Strange Bee Behavior

MrILoveTheAnts · December 07, 2007, 01:12:02 AM

When I was young I witnessed once or twice some strange swarming behavior, but my memory isn't that great and I wasn't into bees at the time. We had several hives, I want to say it was 1997 or early 2000 about and we had just come home to find our yard filled with a very spread out, low to the ground swarm of bees. But the bees seemed evenly spaced out and expanded all around the hive maybe a ratios of 30 yards (all of my backyard), as if they didn't know where to go. They did sting our dog a number of times but I think we had just let her out when we got home, so she couldn't have disturbed the hive. I don't recall any of our hives looking damaged, no scratch marks or anything I still have the rotting boxes outback. Maybe a day or a week later they did it again. Any idea what this might have been?

Brian D. Bray · December 07, 2007, 01:18:03 AM

Sounds like they were preyed upon a ground based preditor, my guess would be a skunk or badger. They eat the bees, they knock 1st, then eat the bees that come out to investigat. The other possibility would be a raccoon, probably a young one, who could rock but not knock or push over the hives.

Jerrymac · December 07, 2007, 02:21:42 AM

I think the bees were alive.... Right?

JP · December 07, 2007, 08:12:44 AM

Mr. Ant, I've seen bees spread out like that on a few occasions but I just don't know if it would apply to your situation, well anyway. One is when I've brought bags with honey home and placed them on the driveway. The bees always seem to find some little hole in the bag to forage from. Sometimes they will get drunk and spread out all over the driveway before going back to the hive. Sometimes I'll see this for a couple of days. The other time is when there was a swarm, where the queen was on the ground and the bees were spread out all over. The particular occasion I am thinking about is one where the swarm fell from a tree approx. from 30' up and landed on the woman's sidewalk, the bees were all spread out. I put the queen in a swarm trap with pheremone and they all went into the trap by nightfall.

I wonder if what you saw was related to a swarm whereby the queen could not fly and wandered through the area that the other bees found attractive, thus spreading out in a large area on the ground. Other than that I have no clue. Perhaps some of the oldtimers here will chime in with a definative answer as to what may have ocurred.

Cindi · December 14, 2007, 11:15:21 AM

Quote from: JP on December 07, 2007, 08:12:44 AM

I wonder if what you saw was related to a swarm whereby the queen could not fly and wandered through the area that the other bees found attractive, thus spreading out in a large area on the ground. Other than that I have no clue. Perhaps some of the oldtimers here will chime in with a definative answer as to what may have ocurred.

To add to this, I think that JP might have it bang on. That would account for the bees all over the ground, the queen pheromone everywhere, but holy smokes!!!! Could she have walked around in a 30 foot area, hee, hee. Good luck getting an answer, but I think this is probably what happened. Best of this beautiful day, great health. Cindi

Understudy · December 14, 2007, 08:04:52 PM

I am not sure if this goes along with your issue. But it might. The first cut out I did I did not get the queen. The whole hive of bees gathered in a clump near the ground.

Perhaps if a bad mating flight or a swarm goes queenless you might get that also with clipped queens you could get something like that also.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Cindi · December 15, 2007, 11:45:10 AM

Brendhan, something strange in this neighbourhood. Did you by chance preview your post before you posted it? The picture of the bees and the blue sky? What kind of text stuff was on the attached image, what is hotlinking and why did you put in the box "don't steal my bandwidth"? Can't explain, am I dumb or something, cause I can't get it. Curiosity never got this cat. Best of this great and wonderful day, Cindi

Understudy · December 15, 2007, 11:59:19 AM

Cindi you are right it is a anti hotlinking feature. I have to add beemaster to the allowed list.

Also it isn't a blue sky it's blue barrel.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

ps. I checked my htaccess and beemaster is there. Very wierd
I see the image.
I forgot beemaster changes the http name to forum.beemaster.com I am fixing that now. Should be good soon.

Cindi · December 15, 2007, 02:20:07 PM

Brendhan, good, now I see the image instead of having to click on the protection of the image, nice picture by the way. Have a wonderful and beautiful day. Cindi

MrILoveTheAnts · December 15, 2007, 02:29:43 PM

No this was an established hive that was responding to something. At no point where the bees clustered together. They were lightly dispersed everywhere in our yard, flying. I like the idea of a young raccoon attacking the hive but this was the day time and they are a nocturnal forager. I believe we had a groundhog issue then and still do. But it hasn't happened for a while now. I'm thinking some other animal disturbed the hive.