Bees - Beneficial? or How to get rid of them?

[D'Animal]

I mowed this pasture this morning. No Bees. I hit a few dripper lines so I went out to replace the lines this afternoon.

I now have very large amount of Bees congregating on a limb of my Nectarine tree. There are more swarming about and the mass is getting bigger.


How do you tell the difference between a beneficial honey bee and the cross of the Honey bee and African bee?

Honey bee + African bee = Africanized Bees "Killer Bees"

The Africanized Bee here looks like a regular Honey bee to me.
Africanized bee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


UCR Entomology Bees: Home
Says I'm in the Zone for Swarms.

 

[john_eckels]

I would personally leave them alone and hopefully they go away within a couple of days. If they are still there after a few days, I would contact a professional.

 

[D'Animal]

That was my intention.

I would personally leave them alone and hopefully they go away within a couple of days. If they are still there after a few days, I would contact a professional.

 

[bigndn]

As far as I know the way to tell the difference is to agitate them. If they don't chase you very far, they're regular bees. If the swarm chases you for over 300 yards, attacks your truck, dog, and neighbors, and won't leave for a really really long time, they're Africanized. Bring in a pro.

Edit: seeing that in the tree.........I'd go with Africanized until you know different.

 

[My wife said no FJ!]

x2...I would personally leave them alone and hopefully they go away within a couple of days. If they are still there after a few days, I would contact a professional.

Besides, with all the talk and worry about bees dying off for no known reasons...I'd hate to kill off a good colony...

 

[bigndn]

I'm gonna say that they all look alike. Yes, I admit I am a bee racist and will profile the s*** out of them. If I see a bee (or swarm) in an area even suspected of having Africanized bees, I'm gonna profile them and get my flame thrower out. One bush is easy to replace, Dan. Hit them while it's still cold out. Do it for the beagles.

 

[stayalert]

Call a beekeeper they will come and collect the swarm for you.

 

[sirenmoses]

what they said = call a pro, but don't bee a hater (couldn't resist)

my grands n dad were beekeepers, so I've done my time in the honey shed.

Call a pro, and give everbee body a chance. (see above)



yr bees are following the queen and she's probably young or she woulda picked better habitat. The pro might bring in a hive and sum yummies to lure them, in which case you might earn some bux, if you ask for them in advance (ie: got a lead on a wild colony, what's the finders fee?)

Good luck, and I know you'll keep us posted.

 

[D'Animal]

Well the mass was very large around 5:30am this morning. It was also in the mid to low 40's (F). Around 10:00am they disappeared as fast as they came. Poof, they were gone.


Now at 2:00pm they are starting to congregate again. There is about a baseball size mass that has gotten together. There appears to bee a waxlike substance on the limb that they are focusing thier attention on. I cannot tell if they are chewing the wood and it is sap or if it is the wax material they use to build their combs.

I'm still working on the irrigation and they are not bothering me at all. I'm actually replacing the heads at the base of the tree they are in.

 

[Koffer]

Dan
Have a bee keeper come out and put a hive there.
he gets the honey (a little for you I'm sure he'd hook you up)and you get your trees pollinated .
you both win

 

[cruiser88]

They dont sound very agressive

Well the mass was very large around 5:30am this morning. It was also in the mid to low 40's (F). Around 10:00am they disappeared as fast as they came. Poof, they were gone.


Now at 2:00pm they are starting to congregate again. There is about a baseball size mass that has gotten together. There appears to bee a waxlike substance on the limb that they are focusing thier attention on. I cannot tell if they are chewing the wood and it is sap or if it is the wax material they use to build their combs.

I'm still working on the irrigation and they are not bothering me at all. I'm actually replacing the heads at the base of the tree they are in.

 

[splitshot]

I call those footballs, get them at the job on a regular basis. They will move on.

Friend of mine is a beekeeper, and I've seen him stick his hand in the middle of one without getting stung, not that I would want to try it.

 

[D'Animal]

Here is a close up.


The white hair belongs to a Beagle, not the bee.

 

[bigndn]

I'm still working on the irrigation and they are not bothering me at all. I'm actually replacing the heads at the base of the tree they are in.

Then they're regular honeybees. From what I've seen on the tube, the others would have perceived you as a threat for even being that close and you'd be typing from the hospital.

As mentioned, let them pollenate your stuff for you and see about the hive. Win-win!!!

 

[splitshot]

Link w/lots of info:

http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehs/ftp/NewsletterBee2004.pdf

 

[IH8Wood]

If you get in a pinch and need to act on your own, I've used a CO2 fire extinguisher to stop a nest of hornets.

 

[D'Animal]

I guess they were domesticated Bees and just wanted to spend the weekend in the country. They are all gone now, other than the normal ones buzzing around the flowers.

 

[fj40charles]

I guess they were domesticated Bees and just wanted to spend the weekend in the country. They are all gone now, other than the normal ones buzzing around the flowers.

I hope they cleaned up after themselves.

 

[e9999]

had a huge swarm high up in a tree once. Same thing, Poof, gone!
I had called UC extension IIRC and I think they told me to wait a bit.
I love cute bees. I used to let them walk on me, was freaking out everybody. OTOH, that was a long time ago, now I watch the Discovery channel a fair bit... !

 

[Boot]

Definetly Beneficial!

I had a bunch like that in a tree in my yard. Luckily there is a beekeeper about a block away from my house.

They told me when they do that that is usually a colony of bees "on the move" they are searching for a new home. In the middle of that bunch you'll find the queen bee. They are protecting her until they can find a new place to set up shop.

They gladly collected them and gave them a new home.

-Lenny