Bees in the grass

[wood blewit]

Hello to all , I'm new on this forum as i am to beekeeping my first year ,, which may i add is one of the most interesting and satisfying hobbies i have undertaken . question ,, outside the hive the grass underneath seems to have loads of bees clinging to it they all seem a bit lethargic although alive then when i check again in the morning theres very few there they seem to have gone then by midday theres a load more ,, am i missin summat ere ???

 

[BeeNice]

As others that come on will say, you need to supply much more info, it seems that it may be a swarm as I had one similar last month and put the in a nuc box (doing okay thanks). When did you last inspect, where there any queen cell give more facts and help should come your way.
Steven

 

[protheroe]

what are loads of bees?you need to be more specific

 

[MandF]

I'd be more inclined to think they were crawlers.

Were their wings all ok?

If so they will have disappeared because wasps are now active and clearing them up! Also I have noticed my bees will send out a couple of cleaners who remove dead/dying bees from outside the hive - they fly around looking for dying bees, and when they find one they cart them off to dump them well away from the hive.

I would check the hive for nosema too.

 

[oliver90owner]

Friendly mice, or perhaps a hedgehog, clearing them away overnight?

 

[wood blewit]

bees in grass

sorry folks for being a bit vague when i say loads i mean about 30 odd at any one time , i have picked quite a few up to inspect them most of them seem fully formed albeit one or two have half a wing i have also put a few on various occasions back onto the landing board where after being inspected by other bees some are let back into the hive while others are unceremoniously thrown back onto the deck, there is a local beekeeper who checked my hive with me last weekend and he said what a healthy active hive i have ,, and as for swarming i don't think so my queen is laying well and the colony has grown nicely since spring i have however removed one or two queen cells over the past couple of months , i hope this makes things clear folks .

 

[victor meldrew]

Pop a varroa inspection tray in and do a mite count , might be DWV which is vectored by varroa
VM

 

[MandF]

i have picked quite a few up to inspect them most of them seem fully formed albeit one or two have half a wing i have also put a few on various occasions back onto the landing board where after being inspected by other bees some are let back into the hive while others are unceremoniously thrown back onto the deck

Can they fly?

 

[wood blewit]

Bees in grass

as to whether they can fly? the ones that i pik up out of the grass after a little drying out on the hive or on a leaf seem to fly ok,, I'm just wondering whether these cud be first time outs and with the more than inclement weather were experiencing there just getting soaked.

 

[MandF]

as to whether they can fly? the ones that i pik up out of the grass after a little drying out on the hive or on a leaf seem to fly ok,, I'm just wondering whether these cud be first time outs and with the more than inclement weather were experiencing there just getting soaked.

Ah, well a lot of bees wont fly straight into the hive, they stop off in the vicinity (sometimes on me if Im around) clean/compose themselves for a minute, then fly into the hive.

If they can fly, you are ok.

 

[wood blewit]

Bees in grass

Thanks Mandf for your input ,, after talking on the forum i went up to watch my bees as at about 4pm ish each day theres always a lot of flying round the hive activity going on and while sat there it started raining heavily and a lot of the smaller bees were knocked into the long grass where they then end up entwined in six to eight inch grass stalks that are soaking consequently there wings get stuck to there bodies until they crawl up a stem dry off and fly back into the hive . so i think i don't need to worry its not a disease i think I'm gonna cut the grass shorter and put a piece of rubber or plastic mat in front of the hive. thanks for all the help guys .
kind regards Blewit.

 

[MandF]

No worries - we often get scorn from the old grumps on here for worrying too much about our bees, but there is no harm with paying attention to what they are up to and I think we can get more enjoyment from it too.

Don't let the grumps get you down

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Don't let the grumps get you down

Agreed - including the fact that the grumpy ones are usually right.

And when you've been here a tad longer, you can find ways of teasing them.......

Dusty.

 

[jackbee]

And when you've been here a tad longer, you can find ways of teasing them.......