We recently had two groups of honey bees swarm our Deodora. The first group the beekeeper came and removed. I have attached a photo to show its size and location in the tree. This is about 5 feet in the air, so at eye level. The next day a smaller group arrived in exactly the same place. We were told to wait a few days to see if they left on their own, that a hive the size of a baseball was to small for a beekeeper to come and get. We waited and they did not move on so we had no choice but to destroy them. The problem occured as a result of the spray used. We were assured it would not harm the tree but of course it did. Wherever the spray hit the branches, the branches have turned brown. My question is do we cut the brown branches out , will it harm the tree. Or with they regrow and drop off naturally. It also killed a large patch of our new lawn!!! Thanks
A sorry episode all the way around, beginning with the destruction of a swarm of beneficial honey bees--a domestic animal. For the tree and lawn to have been burned like that the spray concentration used must've been off the chart, or it was a completely inappropriate material, such as a herbicide. If only a small swathe of the tree was scorched presumably it will eventually recover a balanced appearance over some years, assuming the material used is not going to slowly kill the rest of it. What, exactly might be expected to occur depends on what, exactly the pesticide used was and how high the concentration was. The lawn will probably have to be replanted where the dead area is unless you are willing to wait some years for it to grow in from the sides, on its own. This assumes you have a lawn that includes stoloniferous types of grass.
Had our neighbours not been having 20 -5 year olds over for a birthday party we would have left the bees on their own to hopefully gather the sense to move on. Such a shame that no beekeepers were interested in them. They must have moved out of their hive for a reason!! We already replaced the lawn. (It had only been down for a week at that time) The product used was an over the counter wasp spray. No warnings on the label and when directed to their website they plead ignorance.
If it was one of those aerosol cans that you squirt into the hive like a carpet cleaner spray I could see how that could be too much for foliage.
Yes that is exactly what it was. We made a point with checking with the Garden Centre when it was purchased, as it was purchased for this particular purpose. When we told them what happened the comments were that there was nothing in the chemical make up that could have caused any damage, that perhaps it was the material used to expel it. I highly doubt that, as it is the same product used in any aerosol can or carbonated drink. We checked the company website and questioned them and they also said that nothing would cause any "burning" . As usual no one is willing to admit fault. Meanwhile it has happened and we just don't want to loose any more branches than necessary.
some aerosols are solvent based, some are water based. for the carrier, this is a huge difference if spraying on to plant parts.
what does the label say exactly about application, is it indeed intended for use ON plants rather than structures?
applied at 3:00 a.m. dry conditions. Directions followed and did say could be sprayed on or near vegetation without damage. As far as how much was used, being that it was night time and the bees were sleeping, not much was required. There is still more than 1/2 of the can left. The in ground sprinklers come on at 4:00 a.m. and spray into the area and also the tree, so after the first hour, any residue would have been washed off. (the lawn was affected because the hive fell onto the lawn, and was not picked up til later in the morning.) We thought we were following all the proper checks, before purchasing it getting advice from the people that sell the product etc. We asked specific questions about damage that could occur to our tree. We were assured it would cause no damage. When we told them about it after the fact, they appeared to be very surprised.
thanks for all the input just the same. We will just have to wait and see, perhaps the summer will help. I will let the forum know what the outcome is though.
If nothing else maybe dumping, wherein overstock of other pesticide not on label as active ingredient was mixed in. Inspectors testing inert ingredients sometimes find they are anything but.
For future reference I asked my apiarist friend about it and she said when swarming like that honeybees do not sting. And the swarm would have left within three days.
Just so you don't think we simply went out and bought some spray here are the facts:Before we did anything I contacted the Bee Society, they are the listed in the phone book. They arranged for the first BeeKeeper to come. The lady I spoke with said to keep a 3 ft space around the hive and not let any kids near it, as it appeared the bees were gathering nectar from the flowers in our hanging baskets, the society person indicated they planned to stay awhile or maybe even were scouting for another location. She said they could be come aggitated with lots of activity, so not to cut the lawn or use the sprinklers. The smaller hive, when I again contacted the society and was informed that no one would come ,as it was too small I told her about this planned kids party, she said to keep a 3 ft space around them. She did say they could leave in 3 days, but if they hadn't gone I asked then what, and was informed of a phone number for a pest removal service!!!. As the 5 years old birthday party was on Friday morning, and they had not left by Early Friday morning we felt we had an obligation to keep these kids safe. Kids yelling and run all over is enough to upset anyone. Believe me this was a last resort that we were not happy to have to do. Had these kids not been playing beside the tree on their lawn,or driveway and kept away from it there would have been a different outcome. Or if the hive had placed themselves at the top of the tree rather than the lower portion.
Good news to report. The tree did not suffer any further damage. We did not remove the brown needles, everything is green and healthy again. Time is a wonderful healer. Next time bees come to visit, The kids in the neighbourhood are going to be told to keep away, and hopefully the bees will fly off on their own. Buzz.
