Honey Bees Have Moved Into My Back Yard! BZZZZZ!

May 3, 2013 5:00 PM

There is a not so huge cluster of bees clinging to a trellis in my back yard. The cluster is about a foot tall, 9 inches deep and wide. They have a regular flow of bees coming and going.

They are oblivious to the humans, dogs and cats and seem very busy doing whatever they are doing.

Should I try to find a bee keeper or is this something bees do sometimes that is transitional or migratory?

I want to do the right thing to avoid any hazard to mammals AND bees. (I LOVE Bees and feel honored that they're visiting.)

Many thanks in advance!

posted by snsranch to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Yes beekeeper STAT. If the hive can be caught & maintained, very useful for the pollinator population
posted by tilde at 5:08 PM on May 3, 2013 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: And...they're gone. No kidding. There was just a huge tornado of bees with an unbelievable buzzing sound and they flew away. WTF?
posted by snsranch at 5:09 PM on May 3, 2013

Best answer: oooooh....they're swarming! somewhere inside that wad of bees is a queen. They've budded off from the old hive and are looking for a new one...that's what all the little 'messenger bees' are doing...once one of them finds a good place, slowly the others will follow...they shouldn't be there for more than a few days. Surprisingly, they're very docile right now...you could even pick them up! you have nothing to worry about...
posted by sexyrobot at 5:10 PM on May 3, 2013 [11 favorites]

Best answer: Yup. Keep these guys handy ...

http://www.sandiegobeekeepingsociety.com/
posted by tilde at 5:11 PM on May 3, 2013

see... they found a place already!
posted by sexyrobot at 5:11 PM on May 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks folks! That was an incredible experience! There are still bees trickling in and taking off. They cloud of bees was so thick I could barely make out the other side of my yard. Very cool.
posted by snsranch at 5:15 PM on May 3, 2013 [11 favorites]

For future reference, a good beekeeper will try to capture the swarm and set them up with a hive in a place where they are wanted and safe. This also applies to bees who have set up a hive in an inconvenient place, such as part of someone's house.
posted by bunderful at 5:28 PM on May 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yup, just resting!
posted by cecic at 8:03 PM on May 3, 2013

Totally jealous.
posted by Specklet at 8:21 PM on May 3, 2013

Just like at your own home, when 2 Queens try to co-exist side-by-side, it doesn't last long...

One splits off, takes half the stuff (worker bees, etc.) and heads for zee hills...it's called a migrating colony.

They get spread out while traveling and stop to rest here and there until they find a nice new neighborhood to build a semi-permanent hive. You caught them re-grouping...and they'll leave soon to find their own nirvana.

Enjoy witnessing nature in action.
posted by Exchequer at 10:05 PM on May 3, 2013 [4 favorites]

That sounds so cool!
posted by sarcasticah at 8:52 AM on May 4, 2013