Arizona Chickens

[kacklinkelly]

Is anyone going to or participating in the upcoming coop tour in November?

 

[CrazyChixLady]

Yeah right?
You go first...

Who me?!?! Yeah, NO!!!! I would scare the entire forum and then some.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Yes, same here...
I have a GT original speed series with box chain stays. Hand built by Gary Turner
in Anaheim California,
However now I feel I did one up you.. No really just joking.. It is the most beautiful
bike I have ever seen... I use it when I raced in 2009, state champ in my class..
We have not been riding.. It really bites.. Talk about it but now those cute things
that give us a egg a day take up my spare time.. Let us know when you are down
this way.. Let's talk bike,beer, music & chicken.. Now that is a awesome sentence!

Sounds good! I rarely go to the PHX area. I'll let you know if I make it up there.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Double post.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I would like to respond to this thread and also to ask a question. There have been several human deaths in Tucson in the last year, from Africanized bee attacks. I also happen to be an emergency veterinarian and have twice (in the past year) had to treat dogs who were swarmed by hundreds of bees and would have died without intensive treatment.

Right now, several shrubs of Desert Broom are blooming near where I was planning to set up my new chicken coop. Has anyone had trouble with the bees when they were feeding on shrubbery like this?

The bees feed on everything around here. The Africanized are around and there's is the occasional attack. If you ever see a large group on or near your place, there's lots of specialty companies that you can call to get rid of them.
I have never encountered Africanized bees and I've lived here since 1981. I spend a lot of time in the desert and mountains and outdoors in general.

Welcome to Tucson!

 

[MaddBaggins]

Is anyone going to or participating in the upcoming coop tour in November?

Is there one in Tucson?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I would like to respond to this thread and also to ask a question. There have been several human deaths in Tucson in the last year, from Africanized bee attacks. I also happen to be an emergency veterinarian and have twice (in the past year) had to treat dogs who were swarmed by hundreds of bees and would have died without intensive treatment.

Right now, several shrubs of Desert Broom are blooming near where I was planning to set up my new chicken coop. Has anyone had trouble with the bees when they were feeding on shrubbery like this?

Greetings and

Bees (including those that are Africanized) only defend the queen/hive. They generally aren't aggressive while foraging because they don't defend nectar/pollen resources. I wouldn't worry about the shrubs at all. Now, if there were colony hiding in there that would be a problem.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

have you seen the castings made by pouring molten aluminum down an ant hole? Quite incredible - a little rough on the ants though...

Check it out:

Ant hill castings

Yes I am done with my foundry (except for little tune ups) and as soon as the list clears up a bit - this is going on it.

I have seen them! In fact, I've seen the actual casts, in person. They really are works of art.

Just a report: the Orange Guard does not seem to be working on killing the colony I'm testing it on. They get highly agitated and excavate the soaked soil from around the entrance but seem to carry on within hours. Maybe if I had enough to drain all the way down inside, but the stuff is pretty expensive.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

The bees feed on everything around here. The Africanized are around and there's is the occasional attack. If you ever see a large group on or near your place, there's lots of specialty companies that you can call to get rid of them.
I have never encountered Africanized bees and I've lived here since 1981. I spend a lot of time in the desert and mountains and outdoors in general.

Welcome to Tucson!

If you've seen honey bees in Tucson or the surrounding area, then you've encountered Africanized bees. Nearly all the bees here in our part of the state are Africanized.

 

[Demosthine]

Greetings and

Bees (including those that are Africanized) only defend the queen/hive. They generally aren't aggressive while foraging because they don't defend nectar/pollen resources. I wouldn't worry about the shrubs at all. Now, if there were colony hiding in there that would be a problem.

Agreed there! Bill, our honey guy, had said that Africanized bees are not that aggressive, but the difference is that people are so much more terrified of flying things nowadays that they start swatting at them or agitating them. It use to be that you'd just sit there on the porch and let the bees finish doing there thing. To make matters worse, these warnings about the Africanized are making matters worse. People are automatically scared of them even more. In fact, the Southern Arizona Beekeepers Association has said for years that it's a giant fraud and they have documented proof that "Africanized" bees were deliberately introduced to American hives starting back in the '20s or '30s.