I guess the bees in my neighborhood decided to celebrate Earth Day by swarming in my loquat tree which is right next to the deck.

I can’t believe how fast it happened. As recently as yesterday I was tying the long branches of a grapevine to the loquat branches — not ideal, I know — but this year the grapes went crazy and there was no other place for them.

This morning I saw a few bees near the vines and the tree and thought it was odd, and as I started to walk closer and closer I saw a gigantic mass of bees.

Somewhere I read that a swarm of bees means happiness. Swarming bees mean richness, gain, and luck.

It’s very windy and in the eighties today but I’m keeping a VERY WIDE berth away from these bees. I hope they rest and move on quickly because that location is too close to the patio door and as much as I heart bees for their existence, I don’t want them in the house. Or even close to it.

UPDATE: I had to close the patio doors when those hundreds of bees that created a swarm decided to buzz away at the same time. It was a frenzy of bees! I wish I had gotten video but I was rooted to the spot watching the activity. Moments later they were all gone. Not one single bee remained. I feel so lucky that they chose my tree to rest in and catch their breath before moving on their journey. They knew it was a safe place, a sanctuary. How awesome is that?