roseycheeks
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Bee swarms

I wanted to ask a question, what would make swarm of bees circle a person but. Not sting him? He was not carrying the queen either. They just encircled him then took off into the air and was gone.

imafan26
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Now is actually the peak swarming month. Swarms are how bees reproduce. The old queen is starved by the workers to get her in shape to swarm. She lays the eggs for the new queen to emerge and when the workers decide to go, they fill up on all the honey they can eat and fly with the old queen looking for new digs. While bees are swarming, they don't have brood or honey to protect so they are not aggressive unless they perceive you are trying to hurt them. They are also full of honey and that makes them more docile. When the swarm leaves the hive it is early in the morning and the the bees don't usually go far maybe 25 ft. You have to remember the queen has very small wings, she is old, has been starved, and is not used to flying a lot. While they rest, scouts go out looking for a new home. If the swarm does not feel safe or if they are disturbed they may make short hops to different places looking for a safe haven to wait. They prefer a branch on a tree, somewhere high up. If your friend was standing relatively still they may have been checking him out but moved on looking for a better place to rest. When the scouts return they try to convince the swarm that they have found the best new home and good forage for the hive. The swarm will move in short hops giving the queen a chance to rest until they get to their new home. If the queen likes it they will stay. If not, they will move on. Usually a swarm has only a few days to find a new home.

When capturing a swarm, you want to get them a couple of miles away from the old hive. Two to three miles is the average distance bees will forage. The swarm needs to be put in the hive and the entrance needs to be blocked overnight. It also helps if the queen walks into the hive rather than being dumped in. They are more likely to stay if they have a few built up frames and a couple of frames of honey or sugar water feeder and some pollen cakes left for them as a house warming gift. If they don't like the new hive they might abscond. It is actually easier to get bees to accept old boxes and frames than new ones. They like the fixer uppers. A lot of beekeepers will replace the queen soon after. Remember the queen is old and you don't know how much longer she will live and you don't know her temperament. Requeening provides a young queen with a known temperament.

john gault
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I've also heard (but I'm not sure if it's true or not)?

It is near-impossible for honeybees to sting after gorging themselves on honey prior to swarming, because they cannot move their stinger in place to sting. Anyone hear this?

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jal_ut
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john gault, I really can't say about this. I do know that bees preparing to swarm gorge on honey, so they can take some food to their home. When a swarm emerges, they usually cluster on a tree or bush fairly close to the hive. They may stay there a few minutes, or a few days. Usually they will fly off to a new location to set up housekeeping. When I see a swarm hanging on a tree limb, I grab a 5 gallon bucket and go shake the bees into the bucket. I have a plywood square with a cutout and screen over it that I can cover the bucket with to keep the bees in. I just carry the bees over to a vacant hive and dump them in. Usually they will stay and go right to work.

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jal_ut
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Bees sting in defense of their home. Bees in a swarm don't have a home.
Also bees sting to defend themselves from a threat. Like if you step on one on a dandelion with bare feet you are going to get it.

john gault
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Yes, I've heard that a swarm of bees don't sting, since they have no home to protect, but that makes me wonder....

If you had access to the queen during a swarm and attempted to take her, would the bees attack you? I know this is kind of a theoretical question, because it's (as I understand it) very difficult to access her, since she is deep within the swarm.

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jal_ut
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If a swarm emits and a person happens to be near and the queen decides to land on the person, then the whole bunch comes to her and said person finds himself covered with bees. Most people seeing this happen would run like the dickens, but someone familiar with bees or especially the beekeeper in a suit would just let it happen.

In answer to your question: "If you had access to the queen during a swarm and attempted to take her, would the bees attack you?"

I am going to say , NO! They will want to go with her, but not attack you. They may land all over you because that is where the queen is, but their interest is not in stinging you.

imafan26
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There are different kinds of bees in a hive depending on their age. The youngest bees are the nurse bees that do the housekeeping and take care of feeding the brood. There are the queen's attendants that groom, feed, and clean the queen. Foragers are the oldest bees that collect nectar and pollen. Then there are the guard bees. The guard bees protect the hive from intruders, those are the ones that will sting you. However, if you have a docile queen, her brood is docile and they are easier to work since they are more tolerant.

When a hive swarms, the younger bees leave with the old queen. Guard bees stay with the hive and foragers that are out that morning will be out foraging so they will go back to the hive. The queen takes the younger bees because they will have to live long enough to establish a nest, build the comb for the queen to lay eggs and the new brood to emerge. In winter a bee can live 6 months, but in the spring and summer bees only live about a month. They don't die from old age, they die from exhaustion.

Usually you can get right up to a swarm. Their only concern is protecting and staying with the queen. As long as you don't make sudden moves or threaten them, they usually will just move rather than sting. They can and will sting if they perceive a threat.



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