Scared me !

[Dabbler]

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. . . .

[Rurification]

    

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.   

[Nugget Shooter]

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.....

[Michael Bush]

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.