Nests and bees

I had an interesting day around the homestead. I went out hang laundry on the line and noticed my son had left a pair of shorts on the line (they had been there a couple of days). I went to take them down and they had a bird nest in the leg!

I've never seen a bird nest in a pair of shorts before! How weird!

Later in the day, I went to take the dogs for their supper time walk and noticed something on the back post of the dog pen

Yep, that's a swarm of bees! Very cool! i think they are honey bees. From what I understand they are on the move and just taking a short break on my fence post (for a day or two) and then they'll continue on their way. They are looking for a place to set up a new hive. I will obviously avoid the dog pen until the move in and keep an eye on them as I don't want them setting up in the garage or anywhere too close to the house. To deter them from setting up in the garage, I simply burn strong smelling incense in there all day. The bees don't like the smell or the smoke and they'll decide it is not a habitable place (My beekeeper friend Braja taught me that!) there are woods around my place where they can set up a hive or they can set in the barn. Bees are a very important part of the ecosystem, I am happy to have them set up their home near me (as long as they are not right up at the house!).  Bees are pollinators and without them we would not have a lot of fruits and vegetables. I try to promote the growth of wild flowers in my yard to help the bees and butterflies, as both are in decline in North America.