I was at the kitchen sink yesterday morning, when I looked out the window and saw thousands of honey bees flying around outside. It was freaky! I went out for a look and was amazed. They were flying everywhere! What was going on? I excitedly yelled across the back porch partition to my neighbors. They weren’t very impressed. They didn’t even come see. I watched the bank parking lot, hoping someone would be getting out of their car so I could make them look, but no luck. I was the sole witness.
After running inside to check the internet for some information about swarms (I read THIS and THIS), I returned to the scene and found the bees clumped together in my rose bush. Apparently, when a colony gets too big, they split, and some of the bees go looking for a new home. They huddle in a clump and send scouts out to look for a good hive site. When it’s found, they leave.
I worked on the pond while they hung in the bushes. I went inside to look at some waterfall pictures to get inspiration, and when I came back out, they were gone. I hope they didn’t decide to live in my walls.
I even made a movie! Sorry it’s so shaky. I had to get really close and I had serious jibblies.
I hope they weren’t supernaturally evil bees! Then you’d be in big trouble… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIzP5peTF7g
Perhaps you could raise bees yourself? Think of the unlimited honey and bee pollen you could have!
Ha! That’s a TV episode we referred to in high school all the time! “Swarm! Swarm! Swarm!”
I can’t believe how annoyingly loud the background music is.
And I can attest to the fact that even when one of the scouts flew straight at Brad’s head, he DID NOT scream like a little girl. He remained calm. Mostly.
You are SO BRAVE!!! I would never, ever have left the safety of my window!!!
Dnag it … you missed your opportunity to start that bee hive/colony you always wanted. Beings you’re so good at “making it up as you go along”, I’m sure you could have figured out how to do it. You have the hardest part down already, the brave part!!
Brings back memories of Grandpa Hummel and how he took us so close to the bees in the barn. “Don’t worry”, he would say, “that’s a drone and they don’t sting.” He so enjoyed watching bees.
The biology teacher part of me thinks this is an amazing phenomenon and you are indeed quite fortunate to have been there to see this miraculous part of their journeys. The earth science teacher part of me is glad you did not come at them with a shovel – perhaps because they were not cute and fuzzy? – as we have all heard how their numbers are dwindling and what a vital role they play in the greater ecosystems. The just plain gal part of me, however, is screaming in my head “Get the h*** out of there while you still can!” I have seen far too many sci-fi flicks where humans + bees/wasps/hornets/other scary buzzing things = terror, pain, screaming, and other bad stuff.