• MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    78·
    2 days ago

    That’s a swarm - get in touch with your local beekeepers group/organisation and someone will probably come and collect it.

    Otherwise don’t fret, the bees will do their thing. Scout bees will leave the swarm and look for a new home for the colony (the queen plus a third to a half of the original hive). They report back with details, and a collective decision is made on the best choice. The swarm will then leave. (Honeybee Democracy https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691147215/honeybee-democracy is a good read on this.)

    Back home the rest of the colony have a new queen pupating. She’ll eventually hatch out, go on a mating flight, and come back to start laying eggs.

    • MeatPilot@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      11·
      2 days ago

      Thanks, I’m aware just thought it was mildly interesting to share. As soon as I saw it I grabbed a ladder to get that photo, so I was more than pumped they chose my tree to take a break. They are still around resting for the night.

      I hope they picked the tree because we planted a lot of plants to attract monarch butterflies and milkweed which is currently in bloom. We get all sorts of pollinators and everyone is more than welcome. Would be fascinating if they stuck around.

      • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
        6·
        2 days ago

        Even if they decide they need a different place to build their hive, your buffet will still probably be within foraging distance, from both hives old and new.

      • MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        1 day ago

        Time to get a hive! It’s only very slightly addictive, honestly. (My friends have stopped asking me about bees…)

  • kersploosh@sh.itjust.works
    271·
    2 days ago

    That is likely a new swarm looking for a home. When an established hive gets too crowded, they will create a new queen who will then fly away with a subset of the workers to establish a new hive.

    If you want to make your local beekeeper’s club very happy, call them and tell them where this swarm is! They will come and collect it.

    • crank0271@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      2 days ago

      Small detail: I believe the existing queen leaves with the swarm (~50 - 60% of the existing hive), while the bees that remain behind try to create a new queen.

  • bdot@lemmy.world
    131·
    2 days ago

    chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool and all shootin’ some bee ball outside of the school

    when a couple of hives who were up to no good started makin’ trouble in my neighborhood