Kamikaze Bumbler

[keithgrimes]

Just been sitting watching my hives, as you do. A Bumble Bee marched boldly in to hive 1. 30 seconds later it came out like its a**e was on fire. Flew straight in to hive 2, same result but this time 15 seconds earlier. Then it crawled through a 10mm hole in to a nuc box. You guessed it, 10 seconds. I reckon they're thick.

 

[kazmcc]

or very hungry, poor thing lol.

 

[aintbeezgreat]

I love watching hive activity.
Started a thread about my bungling start to beekeeping. Now spending a bit of time watching what I think is bees salvaging their ruined comb, honey, stores etc and wasps robbing.

Wasps occasionally exit with huge (as big as themselves) pieces of comb and bees are half heartedly trying to attack. I am guessing that if the colony was strong and still in residence, they would defend in numbers but because they are pre-occupied with salvaging, they only attack when a wasp gets too close.

Is this about right?

 

[oliver90owner]

aintbeezgreat,

You are potentially spreading a serious disease around your area. Supermarket honey could well be laced with AFB spores. Encouraging robbing from a nearby hive is much less than clever. Please close it up.

RAB

 

[aintbeezgreat]

Not encouraging robbing. Observing it.
I thought that allowing the bees to salvage what they can would help them re-strengthen. If this is wrong please explain why.

The honey was in a second hive and has been removed with frames that it was on. All destroyed.

Thanks for advice.

 

[victor meldrew]

I once had a bumblebee land on top of the frames in a hive I was working on, in an instance she was dragged down between the frames and in what seemed like seconds was carried out the front in pieces .

John Wilkinson

 

[kazmcc]

I once had a bumblebee land on top of the frames in a hive I was working on, in an instance she was dragged down between the frames and in what seemed like seconds was carried out the front in pieces .

John Wilkinson

Yikes!!!! Oh dear