Yesterday several agricultural buildings burned down on a farm. Close to one buidling I have some beehives. The closest maybe 6-7 m (20 feet) away.
When I got the telephone call and was on my way in the car I thought it probably was the fan engine in the grain drier that started it – and it was – a worn out bearing probably. The buidling closest to the bees consisted mainly of a plankwall and a roof. The plankwall will burn relatively quickly if it’s on fire, I thought. And the honey will insulate long enough for the bees to make it, I speculated. But if the fire have caught the storage buidling with woodchips the bees are in trouble.
The plankwall had been just on the other side of the Fireweed. In the background to the right there are remnants of grain silos.
When I arrived 1.5 hours after the fire had started the biggest building were almost burned down. The plankwall was burned down. The woodchips was saved by The Fire Brigade. The Fire Men were working saving the machine hall, and thus also another buidling behind it.
The Fire Men working saving the machine hall.
The hives were somewhat warmer than expected but the bees looked normal. They were saved too. The lemonade in the hornet trap had dried up and the trapped hornets were very dry…The plastic in the trap had began to be deformed, by the heat that it had experienced. I just had to tighten the slit and pour some new lemonade in it.
The deformed hornet trap, very effective by the way. The lemonade and the dead hornets had dried up. I just had to refill it and tighten the slit.
The farmer had a much worse time ahead, but a lot was though saved by the Fire Brigade.