In a healthy environment, the Spring season brings flowers and flowers bring bees. Along with bees come regular reports to Nellie Gail Ranch staff of “bee swarms”. The following is some information to help you decide if you should have concerns and provide some resources for education or bee collection/rescue.

First, why do bees swarm? Bee swarming typically occurs in colonies that are thriving and relocating from an original hive. A contingent of workers and a queen depart the original colony, gather at a resting site, often in a tree, while scouts are sent to find a new location. Once found, the swarm will move to the new site and begin to form a nest.

Unless you have bee allergies, honey bee swarms are not typically a major threat. However, they will sting if provoked. Often the swarms will move on in a day or so when they find their preferred nesting site. If you see swarms in one of the community parks, you may report to Nellie Gail Ranch staff at admin@nelliegailranch.org or 949-425-1477. We will monitor and address if the bees are aggressive or if they begin to nest somewhere inappropriately close to playground equipment or other high traffic areas. Bee swarms in City maintained areas can be reported directly to the City. Swarms or nests on homeowner property may be addressed by the homeowner. We urge you to consider using companies that rescue bees and relocate. Alberta the Beekeeper has assisted us with two recent swarming reports.

Below is a link to the Orange County Bee Keepers Association that provide additional information and educational resources.
https://www.ocbeekeepers.org

Also for potential homeowner backyard beekeeping enthusiasts, the following is a link to the City of Laguna Hills Municipal Code 9-12.060 Keeping of Bees
https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/LagunaHills/#!/LagunaHills09/LagunaHills0912.html#9-12.060

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, the Swim and Tennis Centers are open at 6:00 am and close at 4:00 pm. The hours on Saturday and Sunday are the regular 6:00 am to dusk (approximately 7:30 pm).

The Association office is closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day, also known in the past as Decoration Day, was declared the official name by Federal law in 1967. We began celebrating Memorial Day on the last Monday of each May in 1971 when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect after being passed by Congress in June 1968. This Act also moved to Monday the following holidays; Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day (returned in 1978 back to the fixed date of November 11^th), and Washington’s Birthday (also known as Presidents Day but that’s a whole other story).

Although the name and day of the memorial has changed over the years, the importance of honoring those who have sacrificed their lives to preserve the values of our country remain timeless. A National Moment of Remembrance resolution passed in 2000 encourages each American to pause for a moment at 3:00 p.m. to “remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many to provide freedom for all.”

This week the Inspector of Election received an additional 107 ballots bringing the total received to date to 423 ballots. Although the 25% quorum for a reconvened meeting is ensured, our goal is to exceed the first meeting quorum requirement of 704 ballots or 50% of the membership represented.

We have nearly three weeks remaining before the June 5^th annual meeting so if you are one of the 984 homeowners who is not yet represented in this election, please locate your ballot on the counter or in a drawer, complete it and mail in the postage pre-paid envelope. Remember to have the homeowner of record sign the outside of the envelope before mailing.

Please keep those ballots coming in order that the Board of Directors can make a decision regarding the mobile patrol service in accordance with the community consensus.