Bee Swarm!

[AZjeff]

Yesterday we were leaving next door neighbor's house and noticed lots of bees buzzing around the little Blue Spruce in her front yard. Looking closer there was a swarm of bees the size of a football hanging on a branch. She called a local beekeeper and was told they should move on in a day or two, if they don't he'll come and move them. Warned they're likely Africanized so do not disturb them. They're still there today. Here's an interesting article about bee swarms from Purdue University: Bee Swarm

 

[wwillson]

Did you boy in you want to poke the swarm?

 

[AZjeff]

Did you boy in you want to poke the swarm?

It's all I can do to not. How did you know??

 

[wwillson]

It's all I can do to not. How did you know??

Because I did the same.

 

[2005jettatdi]

I used to have beehives. An interesting fact is that if bees are after you, get into the shade. They lose track of you there. This does not work well in my part of Arizona but it worked great when I lived in Western Washington. Swarming bees are not very dangerous since they do not have a hive to protect. However, they will still protect the queen.

 

[AZjeff]

The bees moved on today. Good stuff.

 

[spasm3]

My understanding is a lot of feral bees in arizona are africanized. They are more docile when they swarm, as they don't have a hive to protect. Swarming is how the collective reproduces. The queen and 1/2 the hive leaves, the existing hive raises a new queen.

Usually when they swarm, they have already picked out a new home, picked by scout bees.

 

[AZjeff]

From the Purdue article:

Swarms can occur most anytime throughout the year but most often occur in late spring or early summer. They occur when a new queen is made in a colony. The new queen's mother leaves the original colony takes with her a large group of worker bees to find a new home.


These bees all fly off as a group and clusters on a tree limb, a shrub, or even on a car's side mirror, nearly any other suitable space. They will remain there for an hour to a few days. During that time, scouting bees search for a new nest site. When a suitable location for the new colony is found, such as a hollow tree, the cluster breaks up and flies to it.

The local beekeeper mentioned to neighbor about the bees being Africanized.

 

[Lubener]

The bees moved on today. Good stuff.

They are typically dossile when swarming unless you really aggrivate them. Three years ago I seen three swarms. One of them I cautiously mowed about 15 feet from the swarm and was not even chased by them. Happens when a hive has two queens. One of the queens leaves the hive and takes a handful of workers with her to find a new spot to begin a new colony. It's an amazing thing to see. This is the time of the year for swarming.

 

[K2K2]

When they swarm like that outside the hive, they are surrounding a queen. Once they have her protected then they send out scouts to find a good nesting spot, which is where they are now.

I am surprised that the beekeeper did not harvest them to use… Maybe they are the African variety.

[my dad had bees for about 30 years]

 

[Arc]

Reminds me of the song from "Thrice" called black honey.

 

[2005jettatdi]

My understanding is a lot of feral bees in arizona are africanized. They are more docile when they swarm, as they don't have a hive to protect. Swarming is how the collective reproduces. The queen and 1/2 the hive leaves, the existing hive raises a new queen.

Usually when they swarm, they have already picked out a new home, picked by scout bees.

How africanized the Arizona honey bees are is dependent of elevation. At our 3,500' elevation the cold winters mean africanized bees do not survive well. At Jeff's 5,000', even less well. On the other hand, down in Phoenix, where they do not have winters, they survive quite well.

 

[AZjeff]

One of the queens leaves the hive and takes a handful of workers with her to find a new spot to begin a new colony.

This handful of bees would have filled a 1 gallon paint can!

How africanized the Arizona honey bees are is dependent of elevation. On the other hand, down in Phoenix, where they do not have winters, they survive quite well.

Every summer on the news will be a story about someone being attacked by a swarm of bees in Phoenix. Probably shook the branch.

 

[spasm3]

Every summer on the news will be a story about someone being attacked by a swarm of bees in Phoenix. Probably shook the branch.

A truly africanized hive will be triggered just by your presence, you sometimes as far as a hundred yards away.

 

[y_p_w]

When they swarm like that outside the hive, they are surrounding a queen. Once they have her protected then they send out scouts to find a good nesting spot, which is where they are now.

I am surprised that the beekeeper did not harvest them to use… Maybe they are the African variety.

[my dad had bees for about 30 years]

Yeah - they're kind of hard to keep when they're Africanized. But often hobbyist beekeepers will want a swarm as long as they're not Africanized. Supposedly better honey producers than commercially bred bees, and "free" for the most part if someone lets them have it. But typically a swarm has the older queen that left a previous hive for a new queen. So a new hive from a swarm might need a new queen fairly soon.

 

[wlk]

My girls from the other morning when it was below freezing.