Bees, gobs of bees

JATO_RaT · May 31, 2003

Normally I would not care but tomorrow is my little kids 2 year old birthday party. A stinkin swarm of bees landed in our fruitless mulberry and decided to coat a branch with about 6 inch thick layer of bees all around for a foot or more. Whats going on. Are they going to stay or move on. I know in the middle of this humming orgy is a queen. I suppose I could shoot it with water and run like he double L but thought perhaps theres a better way. Wait? call a bee person? smoke? Any clues as to what one should do. I was always told bees won't sting you unless you do something to them, since about 5 years of age I quit believeing it when I stood like a statue when someone saw one on my chest. A minute goes by as I stand super still hoping this theory is right. A minute seems like 10 minutes when a needle slinging poison dart ejecting monster like this lands on you as a kid. The theory does not work, the sucker stung me on the chest. I don't trust them anymore. Thanks in advance, Rat...

ScottAR · May 31, 2003

Based on my very limited knowledge of bees, I'd say you have a swarm that is trying to make a new colony. I'd call around for a local beekeeper to see if he/she wants them.

On the odd (or not so odd anymore) chance it's an africanized colony, I'd not go near it. Failing that, a pest control place might handle em, failing that, I understand fire hoses do a number on em.

As a complete neophyte on Bees, someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I hate anything with more than four legs. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Anonymous Poster · May 31, 2003

I agree sounds like they are setting up housekeeping. I'm no bee authority either but I wouldn't wait and see. This is going to sound a little crazy but I heard a fire extinguisher will..well...extinguish a lot of them and run the rest off.
But, if it were me, I would call fish and wildlife, you never know, they could be africanized.

Bird · May 31, 2003

They are not going to stay on that limb on the tree. When they swarm like that, they're looking for a home. A hollow tree will do, but sometimes they find a hole in a wall and set up housekeeping inside a wall of a house. A beekeeper would simply come and collect them, being sure to get the queen, in a cardboard box and take them and put them in a hive, but unless he comes soon, they'll probably be gone. Some police department dispatchers keep lists of beekeepers you can call to come get them (I think in Dallas we had about 10 names and phone numbers on the list). But the last time I had a swarm on a limb at my place, I called the local sheriff's department and the one phone number they had was no longer a working number, and the bees had moved on less than an hour later.

Taylortractornut · May 31, 2003

They re looking for a new home, One morning when i worked for my brothers company i was running a scraper so i could get the grader to the fuel tank. I walked by the D31P Komatsu and low and behold the whole drive sprocket and final drive was covered. We called a farmer and he knew a Bee keeper that wanted new stock. He came and doused them with smke and took out 2 leather gloves and gathered them into a bag. He offered to pay us but my brother gave him 100 bucks for having the cahoneys to reach into them. Plus it was holding up a 50 000 dollar job. The keeper said if we had started they may have made the dozer mans life a bit difficult.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 1, 2003

I just caught a swarm from my own hive a week ago,I've kept bees for about 10 years now so....they came,I bet,from somebody close to you who has bees,very few "wild" bees left now due to mites, no honey bees are any wilder than the ones in a hive except those africanized bees,if you live in the southern part of the country,you might suspect african bees,but like I said,if any body within a mile or so of you has bee hives,they are probably theirs and that person unless he is new to this,will gladly come and get them.Its no bi deal to box them up while they are swarming,just put a box under that branch,get a squirt bottle and sguirt the swarm lightly to wet their wings and than shake the bees in the box with one real hard shake,than of course put a top on it quick,they are not very hostile when swarming,unless you live in an area with africanized bees.They will leave on there own in a day or two but that new home they find may be someplace even worse for you,like you attic, RICHARD GAUTHIER

DaveNH · Jun 1, 2003

When bees swarm, they gorge themselves with honey prior to
departure. When the bees are full of honey, they are quite docile.

My advice is just leave them bee!

As mentioned before, they are looking for a new home
and once they find a spot, they will move away.
You'll see the cluster break apart, form a cloud and fly away.

DON"T DO ANYTHING STUPID LIKE SPRAY THEM WITH RAID
or hose them down or put a fire extingusher to them. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

If you're real brave, carefully cut the branch off and carry the swarm
away yourself.

Now if you lived near me, I'd have another hive! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

JATO_RaT · Jun 1, 2003

Thanks for all the advice, as of this morning, they are still all huddled. Is this kinda like a sleep period after all that buzzing around? When they leave is it sort of quick. That is, do they just fly off when they break apart or is there the big hub bub flying all nilly willy like atoms sort of arrangement? While the sound they make is not deafning, it's pretty stinkin scary. Here in Northern Califonia it seems there are tons of bee keepers. They rent out the bees for the orchards for pollination. It's probably good advice and bee safe, I'll leave them bee or is it let them bee? Now, if its yellow jackets, I kill the yellow jackets because in late summer, they try to kill me. I have methods for those little stinkin stinging, chomping coming out of the foxhole ready to attack and destroy me while I'm mowing terroists. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

DaveNH · Jun 1, 2003

"When they leave is it sort of quick." 
It will take a few minutes for them to get the "we're moving" message
so you'll see
 the big hub bub flying all nilly willy like atoms sort of arrangement /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
for a few minutes. They'll circle higher and higher then they're gone!

Have a chance to get a few pictures?

JATO_RaT · Jun 1, 2003

Thanks DAVE from NH, I might just have to do that, you know, snap a picture or two. Rat...

DaveNH · Jun 2, 2003

Got an update on them bees?

herbenus · Jun 2, 2003

I found a swarm on a branch of a tree one day. By evening they were gone. I'm not sure how long they were there. I was real careful not to p--s them off...

JATO_RaT · Jun 2, 2003

The bees are still huddled on the branch (as of 6/2, 1:51:46 PM PST), maybe 10 or so always buzzing around the outside. They aren't bothering anyone and were actually a focal point of the birthday party yesterday. Almost everyone came to have a look at them. At first some were scared but once they had a look, that fear went away and they just stood there with complete amazement. I'll just wait to see what happens. I assume they will need to go get a drink or eat or exercise or something at some point. It's getting pretty warm to be that tightly packed. Imagine that Queen with 20,000 guys on her /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Rat....

DaveNH · Jun 2, 2003

Rat....
Imagine that Queen with 20,000 guys on her. 
Not to bore you with the details but all those bees are her daughters (workers).
There might be a few bigger fatter looking ones which are her sons (Drones)!
Queens can lay either a fertilized egg or an unfertilized egg.
Fertile eggs develope into females and unfertilized eggs become males.
Females can become either workers or a new queen depending on the
diet. But that's another long story and I said I wouldn't bore you. Sorry!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Sometimes they have a hard time finding a new cavity.

If they don't find one nearby they'll move somewhere else and
start a new search. Give them a few more days, then when they
fine a new home they'll be gone. It's very seldem that they will begin
a colony in the open. It does happen every once in a while but
it very rare.

THANKS for not killing them.

r0GuE · Jun 2, 2003

W o w ...
I haven't seen a bee in a long time. We have lots of hornets, wasps and yellow jackets. I kill them with glee by the truckload. I have a ceramic tile roof and they live in between the tiles.

Bird · Jun 2, 2003

I've never known a swarm to stay in one place out in the open like that for that long. It may not be unusual, but sure surprising to me. Does anyone else remember watching a pro baseball game on TV several years ago when they had a swarm of bees light on the railing (down the third base line if I remember right) and they pretty quickly got a beekeeper in there to collect them in a box? I don't remember what year or who was playing that day.

JATO_RaT · Jun 2, 2003

Oh Dave, if you only knew me. I'm such a stinkin pacifist it's ridiculous. I don't ever kill bees, yellowjackets and sometimes wasps excluded, but hey, they started it. Other then that, I grab spiders and moths etc. by hand and toss them out the door. So those are a bunch of females. I always figured they were males, you know workers, boy, what a Chauvanist attitude with a capitol C, Patricia Ireland, I'm so sorry. Still here hanging around at 4:52:25 PM. Temeperature is 98.2 (in a metal overhead awning), humidity is 26%, 977 mb pressure, moon is about 1/4, I love my Oregon Scientific radio controlled satellite clock desktop thingamajig. Rat...

Boone · Jun 2, 2003

A number of years ago, my brother and I used to install chainlink fence. We got a job to fence a cemetary. The job was huge and we had to travel about a hour to get there, all this cut into our profit. Then we started drilling holes and discovered the ground was limestone rock at one foot down, slowed down even more.
Well, we finally got the posts set in concrete and we went back out to put up the fabric. I was unrolling the chainlink and got down to the far end where the nieghbor had her garden extending into the church grounds. Now, this garden had been discussed with the priest, the nieghbor and my brother and I. We were to cut right on through the garden. I told the lady we would try not to destroy any more if we could help.
So, there I was at the edge of the garden with a 5 foot roll of 9 gauge chainlink, at a complete stop. Her garden was a poppy patch in bloom and full of bees. The garden was just humming loudly from all the bees. Well we had a little discussion my brother and I. We decided we were losing to much money to hold up any longer on this job. We were there so we went right on through. Very scary day for me but no bites.

JATO_RaT · Jun 3, 2003

As a follow up, I still have the swarm of bees. Called a beekeeper, he will come by tomorrow and remove them. No cost if they are still in the "swarm" mode but otherwise $35 to remove a hive. The difference being the hive mode bees are more defensive and require the full uniform. The swarm require a pair of gloves. I'll never be a Bee guy and gladly pay the $35.00, he deserves it for the effort and gas money. Thanks again for all the comments, Rat...