaction or by bees on there own. To attract a colony, there are wipes or sheets or even sprays or old clean cone, that can help entice the bees.

 

If you want to harvest honey and or wax, there's much easier ways. And less invasive too. If you're just doing it to help the bees. Why not construct or buy a 'bee house' akin to this:

Bees for Development Store.

 

Best at least 7m off the ground but you can use your imagination. Less than two weeks ago, I helped install six of these in deciduous trees. To join another five of various designs already in trees, some made of clay or hollowed out off-cuts, etc. The highly respected beekeeper, (of international repute) also has nationals, warres and top bar hives. Some for honey & wax. Some just for the bees. If placing non-invasive bee-houses up trees is good enough for them, I see no good reason to hack in a tree.

 

I completely get all that.

The thing that really baffles me is how hacking such a gurt hole into a healthy tree can be described as being unharmful.

cheers, steve

[Goaty]

Someone that's blinkered only to the bees welfare viewpoint.

 

As we commonly find a tree is a lesser biological entity in the minds of most humans. Because they personally haven't nurtured it for decades or centuries!

If they had raised it from seed onwards the attitude would be very different!!!

[Gary Prentice]

Can't see the reason/benefit of that at all.