Clearing out dead bees

[Jessaboo]

I was watching the honeys fly yesterday in our nearly 50 degree heat wave and noticed that some girls drug out dead bodies and dropped them over the front of the hive stand (where, of course, there is a fair accumulation of dead bees) while some girls would fly out with a body and insist on taking it out over the roof of the house and dropping it who knows where.

So it got me wondering if there was any reason (well, a reason beekeepers and/or scientists have figured out) for this difference in behavior?

I went through the thought that maybe the bees being taken farther away died of more than just old age and winter but it just seems like giving too much credit to the process. I figured maybe some bees were just strong enough to get the body farther away than others but then I noticed many of the flying carriers were struggling quite a bit with their loads.

Any other ideas? Anyone else really care or am I just being O-C?

- Jess

[annette]

Same here. I was always curious myself why the difference???  Anyone know??

[fermentedhiker]

Just a guess on my part.  I've heard of beeks describing differences between hives in terms of cleaning out.  In that some lug them off as you observed and others just shove 'em of the end of the plank.  Since I assume your queen is open mated her offspring likely have several different fathers(do you call a drone a dad?).  Some of them were possibly from more hygienic stock than others.  Could it possibly be that differences in parentage account for the differences you see in behavior?  As I said just a guess.

[KONASDAD]

My Minn hygenics, just push'em off the landing baord. my purvis, fly them far and away and my ferals are in between but definitely dont let them accumulate at the door step.
Its good and healthy behavour either way.

[Scadsobees]

I just figure that they hold on to them as long as they can carry them.  Sometimes they make it farther.  If they can make it into the air, they will usually carry it a ways.

Occasionally I'll see a bee out front trying to clean out the bees in the grass, that don't work so well since the legs are always snagging on grass blades.

Rick

[greg spike]

I've noticed them fly bodies away more in clear warm weather, than cold or wet. Probably a combination of convenience, hygienic temperament and the weight of the corpse. A fresh dead bee probably weighs a lot more than a pupae or a shriveled dead bee.