Some of you may have seen an old thread I started about bee stings with koi. My lovable Chagoi, Frank, has now been stung FOUR times this summer. Here's the summary of a loooooong story:
Bees started using my pond to harvest water. I thought it was really cool, and so beneficial to the world! Then, temperatures rose, and the number of bees swarming my pond became out of control.... thousands per day, all day long! Frank got stung, and with each sting, he would spend about 24 hours lethargic at bottom of pond, fins clamped. Day 2 he comes up with his poor face all swollen, and the sting sight is obvious (usually on his lip--bee falls in water, Frank thinks bee is food). After 2 days, he bounces back. Still, I've read bad stories about fish not surviving bee stings. I didn't know how much he could take, or if my other more delicate fish were higher risk.
So, I hire a bee professional to come out, assuming it's a wild colony, and if he can find the hive he will simply relocate the bees. No harm, no foul. Bee guy finds out the bees are coming from a neighbors yard 2 houses over, and they are keeping about 6 or 7 hives. Ugh. Much research (some misleading) reveals that our cul de sac is just outside of city jurisdiction, and there are no laws to protect my situation. We go and talk to the neighbor, and he is a complete a-hole and does not want to help create a "friendly solution," as we were hoping to do (provide more water sources closer to the hives, perhaps reduce the number of hives they are keeping in a small residential neighborhood...). There are other neighbors with small children who can not go out and play in their kiddie pool or enjoy the yard because of the quantity of bees.
Next research project: What do bees HATE? I found out that bees do not like vinegar, clove oil, mothballs, and marigolds. One quick shopping trip and I found ALL of the above at one store! After the bees retired last night, I set up my 100 gallon stock tank in the front yard, full of wine corks (don't worry, I had plenty on-hand!! LOL). The bee pro said bees like wine corks to land on and collect water from. I added several buckets full of pond water to make sure the new source has the right smell to attract the bees. Then I placed potted marigolds beside all the pond plants where bees were harvesting. Small dishes of vinegar surround the edges of the pond. Rocks with drops of clove oil saturated on them are on either side of both waterfalls, and a stocking leg filled with mothballs is hanging in the corner. Unless all of that is false advise, bees should want nothing to do with my pond!!!
Oh, and before you mention it... I really do not want to cover my pond. I will if I absolutely must and nothing else works, but as you all probably understand, I've invested cash, time, blood, sweat, and tears into making the pond into my blissful sanctuary retreat. Covering it up in place of enjoying it would just crush me. That's why I'm trying everything else first. Wish me luck!!
