Bee swarms in S11

Draggletail · 04-06-2007, 18:10

I know of three.

There was one at the bottom of our garden on Sunday - we noticed a 'black cloud' in the sky, it turned out to be a swarm of bees, they gathered in a tree next door and formed a wriggling writhing mass somewhere between the size of a large melon and a football.

About three hours later they took off elsewhere.

I mentioned this to a mate who showed me photo's of a swarm on his mobile taken a few days ago on Pinner Rd near Hunters Bar, he also said that he heard of another a few hundred yards away near Porter Contractors on Ecclesall Rd.

I've never seen a bee swarm before - is three in the same week unusual?

Has anyone else seen one recently in Sheffield?

sccsux · 04-06-2007, 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draggletail

I've never seen a bee swarm before - is three in the same week unusual?

I've only ever seen one swarm of bees.

This was when I was very young (about 7 or 8 IIRC).

I also know why they were swarming

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They were trying to sting me (which quite a few managed) as I had seen one bee enter a small hole, into which I inserted a stick and stirred it a bit

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Ravenger · 04-06-2007, 19:02

Not seen one in Sheffield, but had a small one in my garden in Kent about 10 years ago. Landed on my child's toy slide.

They're caused when a new queen is born and flies off to form a new colony. The queen will find somewhere to rest for a while, with the swarm surrounding her while bees scout the area for a likely nesting spot. When they swarm like that they're not very agressive and rarely sting.

Our swarm was quite small. The beekeeper who took it away for us said that many swarms were small due to a new parasite killing off the larvae. He said he'd take the swarm home, spray it with sugar solution, and put it in a hive with another swarm. The bees would lick the solution off each-other and that'd spread the old swarm's smell around the new bees so they weren't attacked by the old swarm.

mgblade · 04-06-2007, 20:52

i was at work on sat afternoon at woodseasts and i saw out of the window a swarm of bees or wasps, it just looked like a thick cloud of whatever it was, we watched it through the window then it moved further down the road surrounding some trees how freaky is that

Glennis · 05-06-2007, 09:14

I have seen a swarm of bees in my garden in Greystones. I have a bumble bees nest at the bottom of my garden at the moment.

fox20thc · 05-06-2007, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennis

I have a bumble bees nest at the bottom of my garden at the moment.

Ooo lucky you

Glennis · 05-06-2007, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by fox20thc

Ooo lucky you

Yes, its lovely, but I have made a determind effort to create a wildlife garden.

Geezer · 05-06-2007, 14:49

A swarm passed our house in S12 this afternoon, SCARY!

me-and-pippo · 05-06-2007, 16:03

Was fishing on the River Trent near Nottingham some years ago, and noticed another angler waving his arms and running like mad along the flood bank with a swarm of bees in pursuit not far behind him.
One angler was shouting to him “lay flat on the ground” and eventually he did, and the bees just flew right over him and out of harms way. Scary

Rich · 05-06-2007, 16:22

Yeah it's like when you get attacked by Bears and that, play dead and they think you are so they won't sting you any more.

Of course the better idea would be to not have gone near the bees in the first place but at least the other idea works (apparently).

lubylou · 05-06-2007, 16:33

uurrggh, reading this has made me go all shivery, i dont like anything that flies and buzzes, and im in s11, hope i dont see any

me-and-pippo · 05-06-2007, 16:53

Some information about honey bee swarms from Buxton Community School
Here.

sallonoroff · 06-06-2007, 20:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draggletail

I've never seen a bee swarm before - is three in the same week unusual? Has anyone else seen one recently in Sheffield?

Yep! Very close up...

Saturday at noon thousands of them popped out of a crack in a wall at our house... we knew they nested there before but 2 years ago had them *ahem* dealt with by the council. Not seen any since then... but saturday, woosh! a cloud of them outside the house. Then they slowly drifted off north.

Then sunday (at about noon again) the cloud reappeared, and they all filed back into the hole! 24 hour holiday it seems!

Oh, and we also have a small colony of bumble bees living in the garden.

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