| Pensacola
Live Oak |
tuce-@msn.com |
| May
14, 2007 12:02 PDT |
Ents,
I measured a Live Oak in Pensacola, Fla. on Mothers Day. While on
the
way
to the evening meal, at a restaurant located near University
Mall, a
large Live Oak caught my eye. I wheeled around in the parking
lot and
there she stood, growing adjacent to a Goodyear store north of
the mall
parking lot. This tree was about 250-300 years old.
I thought
how much
change all the trees in cities have been through, and yet still
grow
being tolerant of all the changes brought to them by man.
Anyway, the
tree measured, CBH-23'8", Height 57' and Spread-127.5
making it the new
#18 on our listing.
I had a added treat
while measuring this Oak, I noticed some
honeybees flying around, looked up and saw that the bees had a
colony in
the Hollow Oak. Being a Beekeeper, I wasn't surprised, but glad
to see
bees surviving. The Honeybee has been struggling these last few
years,
they play a most important role in pollination as you all know.
Keeping
bees has been a great learning experience for me, and it was a
pleasure
to see them in such a natural setting. Ed, I'll send some
photos.
Larry
|
| Back
to Larry |
Robert
Leverett |
| May
14, 2007 12:21 PDT |
Larry,
Great find. We're leaf green with envy. You
are leading the charge
with the search for 20-footers. I think we can safely say that
sycamores, tuliptrees, bald cypresses, and live oaks are the
contenders.
Willows and cottonwoods might be in there too. Once upon a time,
the
American chestnut would have been a contender, but now I think
the
contest centers principally around the sycamore, tuliptree, bald
cypress, and live oak, with the latter probably winning the
race.
I am really fascinated with your role as bee
keeper. Any stories to
share with us? I get the feeling that Beekeepers develop a deep
appreciation for bees. Has that happened for you, and if so,
what
stimulates the appreciation? I marvel at Beekeepers who allow
their bees
to cover them. What is the current thinking among Beekeepers
about the
reasons for honeybee decline?
Bob
|
Bob,
About 10 years ago a swarm of bees decided to make a colony in a
fod can
on the flightline at work. I contacted a beekeeper from Louisiana,
we
didn't want to kill the bees. He needed me to assist him after
working
hours. I agreed to stay and help, he asked me if I had a place
to keep
the bees. I had just bought 10 acres inland, he said that would
be a
great location for the swarm. He took a cardboard box with a
screen on
the box and coaxed the swarm in the box with a little honey,
capturing
the queen with a small piece of honeycomb. He took the fod can
lid off
and shook it, all the bees were thrown into the air. Within 10
minutes
all 10,000 bees went into the box. We then drove to my property
and put
them in a Hive.
For the next four years I worked
for him on the side, collecting
and removing bees from Houses, Trailers and Commercial
Buildings. All
this work was done at night for bees are visual flyers. We would
for
example, remove a sofit board on a single or double story house,
vacuum
the bees up, remove the comb and honey, wait several days then
rebuild
and seal the affected area. I spent many a night on ladders with
lights, saws, drills and a modified shopvac. We also caught
swarms and I
would put them in Hives. As for the disappearance,
they think it is a
virus or a parasite similar to what happened in the 90's.
Larry
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