Sweet surprise

In an effort to continue our progress on the attached shed Jonathan and I took to tearing down the funky ceiling drywall.  We were aware of an inactive bees nest hanging out behind the drywall but had no idea its potential size.  Turned out to be quite an impressive hive.  No bees or other bugs, but plenty of honey. 

The photos are a bit dusty since the ceiling deconstruction kicked up all kinds of debris, but dusty or not, you get the picture.

 

After some of the dust cleared, Jonathan used the floor scraper to remove the glued on honeycombs.  He made pretty good progress but the most difficult part came when we tried to clear the clumps of saturated honeycomb from the inside of the block wall.  Gloves on, of course, I reached into one of the blocks and was able to grab a few decent sized chunks, however I have a limit to how long I can keep my hand in a dark, unknown area before the heebie-jebbies kick in and I have to call it quits.

The little comb, (I suppose that's what you'd call it) that I have between my fingers below was interesting in its composition.  When it came down from the ceiling it was a firm, honey filled waffle.  Hard texture, rigid, but light weight.  However after warming in the sun for a few minutes it became outright floppy, like a syrup saturated ego left unattended.  I couldn't resist taking more pictures of the comb, as I found it quite impressive, and unique.

 

As much as we appreciate the bee's hard work, we're hoping they'll resist building another nest any time soon.  I was a bit bummed that I couldn't taste the honey but there is certainly something to be said about a sugary substance that doesn't attract other bees or even ants. My guess is that it contains some sort of exterminating chemical, and if the bugs will not touch it, I suppose its best if I avoid it as well.


Since quite a bit of honey remains in the block, we called up a bee removal company that also takes care of left over hive and honey removal.  By the end of the day today we should have a honey free shed ready for some weekend work.