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Florida Gardening

Bee Swarm?

happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand

15 years ago

I was watering plants this afternoon when I heard loud buzzing noises. I looked up and there was a large mass of bees flying nearly overhead about the height and around my relatively new bathouse. Then the bees moved over about 30', over to the oak that has a wild hive in the crotch of the tree. I assume that's where they came from. I left for a few minutes to plant a tree and when I came back, there were only a few bees flying around the tree hive entrance. The normal amount that I usually see. It seemed like there were a thousand bees flying around me. Good thing they weren't in a mood to sting. It was quite a sight to see. I presume that the hive in the tree swarmed.

I am signed up for a Bee Keeping Class this Sunday. Until then, does anyone have ideas about my sighting? This picture only shows a few of the bees flying around. Look closely at what look like little light colored dots.

Christine

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Comments (12)

solstice98
15 years ago
Yikes! That's quite the picture and I'm sure it was a fascinating sight to see, but I think it would have made me terribly nervous.

Kate
linchat
15 years ago
That is great. Looks like something you would see on TV in the news. Hopefully they are not Africanized.
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gatormomx2
15 years ago
I see honey in your future !
Congratulations - you are lucky .
Good timing on the Bee Keeping class .
coffeemom
15 years ago
I understood that when there are too many bees for the hive, they break off and leave to start another hive. That's when they swarm. Kind of like a fly by to say "we're off!"
At least that's what I remember.
an_ill-mannered_ache
15 years ago
sooooooo cool.
manature
15 years ago
I agree...majorly cool! They don't seem to have been agitated or aggressive, so...NEAT! Hope they start a new hive and you DO have honey in your future. And good luck with the class. I've always wanted to keep bees, but Mark doesn't think we have a good place for them here. (We don't want them inside our fenced backyard for fear the dogs will get into trouble, and he thinks the neighbors will complain if we put it in the side yard, visible from the road.)

Enjoy your bees!
Marcia
corrie22
15 years ago
Christine, don't let saintpfla see this!
They will come over and steal your bees! LOL

I'm kidding, saint was wondering where all the bees went this year,
now we know! They are at your house.

That is a very cool picture.

Corrie
happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand
Original Author
15 years ago
When I came home from work today I went over to the "bee tree" to see if all of the bees fled. But, luckily I saw a few bees flying around the hive entrance. A couple of years ago they disappeared for a whole year and then reappeared.

I still keep thinking of the massive swarm yesterday. That was once in a lifetime experience! I wasn't scared at all because I was so awe struck.

The bees are not Africanized. The bee keeper that is giving the class said that if my husband was able to cut the grass under the tree then they are not Africanized. Those bees can't stand any vibration.

I wish all of you were there to see this. So, I figure that this picture is the next best thing. Oh, and I wish that I could put a hole in the side of the tree to sneak out some of that honey.

Christine
linchat
15 years ago
It is funny you are showing this picture. Last weekend I was cutting the grass and my neighbor kept pointing up to me. Low and behold a small swarm of bee's, maybe 40-50 were buzzing the Queen Palm in the front yard. I guess they were working the fruit for some reason. I never saw this before. Their were no flowers, just the orange fruit.

Maybe, they are crazy bee's. Is that possible? :)
dghays
15 years ago
Linchat, they were probably consuming sweet juice from the fruit.

Happy, it probably was a new queen produced from that hive which would have taken a portion of those bees with it. I'm about a month away from getting a hive to begin beekeeping.

Gary
linchat
15 years ago
Gary,

I kinda wandering if that is what those fellows were up to up there.

Beekeeping, sounds like allot of work. Why are you doing it? Hobby, Honey or both?

And it is good, Bee's these days need all the help they can get. You know how long it has been since I saw a wasp? I used to see them all the time as a kid, same goes for bee's. But, lately, I have been seeing allot of bee's in my garden, they are really taking to a basil plant that I let mature / flower.

Maybe they are coming back...
dghays
15 years ago
lin, I don't think it's going to be too much work for me. I'm doing it exactly for the last thing you mention, to give them another place to be. I'd keep them natural if I could, but I understand it's best to keep them up for problem prevention. I get lots of wasps, bees, pollinators already and love them, but wanted to help continue the bee species. I began making wine a year ago, and will use the honey to start making meade. It was really a non-factor motivation-wise to start beekeeping, but a very good side benefit!

Gary

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