A hitch-hiker?

[Gail Di Matteo]

Hello folks.
I am new to beekeeping, and I have been following this forum for about a year now. I have witnessed something strange, that I haven't seen mentioned here. So here goes:
My back deck looks to my hives, about 20' feet away and 10' down. So in the evenings I sit and watch my girls while I relax. The oddity is that a bee, carrying another bee, will fly over my head, kinda of circle around a few times, then fly off over the house. I have seen this about 3 times. I can't tell if it is a worker carrying a drone or a worker carrying a worrker. What gives?
I'm not worried about it, just curious.
Thanks,
Gail

[Robo]

When house cleaning, the bees take the debris away from the hive to dispose of it.  Possibly to keep pest and predictors away :?  Your probably just witnessing the disposal of a bee carcass.

[newguy]

ive seen bees carry dead bee off, and ive also seen bees carry live bees off.  probably dying or otherwise distresed bees, or maybe even robber bees. its totally normal behavior.

[Erik T]

Sounds like an undertaker bee hauling off a corpse.  Mine seem to dispose of the bodies in the neighbor's bushes.  I like to imagine his bushes are haunted by tiny little bee ghosts.  :-D

[Gail Di Matteo]

Thanks for the replies...
I've seen them drop them off the porch but I didn't realize they would carry a corpse that far away!
Ciao!