Insect 911: OC women rescue unwanted bees
April 1st, 2009, 2:21 pm · 17 Comments · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor
The big hive was buzzing beneath Ken Kegel’s shed — a nest perhaps 40,000 strong, with “guard bees” not at all pleased about approaching intruders.
“OK, these guys are a little aggressive,” said Kelly Yrarrázaval of the two-woman team, Backyard B Keepers, as she suited up behind Kegel’s home in unincorporated Orange County near Tustin. “They’re on you as soon as you go over there.” 
She and her partner in the effort, Janet Andrews, are as busy as, well, bees this time of year, capturing problem, unwanted bees and transporting them to small farms that need them for pollination.
The women say they are rarely stung.
The operation is long on heart and short on funding; while they don’t charge a fee for the service, they gratefully accept donations to pay for hive boxes and other equipment.
The point: to offer an alternative to calling an exterminator.
“Most people aren’t willing to save the bees,” Yrarrázaval said.
She prepared a “smoker,” a can full of burning material with a bellows attached so smoke can be pushed out a nozzle. The smoke, she says, causes the bees to gorge on honey, an instinctive hedge against destruction of the hive by fire; the gorging calms them down.
“We’re just going to feel around where the heat is, their brood,” she explained. “It’s like 95 degrees.”
Soon, with the owner’s permission, they removed part of the floor of the shed to reach the hive.
Andrews has been rescuing bees for about five years, ever since she had a backyard bee problem of her own.
“They got into the roof of the house,” she said. “I didn’t want to kill them.”
She phoned a rescuer who came out to retrieve the bees, and Andrews was hooked.
“I thought that was neat,” she said. “Of course, I didn’t know what i was getting into.”
Yrarrázaval, a mother of four who has worked as a school counselor, joined her two years ago, and the two seem to work together seamlessly.
“I went from rescuing the kids to rescuing the bees,” Yrarrázaval said.
In Kegel’s backyard, the bees were definitely having a bad day, and not only because of bee-suited intruders; Andrews noticed something else.
“There’s a trail of ants coming in and she can tell by the sound of the bees that they’re disturbed by the ants,” Yrarrázaval said.
Kegel, an elementary school teacher, said he doesn’t mind bees, and even has a separate hive box of his own — the same bees removed from his shed on an earlier occasion by the beekeepers.
He called them out a second time, he said, because the second colony was just too close to the door of the shed, where his sons store bikes and other items.
The next step: removing the honeycomb, placing it on a frame, and placing the frame in a box. With luck, the queen will be carried into the box with the honeycomb.
“When we come back in the morning, if the queen’s in there, they’ll all be in there,” Yrarrázaval said.
While the guard bees in the hive seemed riled, the other bees remained calm during the removal process.
“If you go real slow and easy, you can establish them in the box,” Andrews said. “That’s not that traumatic for them.”
But watching the removal without a bee suit, even from a distance, can still attract the bees’ wrath. As Andrews and Yrarrázaval worked, a guard bee went after a reporter standing in the yard, sending him running down the street and batting his head — likely either puzzling or amusing any onlookers.
Even when the women were finished and walking back to their trucks, bees clung tenaciously to their bee suits.
“We’re pretty sure we got the queen, because all the others are fanning,” Andrews said — vibrating their wings to spread the queen’s scent as a signal to the other bees.
Distributing bees to hobbyists and small farmers is not the only use the Backyard Beekeepers make of the rescued hives. They also sell the honey, and use the wax to make products for sale – lip balm, a body bar, lotion.
“Beeswax is good for any part of your body,” Yrarrázaval said.
“You could even eat it,” said Andrews.
The two often speak at schools or or libraries, and are planning to start a non-profit corporation: “BeeCause.”
They confirmed this is their busiest time of year, when bee colonies are swarming — embarking in large masses to find new nesting spots.
Then they drove off to check on their other hive boxes around Orange County.
Yrarrázaval said she and Andrews decided to give the bees in Kegel’s yard a few more days to settle into their new home before removing them.
She and Andrews say they’ve seen an explosion of interest recently in beekeeping.
“I started because I’m fascinated by the whole bee thing,” she said. “Now we have a lot of people shadowing us who are interested in bees.”
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I have a huge nest of bees in the back yard. They’ve been there for years. I like them because they pollinate our fruit trees. People should not be afraid of bees. On the other hand I kill yellowjacket wasps any chance I get because those things are aggressive.
I KNOW THESE LADIES AND THEY’RE SO COOL. THEY’RE HONEY IS AMAZING–YOU CAN BUY IT AT A STORE CALLED ROAD LESS TRAVELED NEAR THE BOWERS MUSEUM!
Come on people, how can this be a good idea? I am a gardener and love bees, but they protect their hives and many in the cities are aggressive. 5 years experience??? Certainly not enough time to learn everything. I appreciate them trying to “save” bees, but they are being foolish and there is an accident waiting to happen. I hope they have really good insurance when a 5 year old playing in a backyard next door is attacked by a swarm of bees not wanting to be bothered by these ladies. Holy cow!!!
Help.. i have a bunch of bees in MY backyard…you can have them
Good for you ladies. Responsible beekeeping is a refreshing change from all the extermination we see today. Responsible beekeeping controls aggressive colonies. Also it is important for children and adults to learn as much as they can about the importance of bees and the programs you take to the schools and libraries are second to none.I was fortunate enough to attend one of your presentations recently in Santa Ana and enjoyed speaking with you both. Your attendance at the recent convention in Arizona is a testament to your continued efforts to learn as much as you can about bees and at the same time keeping up with others that share your passion. Having personally witnessed your methods and procedures I have the upmost confidence in the way you handle yourselves and the bees. Keep up the good work. Look forward to many more stories about the ladies from OC.
I have a behive and bees. How do I get a hold of the Backyard B Keepers? I can’t find their phone number and would like them to remove the hive (which is about 1 foot long) from my front yard tree.
Martha, click on the link (their name) in the article. It takes you to their website. There was at least an email address there, maybe a phone #.
I met these ladies last year when a swarm of bee’s had taken up residence in my backyard shed.
I can personally attest to their commitment, and responsible, professional handeling of the bees. Saftey is first and foremost on their agenda.
They are providing an invaluable service,
as well as insuring the survival to the single most important aspect of our agricultural and farming industries.
way to go ladies, great job well done, and keep up the good work.
I’m not a huge fan of having bees near me but I am fascinated with them and what these women are doing. Very cool post.
OC Folks:
Last year we did not see too many bees up here. Hopefully they will return soon. The temps are now around 50 degrees [the growing base] and by early May, the plants and our tree-lined streets will be in full growth. We have a couple of a hundred square miles of soft white wheat around here, and the bees are important………….
-J
love these ladies, VERY committed to the local movement…keep it up!
just yesterday i was at class (Master Food Preserver) and people were talking about the lack of bees and how their fruit trees were not producing as much as in years past…a very scary situ w/out bees. i know people who have them and they cant say enough about the work of hive in the area-or in the yard.
totally understand the kids in the hive, but when you teach them properly, they understand and get it…give them some credit!
I reside in Fountain Valley and would like to have the Backyard B Keepers remove a bees’ nest from my back yard. How do I contact you ??
Fred, contact the writer of the article, Pat Brennan.
Thanks for the article. For those wanting contact info, click on the link in the article (their name) which takes you to their website. I bookmarked it for future reference in case I happen to learn of swarming bees that need to be taken care of.
Since there has been stuff in the news recently about hives dying off and bees are critical to many crops, its good to know that there is a local resource like this to safely and properly remove bees who are where they aren’t supposed to be.
And I should add, to transport them to where they are appreciated.
KEEPING THE BEES INSTEAD OF KILLING THEM IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO ! EVERYBODY WINS, KILLING THEM WE ALL LOSE ALOT ! THERE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE WORLD, THINK ABOUT IT … AN EXTERMINATOR COSTS $400.00 TO KILL THEM FOR HALF THAT THEY CAN BE SAVED AND KEEPED TO KEEP WORKING & POLLINATING ALL THE PLANTS REMEMBER NO BEES= NO PLANTS= NO FOOD. THINK ABOUT IT HARD…
I have bees that have unvaded my walls and are making honey, please contact me and you may have the honey.