Noise from the hive...

[RoseCottage]

I am confused and seeking an explanation...

Last year we had a colony go through a supersedure. Around this time we heard a wail from the hive - a kind of high pitched moan that went on for 10-15 seconds and then faded away. This repeated a few times but it was only heard during one hive visit.

This year a new Nuc arrived and was transferred into a hive. A week later we heard exactly the same sound coming from the new colony.

So I assumed queen piping. It's quite a pleasant wail and has a ghostly, windy, quality.

I have listened to several recordings and YouTube videos of queen piping and they all consistently sound totally different to the noise we heard.

So can someone reassure me that it is piping even if it doesn't have the pattern of sounds and buzzes of the several internet based recordings (including the one on this site) or perhaps tell me what it might be?


All the best,
Sam

 

[RoseCottage]

There is more confusion now...

Today we went to see our 4 colonies. The colony that piped last week were fine and settled. All others are queenright with stable environments and either new this season or young queens a yr old.


As we were examining our largest, most docile, longest established hive we heard more distinctive piping within it.

So we looked to see the queen. We found her easily moving about a frame and we carefully removed the frame from the hive. Still the loud piping continued. The colony is well established and there are no signs of upset, queen cells, etc. It all looks lovely to be honest. We looked but could not see another queen in the colony...


so what is going on?

All the best,
Sam

 

[johnfly]

Today i heard what i thought was a queen piping from one hive as well, looked inside the hive, found the queen, but still the piping was going on, but now it seamed to have moved as if coming from another hive, so I went through that one as well, found the queen, but the piping seamed to be coming from the direction of the first hive again, put the hive back together, I then just stood there for fifteen minutes until I heard it again and tried to follow the ditrection of the sound as the bees was not making so much noise I could hear it more easily, and there it was a small bumble bee getting into the head of a rose, moved him to make sure and the piping stopped, it did, until it went back onto the rose and off it went making the piping sound again but only the ones it had to go into from underneath the head. Don't know if it could bee the same as yours or not.

 

[drstitson]

i was lucky enough to hear my first piping (newly emerged queen - flap still present on QC - with another ripe QC still present in the nuc) while RBI was checking out my hives.

i would have missed it - sounds like a distant car alarm.

 

[RoseCottage]

I am pretty sure that the noises we heard came from within the hive today.

Dr its interesting that you say distant car alarm as we think it sounds like blowing air over the end of a bottle but at a slightly higher pitch.

Still confused...

Sam

 

[merylvingien]

Sam, queens piping is a very obvious noise, a single bee making a loud high pitched noise. Once you eard it, you wont doubt yourself. Its a very distinctive noise above the usual background noise of a normal reasonable calm hive. When you first hear it, it will make you think "whats wrong with THAT bee, and where is it".
I think what you heard was bagpipes or something LOL.

I find it very useful when queens are piping as you can home in on where they are and if need be "take them out" as i have done frequently this year. Unfortunatley, they dont always sing when you need them too...

 

[Mike a]

Ordered some queens last year, when they arrived they were merrily singing to each other.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVYYCLJDuqw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVYYCLJDuqw[/ame]

I guess playing "I spy" inside an envelope is a little limited after a few hours.

 

[For want of a better word]

I get that sound when my hearing aid battery is about to go flat !

 

[psafloyd]

Thanks, Mike, most instructive.

I see where the other descriptions are coming from, but it also sounds like a child blowing on a party toot in another room, or someone (inexpertly) trying to blow through a blade of grass. The latter is something i have never managed to do.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Yes, good to hear these things so now know what to listen for, thanks Mike

 

[drstitson]

"Yes, good to hear these things so now know what to listen for"

mons ab

of course in order to hear piping one needs a living queen in the hive!!!!

sorry - had to be said. hope you've managed to progress in your travails.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

"Yes, good to hear these things so now know what to listen for"

mons ab

of course in order to hear piping one needs a living queen in the hive!!!!

sorry - had to be said. hope you've managed to progress in your travails.

! Very true, however I definitely have one and am now hopeful that I may have a second of the elusive creatures, awaiting the weekend for confirmation

 

[freethorpe bees]

Sam - this may be complete nonsense - in fact I'm sure it is. If you still heard the sound after you had removed the queen could it be the wind going through the omf (if you are indeed on omf). No I haven't been drinking (chance'd be a fine thing) just a thought.

 

[RoseCottage]

Thanks for the idea Fb but sadly it was definitely a bee...it was in the right tonal range. Also it was quite loud.
In addition at the time we had the Varroa tray in it's OMF slot.

Having said that I thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts,
Let's see if any other thoughts come in..

All the best,
Sam

 

[susbees]

Thanks for the idea Fb but sadly it was definitely a bee...it was in the right tonal range.

Piping is supposedly G sharp/A flat....one day I'll take a tuner out and check

 

[nematode]

surfing the internerd found this:

http://www.bee source.com/build-it-yourself/apidictor/

has this anything to do with your sound? (remove the space between bee and source)

Quote:

One sound that caught his attention was a sort of warbling noise that varied between the notes A and C sharp; that’s 225 – 285 Hz in terms of frequency. He noticed that this sound got steadily louder, then it stopped and a day or so later a swarm took off.

Eventually, he decided that it was made by the 4-1/2 to 6 day old nurse bees, his reasoning being as follows:​