We recently were lucky enough to have a "mess" of honey bees (we think)
claim the nook of a CrapeMyrtle Tree in our backyard. I noticed them
Saturday morning while building a compost bin in the backyard out by the
alley. At first I thought it was a bird's nest because I saw this brown
glob under the leaves. After a little closer inspection I discovered they
were bees and went to tell my husband and the guy friend that was helping me
build the composter. Well, my friend got all freaked out and thought they
were killer bees and wanted me to call someone to have them removed. We
were using drills and saws and making all kinds of noise that day about five
feet from the nest. After researching on the Web a little I don't think
they were Africanized bees or I think the buzzing of the power tools would
have annoyed them to attack. Anyway, they stayed over the weekend and we
all speculated on what they were doing and why. Sunday night they were
gone. Now, there are about four bees, I saw two today on the same spot on
the tree where there were hundreds only yesterday. I have never seen this
many bees close up and I wondered if the Beekeepers out there could advise
on what they might have been doing and why.
Thanks for all your wonderful information and help!
--
Rita
Garland, TX
7a-8b

In article ,
says...
We recently were lucky enough to have a "mess" of honey bees (we think)
claim the nook of a CrapeMyrtle Tree in our backyard. I noticed them
Saturday morning while building a compost bin in the backyard out by the
alley. At first I thought it was a bird's nest because I saw this brown
glob under the leaves. After a little closer inspection I discovered they
were bees and went to tell my husband and the guy friend that was helping me
build the composter. Well, my friend got all freaked out and thought they
were killer bees and wanted me to call someone to have them removed. We
were using drills and saws and making all kinds of noise that day about five
feet from the nest. After researching on the Web a little I don't think
they were Africanized bees or I think the buzzing of the power tools would
have annoyed them to attack. Anyway, they stayed over the weekend and we
all speculated on what they were doing and why. Sunday night they were
gone. Now, there are about four bees, I saw two today on the same spot on
the tree where there were hundreds only yesterday. I have never seen this
many bees close up and I wondered if the Beekeepers out there could advise
on what they might have been doing and why.
Thanks for all your wonderful information and help!
--
Rita
Garland, TX
7a-8b




As the colony grows they will "swarm" .. the old queen will move on with a
bunch of followers. They will find a place to hold up for a few days while a
suitable location for the hive to set up then they will set up residence in
the new home.
--
It is said that the early bird gets the worm,
but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

it sounds like a queen was ousted from an older hive and when she fled from
the older queen, her entourage followed her, causing a swarm. If you'd been
able to look inside the cluster of bees, you'd have discovered they were
protecting a larger queen. Mother of all their children in their new hive.
Holler at BeeCrofter, he'll either shoot me down on this one or confirm it.
They've now found themselves a home somewhere. Shame you didn't have some
boxes for them to move into. But you're right, Africanized bees would have
attacked when the power tools were in use. Consider yourself blessed. An
alarming proportion of our European honey bees have died horrible deaths
thanks to the Asian mite and Asian fungus that causes deformaties. The bees
that were left behind will either find the rest of the new hive or die soon.

madgardener
"Garland Grower" wrote in message
...
We recently were lucky enough to have a "mess" of honey bees (we think)
claim the nook of a CrapeMyrtle Tree in our backyard. I noticed them
Saturday morning while building a compost bin in the backyard out by the
alley. At first I thought it was a bird's nest because I saw this brown
glob under the leaves. After a little closer inspection I discovered they
were bees and went to tell my husband and the guy friend that was helping
me
build the composter. Well, my friend got all freaked out and thought they
were killer bees and wanted me to call someone to have them removed. We
were using drills and saws and making all kinds of noise that day about
five
feet from the nest. After researching on the Web a little I don't think
they were Africanized bees or I think the buzzing of the power tools would
have annoyed them to attack. Anyway, they stayed over the weekend and we
all speculated on what they were doing and why. Sunday night they were
gone. Now, there are about four bees, I saw two today on the same spot on
the tree where there were hundreds only yesterday. I have never seen this
many bees close up and I wondered if the Beekeepers out there could advise
on what they might have been doing and why.
Thanks for all your wonderful information and help!
--
Rita
Garland, TX
7a-8b

Sounds like a swarm. They had outgrown their old home, created a new
queen and split, looking for new digs.

The first swarm of the season contains the old queen who will be
replaced after they get settled in their new home.
Swarms after that will have young queens produced that spring.
Most swarms are gentle the first few days they cluster on a branch but
when they run short of food get a little testy.
A beekeeper will generally knock them into a box or bucket or get them
to march into a hive box with drawn combs. Around here folks think I
am some kind of wizard because the last time they watched me hive a
swarm I was in a t shirt and flip flops and knocked them into a copy
paper box.
In an area with known africanized honey bees it is better to err on
the side of caution, they move along in a few days without being
hassled.
Africanized honey bees are nothing special they just have not had
their defensive qualities bred out of them yet. The same idiots who
call a foot of snow the storm of the century will hype them as "killer
bees" to make sure they can sell enough advertising.