Today I interviewed two experienced monarch-taggers about their work; in the process I stumbled on a useful method for finding wild beehives. It is much easier than the process I outlined yesterday:
1. Visit your local Audubon Sanctuary (I happened to be at this one today);
2. Ask the staff naturalist if she knows of any feral hives on the property;
3. Follow her directions to the tree.
© Loree Griffin Burns
I don’t actually know if this is a bee tree. I watched the holes for ten or fifteen minutes and didn’t see any bees enter or exit … but the temperature was hovering just under fifty degrees outside, which is cold for flying. Maybe the bees were huddled up inside?
::rubbing hands and remembering this commercial::
It will be fun to find out!