Practice swarm?

[Excession]

Had a call from my out apiary at 1300hrs, bees clustered on the front of the hive estimated at a couple of hundred.
Clear sunny day, 14 degrees but gusty.

Of course when I turn up there is nothing to see but business as usual...

Quick check around and no sign of a swarm, plus land owner has been out and about and didn't see them leave so assumed back inside.

Seems like mating flight behaviour, but there are no drones about and it's too early.
Could be swarming behaviour, except no drones and too early...

I have heard of a play swarm, before swarming starts getting serious, but never witnessed... Is there any truth to this?

 

[Tom Bick]

Probably just a big orientation flight the time of day would be about right but the best way to know is to get in and have a look.

 

[beeno]

QUOTE=Tom Bick;468586]Probably just a big orientation flight the time of day would be about right but the best way to know is to get in and have a look.[/QUOTE]

 

[Dishmop]

14.00 hours scheduled flight time.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sound like the usual orientation flight to me

 

[enrico]

Just sunning themselves and having a coffee and a fag before going back in!

 

[alldigging]

How big an entrance do you have on? Is there a queue to get back in?

 

[Excession]

Thanks guys, I think you are probably right.
They have been on this site for three years now, but the land owner hadn't seen this beehaviour beefore...
Still, I m starting inspections this weekend, so I will soon know if anything strange is happening!

 

[enigmatica]

I'm still very new and green but last summer I watched as the whole lot came pouring out, literally thousands, like a river of bees. Convinced it was a swarm I gave them a few minutes to settle, came back and they were all going back in again. Scary for a newbee but I remembered you guys saying they know what they're doing and they settled after that. Ten minutes either way and I'd have seen nothing out of the ordinary.