Honey Bee Swarm

[Davidgor2]

I was very concerned that a swarm of honey bees, the size of a basketball, would be a threat to my family as well as my Rottweiler. They decided to rest on a low branch on one of my trees and seemed to be very active and angry. I asked several people what to do and I got answers from spray them with pepermint tea, to spray them with tomato juice, to spray with water, to set a fire under their swarm, to call the local bee association, to call the fire department , to call an exterminator which would be expensive. I went on line and the best advice that I received was to leave them alone and they would leave in one or two days. That is what I elected to do and guess what, they were completly gone in two days. Hope you are never confronted with a swarm of bees but you will know what to do.
David

[tla0126]

Ha, I just got a mental picture of you trying to spray them with something and in the next moment, running from them. Good decision with the whole "leave them alone" thing!

[observer]

It's hard to know what will set them off, even if you do nothing. Here in AZ, and I'm sure in Mexico, all bees are considered to have been "Africanized" meaning they are at least hybrids of the African "killer" bees-- much more aggressive. My sister had a swarm in a tree years ago - because she had a lot of animals, she called the bee folks and had them come and take care of them.

[SABELLESMOM]

If they're real "honey bees" it may actually be against the law to destroy them, in some areas. They may have to be moved by professionals. They do it by relocating the Queen, safely.

Professionals would also know if they're crossed with the killer bees. I wouldn't chance it myself. What good would tomato juice, peppermint tea or water do, anyway? Sounds phony to me. They survive rain don't they? What could possibly be toxic in tomatoes or peppermint tea?

[kilasmamix3]

Haha, i wonder why they leave so fast?

Dezaree

[Roscoe's dad]

A fire extinguisher has worked for me in the past with wasps. Froze them little buggers to he!! and back.

[harleychik66]

Originally Posted by SABELLESMOM

What good would tomato juice, peppermint tea or water do, anyway? Sounds phony to me. They survive rain don't they? What could possibly be toxic in tomatoes or peppermint tea?

I've also heard hairspray. It's my understanding that these things won't kill them, but if sprayed at them it will weigh down their wings rendering them unable to fly. When they fall to the ground you can then stomp or beat them to death.

[AngelBunny]

My DH and I have an apiary. We'd LOVE to have one of our neighbors call us about a swarm of bees that's close enough to the ground for us to reach, take home, and put into one of our hives that we keep empty, in the happy event we'd get contacted about a swarm.

Honeybees are crucial to American agriculture and the foods we like to eat. pollinating about 100 flowering food crops--including apples, nuts, broccoli, avocados, asparagus, celergy, squah, citrus fruit, peachers, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, animal feed crops (such as clover). $15 billion worth of food--30% of food crops depend on pollination by bees.

Essentially all flowering plants need bees to survive.

If you see a swarm of bees, call a beekeeper.

[Sheenagirl]

I agree with AngelBunny - call a beekeeper. They will come out and move the bees.
My uncle was a beekeeper and I grew up with bee boxes next to our orange grove.
Yummy honey and honeycones - especially from orange blossoms!

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by AngelBunny

My DH and I have an apiary. We'd LOVE to have one of our neighbors call us about a swarm of bees that's close enough to the ground for us to reach, take home, and put into one of our hives that we keep empty, in the happy event we'd get contacted about a swarm.

Honeybees are crucial to American agriculture and the foods we like to eat. pollinating about 100 flowering food crops--including apples, nuts, broccoli, avocados, asparagus, celergy, squah, citrus fruit, peachers, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, animal feed crops (such as clover). $15 billion worth of food--30% of food crops depend on pollination by bees.

Essentially all flowering plants need bees to survive.

If you see a swarm of bees, call a beekeeper.

My mom just had a bee hive exterminated.... after two months of attempting to get someone (beekeepers) to remove the nest. They decided to roll out the doormat on the side of her house and build their hive around her natural gas line meter.

Two different bee guys came out, and never came back, and others simply never showed up. Finally she had to resort to the exterminator which was very puzzling, since the general bee population is very sick and is dying off, it seems to me they would have wanted some nice healthy 'wild stock' to add to their populations.

Mom was very upset about destroying them, but she is extremely allergic (would die if stung allergic) to them. We were confused as to why no one would touch them.

[JoJo]

We had a HUGE hive up in our tree in the backyard. We were scared to death that it would fall to the ground (the one in the front yard did a few years ago) while Sensi or me (I'm allergic) was outside. We called every Beekeeper in the phone book on both sides of the Bay. They ALL told us that they can't take it as in today's world, the African Bee has managed to migrate into the honey bees. Too dangerous. We unfortunately had to get a person (there is a name for these people, just can't remember) to come and be rid of them. It broke our hearts.

The Honeybee is dwindling down and getting scarce. We are in deep trouble in regards to them. I just wish there could be something done about it. This hive we had I'm sure was all honey bees, for you should have seen all those honey cones!!! Like I said, destroying that hive was one of the hardest things we HAD to do. Just a shame but we couldn't take the chance for all concerned.

[AngelBunny]

poohbearsmom: Are you sure they were honeybees and not wasps?

Honeybee combs are designed to hang in something, for instance in frames in beehvies or the hollow of a tree. They are not self-supporting and need to be supported unlike wasp's nests.

JoJo: Did the bees set up shop in the hollow of a tree??

Any bees you see flying around are domesticated, either from a swarm or a beehive. The wild bee population in the US is extinct.

Fortunately for us here in NH, Africanized honey bees don't live thru the winter.

[JoJo]

JoJo: Did the bees set up shop in the hollow of a tree??

They set up shop in the abandoned (thank goodness) owl house that was up in the tree. Then before long, it was all around the tree. I would guess in total, 3x5. It was not small. The same for the hive that was in the front yard. The one in the front we left, as it wasn't going to bother anyone. One morning we found it on the ground and the bees gone. That one had 4-5 very nice size honey cones in it. My home is surrounded by tall pines and a few large oaks. We love putting up owl houses as every year we get Screech owls and they have their babies. It's so much fun to watch them and listen to them.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by AngelBunny

poohbearsmom: Are you sure they were honeybees and not wasps?

Honeybee combs are designed to hang in something, for instance in frames in beehvies or the hollow of a tree. They are not self-supporting and need to be supported unlike wasp's nests.

JoJo: Did the bees set up shop in the hollow of a tree??

Any bees you see flying around are domesticated, either from a swarm or a beehive. The wild bee population in the US is extinct.

Fortunately for us here in NH, Africanized honey bees don't live thru the winter.

Yup, there was a TON of honey, none of which could be salvaged after the massacre... they built it in the turns of the pipes along the side of her house. It was a good sized hive, too. We were all very upset that no one would take them alive, especially since the News was running all the dying bee stories at the time.