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detlef
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Posted: Sat Sep 27th, 2008 02:07 pm |
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Just wondering if someone keeps honey bees on Culebra. I've noticed them at the campground, at Carlos Rosario Beach, and at Zoni.
This is my second year keeping bees in West Virginia, so I'm definately an enthusiast. I'm happy to see them on Culebra. Several questions regarding them:
1) How long have they been there? Does anyone remember acquiring local honey years & years ago.
2) Are they plaqued by the diseases & mites found in other places throughout the world? If not, Culebra's isolation serves as a protective guard--which would be great! (this is beekeeper question). In any case, no one should import honeybees to Culebra until this thouroughly investigated--it would be sad to bring disease & mites to them if they are now clear!
3) Is Culebra honey available? It would certainly be a treat.
4) Are the honey bees Africanized? This would result in agressive bees--Probably not since the bees have a maximum flying range of 3-miles. And I don't know if they can travel over water for miles. Seems very unlikely a bee could fly from PR or Vieques to introduce the African aspect or mites. Anyone encounter a bee colony in a tree or wall? How agressive is the colony?
If anyone is intersted in keeping honeybees on Culebra, I would be glad to discuss what I know. Roz & I will be at the campground for a week in mid October. It would be great to know more.
Thanks
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admin
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Posted: Sat Sep 27th, 2008 02:50 pm |
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i love it!!! years ago, there was someone who kept bees and sold some honey (anyone remember who it was?). I've certainly seen some impressive hives and colonies on Culebra....
I think Island Woman Honey is a grand idea.
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Hillman
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Posted: Sat Sep 27th, 2008 03:10 pm |
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Here is a wild hive that was in my back acre and I observed for almost two years. Eventually the hive broke the branch and the bees took the honey and left two days later.
I helped my father raise bees for honey as a teenager, so have some knowledge of them. When we came to the island 22 years ago I did not observe any honey bees. At about 20 years ago a young man came over from PR and with PR agriculture help started some bee hives. I think his name was Edwin and he worked for Kika & Marta as a bartender. He later helped to set-up Vets working on Culebra and worked for them when here. Anyway he lasted about two years and sold some honey, but nothing big time. After he left I noticed honey bees around the island, so can only assume that he abandoned his hives and they swarmed and went wild. There have been others since that have mail ordered bees and run hives for a few years (Beverly for one), but of late they have been bothered by disease. Some have said that they are Africanized, I felt that the bees of this wild hive was darker in color than I was used to seeing in my youth. For me they did not seem aggresive, but I am not an expert on this, and have no fear of the bees if they are buzzing around, and never got bite by them. As far as I know no one on Culebra is selling honey at this time. I have seen honey from Vieques for sale at the gas station on the canal, so assume one of the fishermen brings it back for sale from there. That's all I know of some of the recent history of bees on Culebra.
Attachment: BeeHive1.jpg (Downloaded 129 times) Last edited on Sat Sep 27th, 2008 05:28 pm by Hillman
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detlef
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Posted: Sat Sep 27th, 2008 05:21 pm |
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Admin & Hillman,
Thanks for the info & photo. Sounds like the honey bees may be thriving on the island. Maybe they're not disease-free, but the fact that ferile colonies are surviving is a very hopeful sign.
It's really cool to hear about the history, thanks again.
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teretall
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Posted: Sun Sep 28th, 2008 12:14 pm |
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| Francisco, the caretaker for Milton Cofresi, has beehives galore and is the source of the honey sometimes sold at the gas station at the Villa Pesquera. They invade my house annually as I live next door to Milton's farm. Last I knew of, he had hives there, at Puerto del Manglar (Pelá) and elsewhere. He is the person that people call if they need help in removing bees from homes, etc.
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Sun Sep 28th, 2008 06:48 pm |
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I use Francisco's honey as often as I can get it for my Honey Heat hot sauce. It's there when it's there (at the Gulf gas station). I've been told I can go up and ask to buy the honey directly from him, but I couldn't locate exactly WHERE I was supposed to go. His honey is wonderful!!
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Jim
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Posted: Sun Sep 28th, 2008 11:39 pm |
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Go to the new school street like you were going to Tina's pass El
Caoba (Tina's now Marco's) take a right (Old Mariano's) Just after
the next right (which would start taking you around the block)
but on the left Just pass Peréz's (Gas guy) house, chain link fence,
vine growing through it yell, "HOLA" when the woman comes out
say "Yo quiero un botella de miel de abeja"
and since my buddy T will see this: Pretend I'm singing as you
see this "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy
Birthday (pause) I'm sorry I didn't have a present hope this song
will do (the last part is sung really fast for comic relief) Dear
Teresaaah, Happy Birthday tooooooo youoooooo " (I hit a classic
old rock n roll high falsetto here not unlike Frankie Vallie to put
a nostalgic tear in your eye).Attachment: happy-birthday.jpg (Downloaded 94 times)
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Sun Sep 28th, 2008 11:49 pm |
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Thanks for the directions! I might get as far as "Miel, por favor?"
I sang Happy Birthday to T in the street today. I think all of her puppies wanted to join in, which might have sounded better.
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Jim
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Posted: Mon Sep 29th, 2008 08:06 am |
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Flash Update:
The Kaufmans were in tonite and I remembered
Bob used to keep bees, He said bees have been on the
Island for decades and that Justo (sigh) used to keep
them long ago. Also a guy named Juan Rivera came here in the
late 80's with Marie Rivera and brought some bees, they nicknamed
him Juan de Abeja.
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teretall
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 02:13 pm |
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Speaking of invading spaces, it is happening right now, today. It usually occurs around Jan-Feb-March. I'm out there with the vinegar water (thanks Francie) trying to discourage them, sometimes OFF repellant works too sprayed around the outside of the place where they are flying. Then to follow with foam to close the space for good.
Any other ideas on repellants and prevention besides sealing as many holes as possible (sometimes hard in a wooden house, but doable). I sure don't want to kill them.
Thanks
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 04:56 pm |
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The best one I know is incense! I know that sounds crazy, but I had a bartender friend highly allergic to bees and I'd bring in these wonderful homemade incense sticks (made by this Rasta guy on St. Croix, about 3 feet long and burned for many hours). No more bees!
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detlef
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 08:37 pm |
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I think MJ's suggestion is cool--hey worth a try.
Some people use essential oils, like tea tree oil. I guess you can dilute it in oil or water and spray it on surfaces. They don't like smoke either...
I've also heard mixing clorox & water--and wetting the areas regularly for many days. The vinegar sounds like a good option.
If I understand the problem correctly, honey bees are returning each year in great numbers into openings in your wooden house. Hmmm...
Are you 100% sure that they are honey bees? The reason I ask is because sometimes wasps (yellow jackets) invade our homes. I hope you just have yellowjackets instead of honeybees--yellow jackets are real mean, but they usually have much smaller populations compared to honeybees. An established honeybee colony in a house wall is sometimes very difficult to fix. In any case it takes a great deal of effort to get them out of there and to keep them out. Requires thoroughly removing all comb (i.e. opening the wall & repairing afterward)
Before I go further, let's confirm these are indeed honeybees that have established a colony in your house. I've attached comparison photos (hopefully it's just yellow jackets). Let's see.
Attachment: honeybee.jpg (Downloaded 57 times)
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 08:57 pm |
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| <------grinning
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teretall
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 09:37 pm |
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They are definitely honeybees, one time I was able to get them to leave but only after they had constructed a sizeable section of comb in the back of the washing machine. I was able to get them to leave today with the vinegar water.
I'll keep at it with that deterrent and continue sealing cracks......
Thanks again!
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 10:03 pm |
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Dang, T, you could have had some good honey going on there, right behind the washing machine! Do the laundry, get the honey...well honey on the laundry might have been bad...
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Diving Debbie
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 10:39 pm |
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Jim wrote:
Juan de Abeja.
The comedian in my house likes the Spanglish version - Juan-a-Bee. 
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 10:54 pm |
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That...is a good one.
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detlef
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Posted: Mon Oct 6th, 2008 01:56 am |
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OK, I've consulted with a master beekeeper regarding trying to repel the honey bees. We discussed how honeybees, when they're in swarming mode, send out scout bees first. These scouts diligently search for a home for the swarm. They are particularly attracted to places where a former colony once existed. If someone's house had a colony of bees in it at one time, and the old wax comb still exists, they will always be attracted to the same place--this is due to their extremely acute sense of smell. The only way to end this tendency is to completely remove all the old comb, which usually means taking a wall apart, and finally repairing the opening after removing the works... It's usually a good idea to fill the former wall cavity with something (like fiberglass insulation) so that it cannot be re-occupied by the bees.
In any case, all possible openings would need to be carefully sealed/blocked to prevent them from re-entering the wall and forming comb somewhere else.
It is a huge headache, and I'm really sorry to hear teretall has this recurring problem.
The vinegar seems like a good solution (together with blocking wall openings), but needs to be re-administered everytime bees are swarming.
I googled for any kind of plant that honeybees do not like. All I saw was Wormwood, which may or not be able to grow on Culebra. I know wormwood is traditionally used to make absinth. Mmmm maybe an interesting experiment either way. I do doubt that the wormwood alone would be able to comletely discourage the bees from going where they are led.
Sorry I can't offer a magic bullet.
Detlef
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