First year beek.
"Visit" my "six-legged granddaughters" almost daily (just watching the entrance traffic).
Today, I get home from work and walk back for my regular visit and see a "cloud" of bees hovering around the front of the hive. Not just a bit of a back up - a mini cloud of bees. http://www.beemaster.com/forum/Smileys/beemaster/shocked.png
My thoughts race from swarming (been through that once already this year - but didn't get to see them) to robbing. Start a quick, semi-panicked walk back to the house to get a robber screen, all the while trying to remember what else I should be doing and wondering how much honey is already gone.
Somewhere along the way, a rogue synapse fired and I checked a couple books for a description of what an orientation flight looks like. It described what I saw to a tee. By the time I got back to the hive the air traffic had subsided to much more normal levels.
If there wasn't such a gap between "book learning" and practical experience, my adrenalin levels wouldn't be spiking so much. http://www.beemaster.com/forum/Smileys/beemaster/grin.png
I wouldn't change a thing though.
Just thought I would share. . . .
:smile:
We've all been there. I just saw my first 'Let's accompany the queen on her first flight out' flight. Not swarming [also been there], not orientation, not robbing, so ?? And I, too, remembered some stuff I've been reading here. Did a quick mental calendar check and sure enough. That's what it had to have been.
One of the many reasons I read this forum every day. Lots of stuff doesn't apply today, but it sure might come in handy tomorrow.
Yep, couple good books (Thanks Michael) and read allot while participating at a forum or two and many of what could be total "run screaming for help" panic situations turn into.... Oh I remember reading about this, cool....
This forum in particular is a favorite to get no BS answers.... May not be the one ya want to hear, but ya get an answer!
I just saw my first large scale orientation a couple weeks back and there were 100s.....
A swarm, as they come out, makes a distinctive "tornado" of bees that you will recognize if you ever saw it once. Orientations are just hoverings.