What's all the Buzz about??

Last week we enlisted the help of beekeeper Tim Childress to help remove the beehive from the walnut just right of #8 tee.  We initially sealed off the entrance to the hive with some screening to contain the bees while Tim put together his plan of attack.  Knowing that Tim would have to gain access to the hollow tree through the side of the tree, we removed the top portion of the tree to allow for safe access into the hollow cavity and hive. Finally Tim arrived to do what he does best... remove the hive.  When all was said and done, the bees were removed and the hive gone.  The amount of honey in the hive was minimal (but tasted great!) and the queen was gone.  The worker bees in the hive were apparantly more focused on tending to the brood of eggs than making honey.  Tim estimated the hive contained around 60,000 bees and rated the hive in the "small to medium" size range.  Below are some pictures of the day...

The entrance to the hive was sealed off with screen and expanding foam.

Tim Childress began the day by sucking out bees with a shop vac.

Tim gaining access to the hive through the side of the tree.

A look into the tree and hive.

Beginning hive removal.  No gloves were used!!

A small piece of the hive.

After removal was complete, we discovered an upstairs resident. 
This mallard hen was just above the hive in another cavity in the tree.
Unfortunately her nest was removed by another animal (maybe our hawk) later
that night.  The rest of the tree was removed the following day.