Slightly unusual behaviour?

[Camey]

Watching the bees today at around 17:00 one hive had some bees sitting around the entrance, similar to bearding activity but we are still in March and not enough bees or heat for this. I did video it and will try and upload, basically it looked like some of the bees had around 3 or 4 other bees around them seemingly cleaning them ? Sometimes they would all fall to ground in small bundle of 3 or 4 then fly back again. This behaviour lasted for 40 minutes then they all decided enough was enough and all went into hive ?

 

[StephenT]

The ‘cleaning’ sounds to me like bees from another hive trying to get in. I noticed that sort of behaviour last summer.

 

[Finman]

Clearly robbing happening and fightning.

 

[StephenT]

It’s like bouncers at a 90’s rave club checking them out for their MDMA stash. Apparently.

 

[Camey]

The ‘cleaning’ sounds to me like bees from another hive trying to get in. I noticed that sort of behaviour last summer.

I don’t think that’s the case on this occasion. I’ve seen them removing gatecrashers before and they are a lot more rough. This display saw them spending time cleaning or eating something of the bee sometimes falling to ground but also sometimes just attending the bee then they all entered the hive

Clearly robbing happening and fightning.

Clearly, not that clear, ive watched them robbing many times, this was different, they cleaned , sometimes fell, then got all back up and all went into same hive later

 

[Finman]

I don’t think that’s the case on this occasion. I’ve seen them removing gatecrashers before and they are a lot more rough. This display saw them spending time cleaning or eating something of the bee sometimes falling to ground but also sometimes just attending the bee then they all entered the hive

Clearly, not that clear, ive watched them robbing many times, this was different, they cleaned , sometimes fell, then got all back up and all went into same hive later

Okay. Thanks to heaven...

 

[oxnatbees]

I've watched them robbing many times, this was different, they cleaned , sometimes fell, then got all back up and all went into same hive later

I have seen the same with single bees occasionally. I think it may be that they smell weakly suspicious. Possibilities:

- They have been robbing another hive and smell a bit like the wrong queen now
- They have pickef up traces of a poisonous substance or are in thevearly stages of a disease
- They have foraged on an unusual nectar source. If you think about it, if a colony has been foraging on lime trees recently the hive / tribal smell will have that as a dominant tone, now imagine someone shows up at the door smelling of lavendar, very suspicious.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I have seen the same with single bees occasionally. I think it may be that they smell weakly suspicious. Possibilities:

- They have been robbing another hive and smell a bit like the wrong queen now
- They have pickef up traces of a poisonous substance or are in thevearly stages of a disease
- They have foraged on an unusual nectar source. If you think about it, if a colony has been foraging on lime trees recently the hive / tribal smell will have that as a dominant tone, now imagine someone shows up at the door smelling of lavendar, very suspicious.

I've seen this before, I put it down to a new nectar source.....

 

[BugsInABox]

I've seen this before, I put it down to a new nectar source.....

Could it be begging behaviour from a lost bee.
As you know I left some combs in a winter loss hive (I know, I've removed then now). There was some fighting at the entrance of the empty hive which I thought odd.