No bees were left inside the hive, which meant the queen was somewhere under that cluster. Now, it was a very hot day, so Wally suggested there may not have been enough bees to keep the hive cool, so a bunch moved outside. But, with the queen in the group, it most likely meant the bees were preparing to swarm and abandon ship.
 |
| The queen is in the highlighted circle (still a virgin). |
So why would such a small bunch of bees swarm like this? Usually, it is due to several negative factors. I have two immediate thoughts on what caused the bees to prepare to swarm.
First, from day one, carpenter ants were raiding the sugar water I placed in the hive. A strong colony would be able to fend these ants off, but my colony never really reached a size (due to the loss of the first queen) that was able to overtake them. I even witnessed some of the carpenter ants team up and kill a bee or two as the bees wandered near the sugar water. I suspect the ants began raiding the honeycomb as the population of bees dropped and as we were trying to boost them back up.
Second, the hive certainly could have gotten too hot. There was more sun than I expected where I placed my hive. In a few years, it may be a good spot for an apiary, but apparently, not yet.
Unfortunately, once the bees begin swarming actions, there is little you can do to stop them. They have already picked a new place to live. With a colony as small as mine, it would not be worth putting the stress on them to try to recapture the group.
At 5:00, I walked back up to my hive to see what was going on. Suddenly, the bees began to take off, swirling up into the air. I sat on the ground as I watched every last one buzz off into the air, filling the sky around me. Then, they were gone, hopefully to a new home that they would be able to flourish in.
 |
| Flying off into the sunset. |
No comments:
Post a Comment