Hunting the Wild Honey Tree

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Of course, you'll need something to put your honey in, too. I've found that lightweight plastic buckets are good for this purpose, since they can be stacked one inside the other when empty and are easy to carry. The amount of container capacity required will depend on how lucky a find you make. A bee tree can contain anywhere from no honey to (on rare occasions) 15 to 20 gallons. Be sure you take along a large metal spoon to dip up any honey from combs that may be broken by the tree's fall, and a large, soft brush to whisk away the bees from slabs of honeycomb.

BEE TREE BURGLARY

Before you tackle the task of felling the tree, calm the bees down by smoking them. (Smokers can be bought from bee supply houses, or—perhaps—borrowed from a neighbor who keeps hives.) If the colony is too high up to accomplish this easily, the smoking should be done as soon as the tree is on the ground.

It's preferable to fell the bees' habitat with a chain saw rather than an axe if you have a choice. Smoked bees will often remain surprisingly calm when a saw is used, while the repeated thumps of an axe usually excite them. Whatever method you employ, try to drop the tree as gently as possible—letting its own branches, other trees, and/or an uphill slope break the fall—since a jolting crash will smash the honeycomb, kill bees unnecessarily, and create a general mess.

If you're not planning to capture the insects, the easiest way of removing the honey is to split a rectangular slab out of the side of the fallen tree, using an axe or chain saw and wedges. But first try to figure out the extent of the cavity. This can be done fairly accurately by looking up the bottom of the felled tree, peering through any holes and splits, and tapping on the trunk. (Make the very best estimate possible, or you and your tools could end up covered with honey.)

The slab that has to be removed will probably be 36" to 60" long and 10" to 18" wide, depending on how much of the hollow is suspected of being inhabited. Make the top and bottom cuts first, then connect them with longer cuts running lengthwise down the trunk. Since the second pair will pass close to the mass of bees and honeycomb, every effort should be made to keep the blade out of the cavity. It's better to err on the shallow side than to cause needless bee and brood deaths and loss of honey by slicing too deep, especially since wedges can always be used to help pry a slab free.

Once the interior of the colony is exposed, lift the sheets of honeycomb and put them in your containers. (Keep the filled pails covered, or they'll soon be alive with bees.)

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