Viewing post #860209 by keithp2012

orchidgal said:@keithp2012 ---- I had bees set up in a large upturned pot (with a bird bath on top of it) in a flower bed right beside my driveway. Not a good spot. I found a beekeeper who removed them as he wants to set up more hives on his property. When I showed the photos to our country extension agent at our Master Gardener meeting; she said they were probably Africanized bees. What ? The guy did put a bee protective suit on, but I was right there just taking photos. We both agreed they were quite docile. However, she said that usually the African bees nearly always set up exactly that way; in pots or something low to the ground. Plus it had 4 combs already formed - in less than 3 weeks. She said the European honey bee would take about 6 weeks to do that much. The straggler bees that were still hanging around the next morning weren't happy and were somewhat aggressive and I had to come indoors. Later in the day, my son came over with his boxer and she got stung on her ear. I've got to give the guy a call and ask what he now thinks. Of course, they have co-mingled and bred too over the years; so it's a guessing game sometimes. These are the honeycombs in my pot before he moved them to his hive.

Oh, Africanized bees are just like your garden honeybee, with the exception of being highly aggressive and attack fast, you are right don't want those around! However in a safe area they still produce honey so someone might find use.