Hi all! My partner and I have a cottage on a lake near Six Lakes, MI with 12 acres of woods, fields, and ponds. A few weeks ago we were stunned to discover a beehive about the size of two footballs just hanging from the branch of an autumn olive bush, about 3 feet off the ground just off one of our foot trails. The hive is beautiful, golden yellow, probably from all the goldenrod, and thick with honeybees. We have been thinking about raising bees for several years now, but we are not ready for this! We have no equipment, no knowledge, and no contacts in the beekeeping community. While we are excited about this "gift," we are concerned about the survival of this hive in such an unprotected location as winter approaches. We are guessing this is the result of a swarm, but are unaware of anyone nearby who keeps bees.
We rushed out and bought a couple of books on beekeeping, and they both urge the novice to get in touch with a local beekeeping community as soon as possible. Can anyone help us out here? We sure could use some advice.