I have a beach house near George, South Africa,. and the house has been effectively a bee hive for 35 years now! Back in the day we used to think they were hazardous to human welfare and my mother tried to get rid of them several times. On one occasion they swarmed and the swarm itself was reported in the town’s news papers. Well, thankfully, that failed to get rid of them. I have since had the house covered in cladding in order to extend its life and the bees have adapted too. I can hear them inside the wall if I put a glass to it, and I imagine that the hive is truly massive by now. The bees have a fantastic sour
ce of pollen and nectar in the form of two giant flowering trees which are native to Brazil. In all these years there has never been one reported sting. The entrance to the give is at the top corner of the house, some 25 feet off the ground, and the hive noise extends down about 10 feet from that point. The picture shows where the bees enter the house. Needless to say, the bees will remain for as long as the house does…they are making ther village gardens look beautiful after all!