do bees fly at night

[justme]

when you have beehives, it is easy to see that bees cannot see in poor light. They collide against hive if they attack in dark or you disturb them.

Why bees stop robbing before dark?

have you any seen bees flying into hive when it is almost dark?

Bees can fly in dark and hit onto entrance by the help of odor. But mostly they hit on wall and run to to the entrance.


I have seen wasps and bumblebees fly in quite dim light.

A wasp flew in as I approached the 11pm hive. No light, I saw it as it landed as I opened my phone hence some light. I squashed it:.)

 

[victor meldrew]

I have had both bees and wasps flying in my honey shed and with both ,I've found that they drop to the floor with a bump on my turning off of the lights.

John Wilkinson

 

[newportbuzz]

well i thought they wouldnt fly at 3 am but they did. fine i pissed them off by installing them. they wernt coming back from forage or going to forage they were coming for me....... i had a small light and there was proberly a moon out cos i couldnt hold hive and torch at same time so i had to get to the site some how... but they came at me on their wings not crawling cos i stupidly stayed around when i removed the foam to see that everything looked ok. Anyway long story short when i saw them taking off i ran.

 

[Finman]

.
A week ago we arranged a hive to winter position and we had 3 boxes frames and honey.
Before we closed the hive the boxes were full ob robber bees from next door hives.

We put boxes into firewood shelter. The door had a 2 cm gap. Bees can fly towards light but they cannot fly towars dim light inside the shed. Human can see in that light but not bees. There was a cloud of robbers on the door, but they cannot go to the honey. This is usual trick when i clean robbers from frames.

 

[Finman]

.
If you look from google night vision bees, they are plenty but mellifera is not mentioned.

 

[johnandyrob]

I was feeding my bees tonight with a head torch on and though i herd a bee flying round my head twice when i walked back to the house their was one on my flees how did it get there if they dont fly at night

 

[victor meldrew]

I was feeding my bees tonight with a head torch on and though i herd a bee flying round my head twice when i walked back to the house their was one on my flees how did it get there if they dont fly at night

Simple your head torch provided the light .
Your disturbance caused a bee to take flight .
You turned your head (looking for the source of the sound )quicker than the bee was flying thus leaving it in the dark, whereupon it (crash) landed on your fleece .
You went home having switched off your head light with bee clinging to your fleece.
How does that scenario over turn the theory that bee don't fly at night?

John Wilkinson.
Ps Why leave feeding to so late that a head light is required to charge your feeders? .When the bees have ceased flying up until darkness leaves ample time to feed bees without encouraging robbing !

 

[Finman]

Surely bees attack in the dark even if they do not see. They orientate with odor from hive or from enemy.

If one bee flyes in dark when you distub hives, it is not "foraging".

 

[johnandyrob]

Simple your head torch provided the light .
Your disturbance caused a bee to take flight .
You turned your head (looking for the source of the sound )quicker than the bee was flying thus leaving it in the dark, whereupon it (crash) landed on your fleece .
You went home having switched off your head light with bee clinging to your fleece.
How does that scenario over turn the theory that bee don't fly at night?

John Wilkinson.
Ps Why leave feeding to so late that a head light is required to charge your feeders? .When the bees have ceased flying up until darkness leaves ample time to feed bees without encouraging robbing !

Because that was the most convenient time my son was in bed at 6.30 bees still flying had to wait for my wife to come home from work. Is their a reason that 8.30 - 9.30 is to late?

 

[victor meldrew]

Yes ,you're disturbing the colony long after flying has ceased.
Evidence? You got a bee on your fleece OMG!

John Wilkinson

 

[Terrysbees]

My bee's were still comming in 1 hr ago loaded with balsom they looked like ghosts, late commers i will leve the landing lights on for first thing in moring i will be out thre wireing hives for lights should i go for 12v or 240v i hate to think my bees are all in dark

 

[victor meldrew]

My bee's were still comming in 1 hr ago loaded with balsom they looked like ghosts, late commers i will leve the landing lights on for first thing in moring i will be out thre wireing hives for lights should i go for 12v or 240v i hate to think my bees are all in dark

The bees are never in the dark! However there are more than a few Beekeepers who are

John Wilkinson

 

[Dishmop]

after a move in a vehicle, some do nothing, some come out en masse running all over the woodwork, and some will fly out of the entrance.

Sounds like a mini-bus after a hen party.


Non of my bees in the observation hive seem interested in moonlight flypasts and I aint inclined to sit outside watching the other hives,, but I have seen the odd few on thier doorsteps ...... probably having a quick *** before bedtime... or they were drones been kicked out of bed...

 

[Dishmop]

My bee's were still comming in 1 hr ago loaded with balsom they looked like ghosts, late commers i will leve the landing lights on for first thing in moring i will be out thre wireing hives for lights should i go for 12v or 240v i hate to think my bees are all in dark

Try LED's with motion sensors...

A wasp flew in as I approached the 11pm hive. No light, I saw it as it landed as I opened my phone hence some light. I squashed it:.)

What did you do to the wasp tho?

 

[johnandyrob]

Yes ,you're disturbing the colony long after flying has ceased.
Evidence? You got a bee on your fleece OMG!

John Wilkinson

What do you consider well after flying has ceased it was still light and my bees were still flying till well after 8 pm

 

[victor meldrew]

When in a hole STOP DIGGING .

When the bulk of the flying has ceased the feeders can be topped up .
Don't wait until the gloaming ; you may see a few disturbed bees making a 'recce', what you don't see, is the effect your fumblings are having on the colony within !!

I have witnessed (countless times) ,both bees and wasps ,when suddenly plunged in darkness in the confines of my honey house drop the the deck with an audible bump.
One or two disorientated insects on the wing does not constitute night flying
Head lights indeed .
If I were that concerned about feeding I would either forget it or install landing lights plus perhaps an illuminated landing strip

John Wilkinson

 

[johnandyrob]

Thanks for your friendly non critical advise I assume you woke up one morning the fountain of all knowledge. I am a member of this forum because of the friendly helpful advise the members give without being condescending or just out right rude about it. If you think that my questions are so beneath you why bother even answering. We all have to start some where. I ask questions because i do not know the answers and wish to expand my knowledge so i can become a better beekeeper not to be ridiculed and put down many thanks.

 

[Dishmop]

What do you consider well after flying has ceased it was still light and my bees were still flying till well after 8 pm

I'm a bit lost here.

Confused as to if it was light or dark.

I had assumed it was dark (as you had a torch) but now you say it was still light

 

[johnandyrob]

it was still light till after 8pm and bees still flying so i went home returned some time after 8.30 and before 9.30 it was pitch black not much light pollution no moonlight through clouds hope that makes sense

 

[tonybloke]

if you had a torch (on) then you were providing the light. I keep my bees in the back garden, a few bees will come and investigate the lights on in the house, and buzz at the windows, but only 1 or 2 bees at the most.