Honeybees...you ever seen em do this??!!?

[gregintenn]

Walking by my neighbor's place yesterday, he showed my this in his shrubs. It isn't a hive of any sort, just a massive wad of bees. This morning they were gone.

[Raoul]

Swarm

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarming_(honey_bee)

[gregintenn]

Cool stuff. I've never seen it before.

[Raoul]

It's a pretty rare sight. When I was a kid 50+ years ago we used to see them occasionally in the woods where we played, but it's been at least a decade since I've seen one.

[Omega]

I've seen that a time or two, I think it happens when the queen decides to go to a new place and they stop for the night (or day maybe).  I had one by a deer stand once, I decided I didn't need to hunt there that day.

[Ronald_55]

We used to see this when my Papaw had bees. Sometimes they would swarm and leave or sometimes he would go to someones house to cut a swarm out of a tree to bring to an empty hive. It used to be pretty common when bees were way more plentiful.

[Climber]

Yea, its not that uncommon and the queen decided to go find a new home.  I once purchased a new package of bees and tucked them all nice in their new home and the very next day they swarmed and I never saw them again.  They are actually pretty passive when you find them like that and they are all swarming around the queen and keeping her happy until she finds the new home.

[Raoul]

My paw-paw had bees and raised dahlias. I ate the honey and all the church ladies came by on Saturday to by flowers for the front of the church.

Wo...flashback

[DaveTN]

I was a little kid (about 6) but it stuck in my mind. We had a swarm on a bush in our yard. The neighbor across the street walked over in a t-shirt and flip flops, reached in the swarm, grabbed the queen, put her in a hive, they all went in and he walked back across the street. Pretty cool stuff for a 6 year old.

[bersaguy]

1 hour ago, Raoul said:

My paw-paw had bees and raised dahlias. I ate the honey and all the church ladies came by on Saturday to by flowers for the front of the church.

Wo...flashback

LOL......Yea those flashbacks can be scary for sure. I have one every so often and I think to myself, " WOW "where did that one come from"?................

[Sidecarist]

Nice size swarm. The queen will leave the hive if it's over crowded and conditions are right. Swarms are usually very docile, and if you can get the queen they will all stay with her. 

You don't see them as much as I the past because beekeepers have gotten a great network out there to catch them. Many also use swarm traps to attract them.

Free bees to a beekeeper. Call one if you can and they will likely reward you with some honey!

[Ugly]

Getting the first P-3 ready for the flight schedule, we found a swarm decided to park on the #2 propeller. 

We changed aircraft for that flight. Had a beekeeper come and take em, seemed smarter and cleaner than firing up the engine!

[analog_kidd]

When a hive decides to swarm, the queen and about half of the bees in the hive will swarm and gather in a tree. First they gorge on honey because it may be a while till they get established again. So, half of your bees, and a good portion of your honey just fly away. This is why they are docile in a swarm... they have nothing really to defend, so why bother. Stinging someone is a death sentence for the bee.

When they gather like that, they will send out scout bees to look for a new home. Each scout will return and give a report of the new place they discovered. Somehow they all decide which one to use, communicate where it is, and all at once they ALL fly straight to the new home. 

Bees amaze me

[bersaguy]

People who have never taken the time to study them of at least learn about them just thing they are just another bug that might sting them. The last thing a bee wants to do is that. All they want to do is work and go home. They are actually very smart........JMHO

[monkeylizard]

Edited May 16, 2017 by monkeylizard

[Ronald_55]

11 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

Too bad I can only like this once......... I hate yellow jackets with a passion that few humans can achieve....

[aldodds3]

Too bad I can only like this once......... I hate yellow jackets with a passion that few humans can achieve....

Go Dawgs?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bersaguy]

 

The bumble bee is an important, beneficial insect. They pollinate plants and flowers as they forage for food. To gardeners, it is a welcome sight to see these large, flying insects carrying large loads of pollen, flying into and around their flower beds and gardens.

I had to look up the Bumble Bees to be sure of what I had been told as kid learning about things on the farm growing up. Grand father told me they did good things and looks like he was correct.

 I am sure Carpenter Bees that look like Bumble Bees also have no positive purpose other than to being annoying and doing damage to your house eves and out buildings. 

Of  course we all know that honey Bees produce honey that most everyone enjoys on hot biscuits or toast and even in coffee and tea so they are very useful.

Now for the Yellow Jacket I think God put them on Earth as a lesson for stupid people and people that do not pay attention to their surroundings. I was guilty of that as I have dealt with them several times while growing up living on the farm and it was not a good experience for me or them. They got me and I got them. Other than that I see no postive reason for them being on earth. They are just 1 of many of GODS creatures that has yet to prove a positive value............JMHO

[Ronald_55]

50 minutes ago, bersaguy said:

 

The bumble bee is an important, beneficial insect. They pollinate plants and flowers as they forage for food. To gardeners, it is a welcome sight to see these large, flying insects carrying large loads of pollen, flying into and around their flower beds and gardens.

I had to look up the Bumble Bees to be sure of what I had been told as kid learning about things on the farm growing up. Grand father told me they did good things and looks like he was correct.

 I am sure Carpenter Bees that look like Bumble Bees also have no positive purpose other than to being annoying and doing damage to your house eves and out buildings. 

Of  course we all know that honey Bees produce honey that most everyone enjoys on hot biscuits or toast and even in coffee and tea so they are very useful.

Now for the Yellow Jacket I think God put them on Earth as a lesson for stupid people and people that do not pay attention to their surroundings. I was guilty of that as I have dealt with them several times while growing up living on the farm and it was not a good experience for me or them. They got me and I got them. Other than that I see no postive reason for them being on earth. They are just 1 of many of GODS creatures that has yet to prove a positive value............JMHO

I remember turning over a block of wood at our woodpile at about 6 or 7 that had a yellow jacket nest under it. By the time I made it to the house I had 30 stings and they had crawled into my clothes. My mom had to kill a dozen that were in my shorts and shirt and toss me into a soda bath. I don't even remember how I got through the barbed wire fence. 

Since that day, I nuke every nest I find. 

People used to say hornets were bad, but at least they hunt flies. That is a positive service.

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, bersaguy said:

 

The bumble bee is an important, beneficial insect. They pollinate plants and flowers as they forage for food. To gardeners, it is a welcome sight to see these large, flying insects carrying large loads of pollen, flying into and around their flower beds and gardens.

I had to look up the Bumble Bees to be sure of what I had been told as kid learning about things on the farm growing up. Grand father told me they did good things and looks like he was correct.

 I am sure Carpenter Bees that look like Bumble Bees also have no positive purpose other than to being annoying and doing damage to your house eves and out buildings. 

Of  course we all know that honey Bees produce honey that most everyone enjoys on hot biscuits or toast and even in coffee and tea so they are very useful.

Now for the Yellow Jacket I think God put them on Earth as a lesson for stupid people and people that do not pay attention to their surroundings. I was guilty of that as I have dealt with them several times while growing up living on the farm and it was not a good experience for me or them. They got me and I got them. Other than that I see no postive reason for them being on earth. They are just 1 of many of GODS creatures that has yet to prove a positive value............JMHO

I'm still searching for the purpose of a chigger.

[KahrMan]

7 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

I'm still searching for the purpose of a chigger.

You can quit searching.  They have no purpose.  They are evil, vile creatures that need to be eradicated from this world.

[Ronald_55]

37 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

I'm still searching for the purpose of a chigger.

They taught me that I should take a blanket when having a little fun with my girlfriend out in the hay field. There are places you do not want then to get. 

[bersaguy]

There are tons of critters that I deem either worthless or even worse a real problem but I also realized a long time back that we are stuck with them for better or for worse so all we can do is try to avoid them as much as possible............jmho

[gregintenn]

12 hours ago, bersaguy said:

There are tons of critters that I deem either worthless or even worse a real problem but I also realized a long time back that we are stuck with them for better or for worse so all we can do is try to avoid them as much as possible............jmho

Like politicians?

[hardknox00001]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

Like politicians?