H E L P - do you know anything about wild bees? A swarm of wild bees has just arrived!!! I'm still shaking! We were sitting out in the gazebo watching the butterflies, when suddenly we heard a buzzing sound - bbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Hundreds of bees in the blue sky and hovering above the bougainvillea.
I screamed - OMG, "Get inside now!" I grabbed my plate and ran for the house, Richard on my heels.
He stopped halfway - looking and commenting that they seemed to concentrate around one of the old oak tree branches.
Whew - at least they weren't chasing or attacking us.
Somewhat re-assured, I started thinking about my camera and whether it would capture the swarming bees from a safe distance.
Thank goodness neither one of us is allergic to bees, but even if you are not allergic to bees - hundreds of bees swarming gave me instant goose bumps all over my body.
These guys look a lot bigger then the friendly little honey bees who have a nest in our plum tree. They never bother a thing and love my African basil blooms.
I hope these bees are not some sort of wild African bees that you hear horror stories about. We finished eating inside and when I went back out to look, they seemed to have settled in.
That hair raising buzzing sound had stopped.
A sound I'll not soon forget.
It sounded like a horror movie at the cinema - very scary.
It's quiet now
with just a few bees buzzing around
their new hive!
Time to make some phone calls - figure out what we have and have it removed.
H E L P ...... Do you know anything about wild bees?
How could they build a new hive with such amazing speed?
Images taken by Rose H. in our yard today - copyright 2009.
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Comments: 65
Wow, Rose be careful and make sure to keep your cats indoors as well. I am terrified about the African bees, and fortunatley I have not had any encounters myself. I have read a lot about them though, as they have invaded several areas down here. When they go on attack they do it together, and quite a few pets (even big dogs) have not survived down here. I do know that the African ones are supposed to be bigger than the regular ones.
Stay safe, and please get someone to get rid of these fast.
As I understand it is called "swarming." Search it on the net. A few times a year this happens--usually in spring mostly. A new queen or the old one flies off and the drones follow. They are usually harmless if left a lone. We saw a couple groups last year, but not while they were flying. Bee keepers will come and take them often for their honey hives. So you can call an exterminator or the extension office and see if there are any in the area. I don't remember all the details, but it is fascinating--there are lots of articles online because we looked last year.
Yes, that's what we're doing now, calling to find someone to take them.
EEEKKKKK!!!! Oh my gosh!!! I've never seen anything like that!! I wonder if something happened to their hive and they all took off to find a new home. I would make some phone calls too. I wouldn't want these guys setting up house in my yard!
Your photos gave me goosebumps, LOL!
Oh, when my daughter was an infant I went in her room one day, shortly after moving south, and there was a sliding glass door in her room and it had a dozen or so honey bees on it--I freaked, I and my uncle are major alergic to them. I called then and the exterminator said they were just swarming and probably took up under the house (no basements here, just crawl spaces) and that they'd leave in a few days. I was ready to go back north.
According to the last pic you posted, they haven't built a hive yet, Rose. The hive would be enclosed inside something - at my sister's house in Miami a big swarm of bees made their hive inside one of their big plastic covered trash bins -
Look in the phone book for bee keepers and see if someone wants to take them.
Whatever you do, do not spray with anything, as if they are 'good bees' you might kill the queen. Bees are fast becoming an endagered species since the Varroa mite has been attaking hives.
If we lose our bees, we loose our food supply....it's that simple!
Oh good - No - I don't want to kill anything unless it is a danger. I am quite aware of the ongoing bee crisis. Einstein once said if the bees die out we will not be too far behind - let's hope we never have to test this theory.
Hopefully I can get a beekeeper to come and take them away and everyone will be happy.
Hang up some zip lock bags that have water in them around your yard and near your doors. Bee's don't like them and will stay away from those areas.
It is a swarm. The queen is in the group, and they are looking for a place to settle down. If there are any bee-keepersw in your area (check the phone book), they will usually come and get them at no cost. They then take them, put them in a hive, and everybody is happy -- the bees have a home, the keepers have a new hive of bees, and all you lose is maybe a small branch or two out of the tree.
George - that is exactly what I'm hoping for. We need those bees, but not me specifically:)
Great shots! Hopefully they will not hang around long.
Thank you for posting your photo at Pretty Pictures.
Wow. They do look huge. I vote for the extension service or a beekeeper. Good bees will be moved...and la,la,la,la for the bad bees.
I'm curious to know what happens.
I'll be posting an update - I'm hoping that a beekeepr can take them away and that they are "good bees".
This happened one time when we lived in the house we lived at for 14 years in Sebastopol CA. As I stood in the backyard watching, THOUSANDS of bees came and swarmed on the branches of a HUGE willow tree in our backyard! They stayed there for about a week as I recall and built a nest on one of the big branches of the willow tree... I think they finally left but, then, we had a whole HIVE make their home in one of our bedroom WALLS where they would dig through the wall in places and get into the bedroom! When we left that house about 4 years ago, the new owner called in a beekeeper who took the whole hive away...
Oh wow Jean - that is an adventure I could do without.
Some bee keepers are looking for healthy wild swarms to replenish their domestic hives, so unless these are "Africanized" a bee expert would probably come and take them away at no charge to you. Probably these will go away on their own, because as stated in your other responses above, the hive is "swarming", that is, in the process of taking a new queen to establish a new colony in a clean fresh protected place. My sister recently had someone remove some of the bees that reside at her house. These were a wild colony that had lived within the walls for over 50 years. The bee keeper was anxious to obtain those particular bees because he felt they exhibited healthy DNA. It seems it is rare for a hive to maintain itself in one place for such an extended period of time.
Natalie - that is interesting. The beehive we have in the plum tree has been there for about that long. They are the sweetest little honey bees.
I hope the hive can be saved, and they find a good home out somewhere else.
It's just like people evacuating for a hurricane - I hope that they find a new home and are safe. Salud
If they are honey bees. Someone will want them. They will capture them and give them a hive to live it.
Hope you do not get stung. Stay away from them. The person who gets them needs proper attire to capture them
Scary! I would have flipped out too! Sorry I hav no advice for you on the removal.
I had an uncle in Louisiana who would capture bees and give them a home. I remember one time he captured them off a road sign (my dad had spotted them). Hopefully you will get someone like that in your area on the phone.
If you do, you could share pictures of the capturing process! Those would be interesting to see.
I'm glad you were able to get yourself and your animals in with no incidence though. Scary business.
Ashley - thanks. The bees left on their own, they must be looking for a new home. I never found out whether they were "good bees".
wow! what an experience!
I see you've received plenty of good advice. I imagine it was a scary event but I'm relieved that you're trying to relocate them rather than kill them. What an experience!
UPDATE: All the bees are gone!!! Before anyone could have a look at them or re-locate them.
I sure hope they find a good home and noone kills them in the process.
WOW...what a cool experience....scary but well worth the spook level to be able to see something so cool...and now you say they're all gone, did you get to see them swarm away or did they sneak off when you were researching?
No, when we looked there were like maybe 5 bees left and then those were gone too. I missed the exodus - not sure whether that was a bummer or sheer luck.
I hope Phil isn't right in that they decide to build a hive in the house.
Rose, you've got a lot of good information , they will leave from where they are ,but yeah they might decide to go into your home through some crook or cranny. Hope someone can remove them before they swarm again .
Now that's a scary thought, Phil.
That's a good sized swarm. A local beekeeper would love to get them.
I'm thinking of checking on our sweet honey bee hive in the plum tree - they have never bothered a thing and they are well hidden in that tree. I would be devastated if something happened to them, they've been there 30 maybe even 50 years.
I have never seen anything like this. I would be terrified. I hope you find someone to take of this for you. I'm glad you aren't trying to kill them.
Thanks so much for sharing with my group.
Nana - the bees moved on all by themselves.
I see at least one swarm every year about this time. I saw one yesterday. A couple of times they stayed in a tree for a day or two and began building a hive. But they always moved on, never finished the hive.
They moved on thank goodness.
I would have been terrified!!! I don't react well to bee stings either. I don't know anything to help you though....
oh my gosh!!! I would be scared to death!
Wow you did manage to get some awesome shots of them though.
Yup, it is a little frightening when a swarm lands in close by like that but actually it is an awesome sight, it's the magic of the natural world around us. You have had a lot of good advice, don't irritate them, call a professional, and don't spray anything. Pesticides kill all things living, good and bad. I suspect that by today, Sunday, the bees will have moved on to some other place? Sometimes that happens. But I'd be curious if anyone ID what species? a feral colony of honeybees? africanized bees are generally a lot more aggressive.
That's an amazing thing to see although I admit I'd be nervous being outside.
It sounds like you've got some good advice. Here, bees are in very short supply. Last year, we called the Ag extension agent and he connected us to a bee farmer who came and removed the hive and every last bee. It took a little bit of time, but we felt good.
I'm glad they left; hopefully you won't have to worry about them anymore!
Glad to hear that they've moved on... hopefully they'll find some nice, safer-for-everyone place to build their hive!
yikes!
Wow, very scary!
Spooky, but also a very interesting set of photos, I commend you for holding your nerve and capturing these photos.
Happy for you that they moved on. Glad you got the nerve to take pictures. Now, if you should happen to see a tornado heading your way...don't let it get too close...while you are taking pictures!
that must have been a scary sight to see. you got some awesome pictures out of it.
omg Rose... what a scary story... i'm soooo glad they left but i hope they will be ok...
just not in your general vicinity....LOL... your yard is just soooo attractive to wild things... hehehe... Blessings...
OMG I hope you all are alright.
We had this happen after the flooding in 2006, we had several swarms of bees! We called a local bee guy and he came and collected some of them!
I am alergic to wasps not bees I would call for a bee keper to!
for many years we had a nieghbor that raised bees OH the honey cone and honey best I ever had
OH almost forgot had to come back! amonia no slell righy sorrytakes the stng ont of a bee bite
Wow. How exciting. The pictures are great. You did a good job taking their picture. Did they smile for you? LOL I think you have received a lot of good advice. Or, you could just let them stay. LOL
Oh my gosh that would cause me to have a total freak out. I don't think I would leave my house till winter, lol.
avery informative and picturesque presentation of bees.Bees love a rose and they came
Yikes! I'm allergic to bee stings and am swelling up just reading your post!
Rose be very careful and remember that swarms are very dangerous even if you're not allergic. This post brings back flashbacks. My brother and sister got caught up in a swarm when we were children and both still have some scars. I remember them running into the yard. I seem to remember my mom grabbing the water hose to take the bees off and then we took them to the hospital. Neither was allergic but they stayed in the hospital for two days. Both of them were just swollen with bee sting on top of bee sting.
Oh my, that's a humongous beehive. Hope you get it taken care of.
It's good that they moved on.
Glad they are on their way Rose. Nice essay.
Eeek. I would have been gone so fast! I don't like bees. :) Nice shots, though.
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