The Swarm

[skent]

A few weeks ago I was working in the barn and Samm was mowing along the field road. She stopped and asked me if she could skip mowing by the shrub because of the bees. I asked "What Bees?" She said there was a nest and lots of activity. When I saw tree I was shocked. It looks like a Nest, but in reality its a ball of bees resting. I'm told the queen is in search for a new hive and is in the middle of the group. It's about 20" high and 12" wide. The next morning they took to flight and dissappeared across the field headed due north. You could see the cloud and hear the buzzing 400 feet away. Wish I could have videotaped it!

 

[Bird]

Steve, that's actually more common than most people realize, but it's an interesting sight to see. The last time I saw a swarm on the move like that was when a big swarm crossed the highway right in front of me. I was doing about 60 mph so didn't have time to do anything but get bees all over the front of my van. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[beenthere]

The bee keepers like to know about those. It's good to see there are honey bees around to do that. Seems they have been having a tough time 'staying alive' these days.

 

[Dozernut]

I wonder if the bees are attracted to Cedar trees. We had a swarm by the pond in a Cedar tree, they hung around a couple of days, then moved on.

 

[DannyD]

Bird, I was thinking about the time I did the same thing..........what about them is it that makes them stick so dag gone hard. My windshield had to be scrubbed 2 times

 

[Dozernut]

When a new queen comes along, about half of the workers align themselves with her. Before she flies away, these newly aligned bees, gorge themselves with honey from the hive. This is so they have a food supply to sustain them while the new hive gets started. When you hit the traveling swarm you coat your windshield with honey.

 

[havenlane]

Thanks for the cool picture! That just happened to us up here in Oregon this summer. My wife called me at work to tell me to put the top up on my convertible before I came down the driveway. She told me that a swarm of honeybees had just moved into one of our hollow pear trees, and after calling the OSU extension agent (they congratulated us on our new aquistition...), talked to a beekeeper who told us that honeybees make great neighbors...and they have! They never bother us when we play out in the yard, and fly around us if at all possible. Hope you can aquire one of these too, as I hear they DO keep some of the pest bugs away. Good luck,
Havenlane,
Oregon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PoleClimber]

I think I found the honeybee's home while cutting firewood. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[PoleClimber]

I found 8Ft. of this unused hive in a red oak.

 

[PineRidge]

PoleClimber those are interesting shots. Where is the point of entry in the tree to the comb? You were very lucky that it was inactive when you cut the tree.