Bees congregation on a beekeeeper

[DaveG23]

So today I was with the bees at my father in law's. I was putting a nuc in to a hive. I also checked a few other hives.



When I went to go inside to change my mother in law stopped me and said I had lots of bees on my back, and she had been watching and they had been there for 20 minutes
https://ibb.co/xJJLpwj

They were very calm, I hadn't even noticed them

Thoughts? Did I just get in between the nuc and the hive?

 

[Newbeeneil]

When I went to go inside to change my mother in law

Wish I could change my mother in law!

 

[DaveG23]

Wish I could change my mother in law!

Oops, poor typing!

 

[DaveG23]

Finally worked out how to post an image, taken by my mother in law. Who I wouldn't swap for any other

 

[Curly green finger's]

Finally worked out how to post an image, taken by my mother in law. Who I wouldn't swap for any other

That's a cracker of a photo, when transferring a nuc this season to a clients hive he and his son had bees on there suit mainly on top of the vail they were feeding each other the bees I mean were they feeding each other?

 

[DaveG23]

That's a cracker of a photo, when transferring a nuc this season to a clients hive he and his son had bees on there suit mainly on top of the vail they were feeding each other the bees I mean were they feeding each other?

I don't know, my mother in law got close enough for the photo but that's it. They were very calm though, as calm as a swarm. I really had no clue that I was walking back and forth across the garden with them on my back

 

[pargyle]

That brings back memories ...

Where's Dusty Rhodes when you want him ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Years ago when a few of us forumites were lucky enough to help out ChrisB with his honey farm for a week we observed the same phenomenon. All of us bar one had the usual sage coloured BBwear beesuits -Brian had a white suit and at each apiary we visited he ended up with his back covered with bees.
Maybe it's the colour?

 

[Erichalfbee]

That brings back memories ...

Where's Dusty Rhodes when you want him ?

Yep.

 

[DaveG23]

I assume that I was in the flight path of the bees returning to the nuc, which had been left for 2 days on top of a closed up hive.

I had moved the nuc to the floor and was standing between it and the hive, moving their frames in to the hive.

I ended up shaking the bees off as close to their new hive as possible. Afterwards I was worried that I had somehow gathered the queen or somehow got in the way of a returning mating flight from one of the other hives in the apiary.

Everything seemed calm when I went to check later on.

 

[DaveG23]

Yep.

View attachment 18405

I think this is a better photo than mine.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I was at an association gathering some years ago and couldn't really hear what was being said as there was a lot of buzzing. It turned out that a load of bees had decided to sit on my head for no apparent reason. (veil was on by the way). I was not aware of course, so someone else noticed and walked me away from the other beekeepers and gave be a shake-down so I could hear again!