Orange County Bee Rescue Service for Bees Wax & Honey
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This swarm has just been deposited on a small hive box (a ‘nuc’ box). The bees will usually gladly inhabit the new home they find they have fallen into!
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There has been a lot of hype in the last couple of years about the bee shortage and bee rescue. As bee enthusiasts we keep up on all the latest news and research. David coined the phrase “bee rescue” years ago before africanized bees were here. Bee Busters has been rescuing bees for years. Bee Busters, saving the world, one bee removal at a time.
Bee Busters loves bees and beekeeping. Bees are an integral part of our agriculture and food production. We maintain several hundred hives in Southern California. Our bees are moved into orchards for pollination services and we also harvest and sell fresh honey.
Bee Busters can save wild swarms when possible and space permits, but keep in mind that not all bees should be saved. Please give us a call to discuss whether your unwanted guests may be eligible for rescue. Contact Us. We can also see you good well bred bees to help get you started in beekeeping.
Just as farmers must be responsible for their livestock, a beekeeper has a responsibility to the public when keeping bees near urban and residential areas. There are a lot of things that must be considered before a swarm or colony of bees is rescued.
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Time to expand! Once a bee colony has filled the first brood box, you can add another to allow the hive to grow.
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First, all of the wild or feral bees in Southern California are Africanized hybrids. Africanized honeybees are not good for keeping in urban areas. (See our Links page to read what leading scientists in the field have to say.) Wild colonies may not exhibit a bad temperament all the time, but could show more Africanized characteristics at different times. So do not be fooled, you absolutely cannot distinguish the ‘good bees’ from the ‘bad bees’ simply by observation.
Second, safety always comes first. Being in Orange County, Bee rescue is sometimes to dangerous. A feral colony in an urban location has the possibility of becoming quite hostile when disturbed. No established (having honey combs present) colony of bees is going to be happy about a moving day. Bees that pose a threat to the well being of humans or animals in the surrounding area are not worth the risk.
Third, quite a bit of work is required to ‘save’ a wild swarm or colony of bees. Once captured, the bees may or may not survive depending on the strength and health of the bees. Also, all wild bees should be re-queened and then properly managed to breed out the Africanized genetics. That can also be a tricky process and queens are not available year round. It takes a responsible beekeeper to properly ‘rescue’ and convert wild bees into to a domesticated hive. Only responsible beekeepers make good neighbors.
Knowingly keeping Africanized bees or potentially Africanized bees is simply asking for trouble. When Bee Busters rescues any wild swarm of bees rest assured that we will not be hiving them in anyone’s backyard. Our rescued bees are kept in a remote yard away from residential areas so that they may be re-queened and closely monitored for health and behavior.
One of 3 bee yard locations we currently use in Riverside county.
