Bees under the ground
One day in early August, in the field on a tractor mill, the machine operators noticed the years of bees, called me, and I was surprised at this unusual choice of place for a home. To store oil products, underground storage facilities were built here. The walls were laid out of stone to the surface of the earth. This all ended in connection with the construction of a new mill in another place. Over time, this “cellar” overgrown, the stones collapsed, and between the earth and the wall formed a gap, where the bees flew. Around there were barrels of oil and diesel fuel. For many years the land around it was soaked with it. In hot weather, the smell was not pleasant.
Deciding that the bees in these conditions will not overwinter (can rain autumn rains), I tried to pick them up. In the evening, I dug out the side wall with a shovel and saw a nest. Honeycomb, fresh, even, attached to the earthen ceiling. The thickness of the ceiling layer of the earth is about 30 cm. The niche is slightly larger than the nest. The vent hole is diagonally to the direction of the streets – something between warm and cold drift. Carefully cutting the combs, the last with sealed honey, freed from the bees and handed over to the machine operators, and the medium with brood placed in a bucket. So that they do not come in contact with the walls, they put the slats between them. Bees circled a bit and gathered in a bucket all to one. They were exceptionally peaceful, because I worked without a grid and smoke.
At home he placed the bees in a beehive, having first put four good frames there. Next to them I put honeycombs with chopsticks on the bottom. Part of the bees moved to the frame, the uterus went there, and the rest remained until the brood came out. My family had a good winter.
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