Bees in the rain

[transporter]

I have just noticed around 200 bees in a lump on the landing board out in the pouring rain, is this normal behaviour ?

 

[oliver90owner]

No!

RAB

 

[Erichalfbee]

One of my hives did this after I put in my Apilife Var Tx.
It was the second day (they bearded out on the first day but it was sunny so I left them).
In the afternoon they were in a soggy mess, some falling off the landing board into the grass.
I scraped them into a box and took them inside to dry and they were OK.
I opened up the floor a little and no more came out.
I think it was the thymol fumes.

 

[margob99]

lol I'm so sorry to laugh, but the way you describe it, I get these visions of hordes of little lady bees getting teargassed, and haring out of the hive, hacking and coughing, eyes streaming, falling about, leaning on walls and fainting into the grass ...

sorry

 

[Erichalfbee]

You may well
But if you spoke 'bee' that probably EXACTLY what they did

 

[Polyanwood]

I have had them do it with thymol treatment, but I also had it happened once when thre were 2 queens in the hive and they had evicted one.

 

[oliver90owner]

Polyanwood,

Might as well get some mileage out of the thread now it has been answered.

Was she alive? Did you recover her and if so, did she go on to build up a colony?

Regards, RAB

 

[Polyanwood]

It didn't end well Rab. I saw the red marked queen when I scooped them up to tip them all inside... too late.

Later that week I found my marked queen dead on the floor - I'd recently paid good money for her - and another queen running around.

A classic mistake - which I seemed to have managed to repeat this year, when I should know better!