Growling Bees?

[Ringlander]

Hi, I did a quick inspection of the hives this morning, all in very good shape with good amounts of BIAS, queens present and correct etc but one hive was making a growling sound before I went inside?? Sounds a bit like a Dove with laryngitis. I have a recording with a M4a extension but cannot figure out how to attach it to this post as it only seems to accept picture or video files, Any ideas what's going on in the hive or guidance on how to post the audio file? Your thoughts, as always, appreciated.

 

[Boston Bees]

Hi, I did a quick inspection of the hives this morning, all in very good shape with good amounts of BIAS, queens present and correct etc but one hive was making a growling sound before I went inside?? Sounds a bit like a Dove with laryngitis. I have a recording with a M4a extension but cannot figure out how to attach it to this post as it only seems to accept picture or video files, Any ideas what's going on in the hive or guidance on how to post the audio file? Your thoughts, as always, appreciated.

Can only assume you were hearing the sound of bees drying out honey by mass wing-flapping

 

[gmonag]

This has been mentioned a couple of times recently. No-one really knows what is making the noise or how. There are some YouTube videos out there with recordings.

 

[REDWOOD]

Queens piping or croaking

 

[oxnatbees]

It's obviously not piping / quacking from queens, on the video, because the film maker compares it directly with reordings of those.

It sounds to me like scouts doing a waggle dance to indicate location of forage. Probably smplified by a free hanging dacing floor, which is vommon in hives with free hanging comb like the TBH in the video, but not in colonies using wired frames with foundation.

 

[Amari]

Can only assume you were hearing the sound of bees drying out honey by mass wing-flapping

Maybe akin to snipe drumming? I witnessed this for the first time ever in Shetland last week.

 

[Ringlander]

The sound in the video is exactly the same as the noise I heard and recorded today. Like the filmmaker I went through the hive and found nothing unusual. The marked resident queen was present, there were no signs of other queens or queencells and it definitely was not piping or quacking. It's surprisingly loud, I wish I could figure out how to post the sound clip.

 

[ericbeaumont]

hive was making a growling sound

I had that in a couple of hives in the same apiary, but it hasn't recurred and I can't work out how an insect can mimic a contented leopard.

 

[Woodland bees]

I get this quite a bit in some of my hives, thought it was normal. The colonies have been fine, young queen in full lay, plenty of room etc. Seems to happen more form in a poly hive.

 

[Polymorph]

Yes, heard this a few weeks ago one evening from a poly nuc. Searched and came up with the same video. Very odd and meant to record as well.

 

[F.F.Stung]

Maybe akin to snipe drumming? I witnessed this for the first time ever in Shetland last week.

Come to Ireland and hear woodcock roding

 

[Murox]

Curiously, this year I have heard it quite regularly from both poly and insulated wooden hives.

 

[gmonag]

Curiously, this year I have heard it quite regularly from both poly and insulated wooden hives.

So it is probably not the result of a bee using the box as a sound board? I doubt that poly would make a good sound board.

 

[Murox]

So it is probably not the result of a bee using the box as a sound board? I doubt that poly would make a good sound board.

Personally I think its probably a "drone noise", I took a super off the other day and put it to one side only to hear yet again this so called growling sound. Queen was in the brood box, had just seen her, but the super was full of drones; I hadn't expected to see so many in one super.

 

[Ringlander]

Went to check on the ives today and heard the growling agin, this time on hive number 1, rather than 2 as before. Here's a video clip, the sound is apparent right form the start fo the clip and is suprisingly loud. It was clearly coming from within the brood box and could be felt through the walls of the poly hive. The hives are starting to expel the drones, is it related to that maybe?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Went to check on the ives today and heard the growling agin, this time on hive number 1, rather than 2 as before. Here's a video clip, the sound is apparent right form the start fo the clip and is suprisingly loud. It was clearly coming from within the brood box and could be felt through the walls of the poly hive. The hives are starting to expel the drones, is it related to that maybe?

That's definitely drones vibrating there wings or flapping I've heard it when there was lots of drones climbing up the walls of hives.
That's my take on it anyway.

 

[gmonag]

Curiouser and curiouser.

 

[Arfermo]

Curiouser and curiouser.

Not really - it's what bees do!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Not really - it's what bees do!

Drones as per my post?

 

[johnfly]

Drones as per my post?

i heard growling in a hive yesterday took it apart but there were no drones in the hive but could not find what it was as it stopped as i moved the third frame from the end