Puzzling bee behavior

Beewildered61 · March 10, 2017, 03:28:31 PM

I noticed a few bees over the roof of my house the other day, so I walked around to the side, and there was about 50 bees in a cloud hovering around the wall. Then they moved to the front and kept going to a corner of the front porch. At first I was worried a swarm had gotten into the roof of the front porch, as it has an outer roof and a ceiling on the porch, and they kept going to where the porch roof meets the house. I went and got my "bait bucket" swarm trap and strapped it onto a porch rail. Yesterday they were a few constantly around the trap and going in and out, but none hovering around the porch roof or walls. Today I went to check it, and there is definitely some bees moved into the trap, but there is also another cloud of about 50-100 bees still swarming around that corner of the porch. I am worried they are wanting to move in some where, so I got my smoker and kept smoking them, hoping to run them away. They seem to diminish, then there are more again, but never more than 50-100 bees.... anyone have a clue as to what they might be up to?

Oh yeah, I forgot, there is a small swarm on a pine limb, about big as a softball, down close to my hive and veggie garden, been there since Weds., I don't suppose they are some of the ones at the porch? We had a storm last night and this morning, so they got rained on. I also have an empty "bait" hive sitting down close to my veggie garden, but it's about 100 feet from the swarm and other hive. I was hoping the ones on the limb would go in the hive, I have some artificial scent in the hive, along with some Lemon Balm I crumbled and smeared on the frames. That's also what I have in the swarm trap.

Sniper338 · March 10, 2017, 04:29:51 PM

Shake the limb and put them in the box

Beewildered61 · March 10, 2017, 04:44:50 PM

They are too high up, I can't reach them...

Dallasbeek · March 10, 2017, 09:25:27 PM

Toss a rope over the branch, put a box over a sheet under the bees, give a sharp tug on the rope and hope they fall into the box.

iddee · March 10, 2017, 09:34:22 PM

Or throw the rope over the limb close to them and tie it to the box. Hoist the box up near them. It worked for my neighbor 2 years ago. They were in the box when he came home from work the next day.

Dallasbeek · March 10, 2017, 10:10:01 PM

Quote from: iddee on March 10, 2017, 09:34:22 PM
Or throw the rope over the limb close to them and tie it to the box. Hoist the box up near them. It worked for my neighbor 2 years ago. They were in the box when he came home from work the next day.

Better idea, iddee.

Beewildered61 · March 11, 2017, 08:45:32 AM

Thanks ya'll, but not really concerned with the bees on the limb, trying to figure out what the ones that keep coming to the front porch are doing... Or if they could be scouts from the swarm on the limb? But I didn't think there would be that many scouts....Yesterday they came again, I tried to smoke them some, hoping it might run them away. They kind of dispersed, a little later, only saw 2 or 3 bees, 2 hours later they were back, then when the area was in the shade, sun was setting they left again.

iddee · March 11, 2017, 09:13:09 AM

Likely scouts. Better seal any holes in the area.

Roborep1 · March 11, 2017, 10:16:28 AM

Quote from: Beewildered61 on March 11, 2017, 08:45:32 AM
Thanks ya'll, but not really concerned with the bees on the limb, trying to figure out what the ones that keep coming to the front porch are doing... Or if they could be scouts from the swarm on the limb? But I didn't think there would be that many scouts....Yesterday they came again, I tried to smoke them some, hoping it might run them away. They kind of dispersed, a little later, only saw 2 or 3 bees, 2 hours later they were back, then when the area was in the shade, sun was setting they left again.

If they are scouts from this swarm then your problem is solved. If they are not how would you know. Eliminate this option.

A bucket on conduit works as well. Do a search. It's a bucket with electrical flange to conduit. You can fashion a rope up through the conduit and bucket to the top and pull the top on after. But I bet if you shook them all into a bucket and then lowered down into a box you would get them all.

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Beewildered61 · March 14, 2017, 10:28:39 AM

Well, the temps got cold...the swarm in the tree was still there, and they have been rained on twice, maybe three times. Yesterday when I went to look at them, they had shrunk from softball size to billiard ball size. I don't think the poor girls will make it... and of course since the temp drop, no bees have been hanging around the porch.