Mating flight?

[Sutty]

I have a hive that I witnessed swarming on 10/7, inspection after catching the swarm showed 1 capped QC. Examined on 16/7 and that cell left and all others removed (fairly certain).
Today (22/7) at 5.30pm I've just watched what I initially thought was another swarm issue from the hive, but didn't seem to pitch anywhere, though 1000s of bees in the air, and 5-10 minutes later they were piling back in. 10 minutes earlier they just looked very busy.
I can only think this is a mating flight? Not something I've seen before. I didn't expect it to be so dramatic though!!
Video shows them returning.
View attachment MOV_0492.mp4

 

[Sutty]

Or it would if I could attach it!!

 

[Finman]

I can only think this is a mating flight? Not something I've seen before. I didn't expect it to be so dramatic though!!
Video shows them returning.
View attachment 27359

Hive makes its cleansing flight at same aclock time as it is mating time. Only connection is that it is the warmest time of the day.

The queen uses 1-3 days to mating flights. Before that the queen has orientation flight.

The trafic what you saw was poo flight, when youg bees come out to empty their gut.

 

[Sutty]

No way was this cleansing flights, I've seen those often enough, this was 1000s of bees surging out and flying at some height, much like a swarm, followed by a return, with lots of bees re-entering.

 

[Finman]

No way was this cleansing flights, I've seen those often enough, this was 1000s of bees surging out and flying at some height, much like a swarm, followed by a return, with lots of bees re-entering.

They do those flights every day even they do not have a virgin in the hive.

 

[GuyNir]

I have a hive that I witnessed swarming on 10/7, inspection after catching the swarm showed 1 capped QC. Examined on 16/7 and that cell left and all others removed (fairly certain).
Today (22/7) at 5.30pm I've just watched what I initially thought was another swarm issue from the hive, but didn't seem to pitch anywhere, though 1000s of bees in the air, and 5-10 minutes later they were piling back in. 10 minutes earlier they just looked very busy.
I can only think this is a mating flight? Not something I've seen before. I didn't expect it to be so dramatic though!!
Video shows them returning.
View attachment 27359

I witnessed the same thing couple of days ago. Really looks like a swarm leaving the hive, not settling and returning back to the hive. 10-15min the whole thing…
I thought this was either an aborted swarm attempt, or a mating flight (VQ of the right age in the hive). Was at ~10:00am.

 

[Finman]

I witnessed the same thing couple of days ago. Really looks like a swarm leaving the hive, not settling and returning back to the hive. 10-15min the whole thing…
I thought this was either an aborted swarm attempt, or a mating flight (VQ of the right age in the hive). Was at ~10:00am.

Queens do not do mating flights at 10:00 am.
They start mating flights after 12 a'clock.

 

[GuyNir]

Queens do not do mating flights at 10:00 am.
They start mating flights after 12 a'clock.

Could have been an aborted swarm attempt. Was two days ago, nothing happening since.

 

[Finman]

Could have been an aborted swarm attempt. Was two days ago, nothing happening since.

A swarm leaves often at that time.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Seen it a few times, first time was from a mating nuc which I knew had only one QC with no material to make another. now when I've been lucky enough to be in the apiary when it happened.
Whatever the naysayers say, mating 'swarms' do happen, I think it's a case of bees getting carried away when a few of them are trying to persuade the queen to leave which ends up in a load leaving with her then realising a few seconds late, milling around for a while, then returning to the hive.

 

[user 20297]

Queens do not do mating flights at 10:00 am.
They start mating flights after 12 a'clock.

Finland is two hours ahead of the UK time. So the flight was at 12 o'clock, your time.

 

[Apiarist]

Whatever the naysayers say, mating 'swarms' do happen, I think it's a case of bees getting carried away when a few of them are trying to persuade the queen to leave which ends up in a load leaving with her then realising a few seconds late, milling around for a while, then returning to the hive.

I've seen virgins leave their mating nucs and hives a few time, but never seen any workers leave with them, but I have been told and read of these mating swarms.... BUT it was my understanding that they basically escorted the virgin to the DCA and back again, is your opinion that they at most just go with her for a few moments / a few dozen metres?

Some of us think that using nucs to mate queens will get better results than Apideas because the virgin will be escorted by more bees and therefore protected against predation, but if these escorts / mating swarms are returning very quickly after departure then the increased number of bees a nuc offers (from this point of view) does not offer a benefit.

 

[Sutty]

If there is a predator which attacks at the hive entrance eg a bird, it could have great benefit.

 

[Boston Bees]

I've seen virgins leave their mating nucs and hives a few time, but never seen any workers leave with them, but I have been told and read of these mating swarms.... BUT it was my understanding that they basically escorted the virgin to the DCA and back again, is your opinion that they at most just go with her for a few moments / a few dozen metres?

I have seen "mating swarms" a few times, but they didn't seem to go beyond 20m or so from the apiary. A couple of times little clusters of bees have formed on tree branches, then returned to the hive within half an hour or so.

 

[Beelosser]

This year I had 4 mating flights from the same hive over 6 days. Thought the first was a swarm and collected but it didn’t behave like a swarm. Sure enough most bees went back to original hive. The next three left the hive, congregated a few meters away then all came back within half an hour. Loads of fanning at entrance interesting to watch
View attachment IMG_1729.MOV

 

[Finman]

Strange. I have had bees and mating nucs 55 years and never seen a mating swarm

 

[Beelosser]

Strange. I have had bees and mating nucs 55 years and never seen a mating swarm

I know and I have read other experienced beekeepers who say the same. But the timing of when I was expecting the new queen to emerge was spot on. And I saw them from start to finish each time. It only lasts 20 mins or so

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Strange. I have had bees and mating nucs 55 years and never seen a mating swarm

Isn't that odd - I have had absolutely loads of colonies swarm on me over the years but have never once witnessed a swarm leaving a hive.
Maybe swarms are a figment of my imagination?

The thing is, if you have many hives - or indeed you are a bee farmer,
'We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.' (sorry WH Davies)
not many people just sit around their mating nucs watching the bees toing and froing, so it's a pretty slim chance of witnessing it - the first time I saw it was when I was off the boats for a while recovering from an injury, to keep myself sane I spent the time pottering around the apiary and garden - more time at the apiary than at home. It is much more probable that a hobbyist with a couple of hives who spends the weekends and evenings with the same hives would witness a mating swarm.
I've never seen a pangolin - does that mean they don't exist?

Leisure, by W.H. Davies
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

 

[Beelosser]

As a hobbyist with hives in the garden I am frequently accused by my daughters of ‘weirdly just standing staring at his bees for hours’. But they don’t know what I’m thinking!!!

 

[Sutty]

Well in my case I think the mystery is solved. The same hive swarmed today, and this time they did cluster properly - in the same spot 30 feet up as my last swarm!!
Just collected them & they are in a poly-nuc.
Got to see what on earth is going on in the hive they came from this afternoon!