Bee swarm

[generalmeow]

A weird thing happened this evening. I was playing with my twin toddlers in the yard, under a tree next to the house. I started hearing this buzzing, like if you've ever been near a flowering tree full of bees. Except this was a maple (no flowers). I looked up trying to pinpoint the sound, but couldn't see anything. But then I started to look past the tree as the sound grew, and I saw this huge swam of bees around the tree and flying all over the roof of the house. There must have been 100k bees. Just a huge swarming mass swirling around right above us, maybe 10-15 ft above the ground. It was an amazing buzzing sound.

I started scrambling to get the kids inside, which must have taken about 15 seconds, and the swarm was there the entire time, and then I looked up again, and they were gone. Every single last one of them. My wife heard me yelling and ran around the house, and by the time she got there they were gone. They disappeared so fast, I didn't even put any effort into explaining it to her because she wouldn't get it.

It was probably the craziest natural phenomena these eyes have ever witnessed. It wasn't so much seeing a swarm of bees, but how fast they disappeared.

My my first thought was to protect the kids, but my second thought when I saw this swarm up on the roof was imagining one of those pest control reality shows where all the walls were full of bee hives. Like how the fuck am I going to get this 1 ton bee hive out of my attic? Did my roof collapse and release this swarm? Then 2 seconds later: what, there were bees here?

[KAPA]

Saw a thing on the news in the last week or so where they confirmed that Africanized Bees are confirmed here in Colorado now.

[UrbanWolf]

I saw a report about huge bee hive just a couple hour ago at the gym. Might be the same colony.

[colorider]

9 news reported there are a LOT of swarms and hives this year.

[roberth]

He should have killed them upon discovery.

http://kwgn.com/2014/05/14/343208/


PALISADE, Colo. — Killer bees have been discovered in Colorado for the first time.Here’ s the question: Is the discovery a fluke, or are they here to stay?
FOX31 Denver’s Kent Erdahl went to Grand Junction Wednesday to find out. He found that a test at a second potential hive could hold the key.
Rob Fenwick owns Fruit Basket Orchard. He has a close relationship with bees. He makes sure they have what they need to pollinate his trees and plants. But if you think Rob was surprised to learn that killer bees had been confirmed in this area, you’d be wrong.

[hollohas]

Bees swarm all the time. Even regular ones. They're out looking for a place to make a new hive, not out looking for trouble.

When they land they land in a mass to protect the queen. And bee keepers can come remove them by putting the entire mass of bees in a box. They then use them to establish a new hive for harvesting honey. Bee keepers love finding swarms because it's a free way to get a new hive.

[Great-Kazoo]

Before a storm took down the apple tree, one day it became engulfed with bees. One of the local bee fanciers came out, put on his suite, fired up a smoke pot and slowly removed them. Took approx 2 hrs. Interesting how the smoke immobilized them. I'd like to get a hive or 2 in the yard.

[mbl]

My neighbor keeps bees. A couple times a year they will swarm in our yard. Usually in an ever green. It is pretty cool to see and more amazing to watch them be retrieved. I don't mind and the kids know to keep away if they see them.

My neighbor brought over a jar of fresh honey right out of the hive yesterday, so no complaints here.

[Big Wall]

The killer bees movies had me scared shitless in the 70's. Where ever I was I had a plan on how to try to get somewhere "safe". I helped my dad roof the house that summer. I don't know if I was more scared of the bees or jumping off the roof.

A swarm of bees came thru our neighborhood one year. I dropped my bike in the middle of the street and ran home.

[StagLefty]

I posted "no stingers" and the killer bees kept going !!

[rbeau30]

They disappeared so fast, I didn't even put any effort into explaining it to her because she wouldn't get it.


Sadly, I know exactly what you mean and that feeling.


I posted "no stingers" and the killer bees kept going !!

Yeah, if you had a sign there then you would be safe.

[TheGrey]

Contact these folks- they'll come and remove the swarm for you. Bees are dying- they're needed. It's not easy to tell Africanized bees from normal honeybees.

Denver:Frank Holland Frank the Bee Guy 303-829-5409 hollandcarpentryinc@comcast.net
Guy Shingleton 303-898-1267 guysemail@aol.com
Eric Smith 303-550-1923 prosaw_2000@yahoo.com Simple removals only
Don Studinski 303-248-6677 dstudin@yahoo.com (guysemail@aol.com)
Fort Collins:Bruce Brown and Alan Epperson Bruce Cell: 970-231-7347 Alan Cell: 970-290-7010
Carl and Deedee Hosler Deedee Cell: 970-218-0279 dd.hosler@gmail.com
Greeley: David Izaguirre 970-324-0092 izzyshoney1@yahoo.com (%20izzyshoney1@yahoo.com)
John Russell 970-302-3947 trinity.bees@comcast.net
Longmont:Chad Street 303-669-9520 chadjstreet@msn.com
(Chad is a certified arborist as well as a beekeeper. He specializes in tree removals and will travel all over the Front Range.)
Loveland:Gary Houghteling 970-391-1478 bgh@q.com
Matt Kroger 970-412-0981 troutpropertyservices@comcast.net

[SamuraiCO]

Thanks for posting the info TheGrey. If those folks can't or don't need any more swarms they will alert the swarm hotline and someone will come get them.

Bee keepers are fighting mother nature this time of year trying various techniques to keep their bees from swarming. Sometimes they work sometimes not. When hives come out of winter strong their numbers will trigger a new queen to be made by the hive. When she leaves she will take up to half of the workers. They take a big meal of honey before they leave in the swarm. After leaving they ball up while scouts are out looking for suitable diggs. Once found the whole swarm leaves to their new home.

The bees are quite docile they don't want to sting with so much honey in them. Their priority is to get in the new location and start building comb so they can collect necture and pollen and the queen can start laying eggs.

I'm going out this am to check my hives out.


http://coloradobeekeepers.org/colorado-bee-swarm-hotline/

[Ridge]

2 years ago I heard a loud buzzing outside my window. Open up the blinds, and what do I see?

http://i.imgur.com/iwdsWPAh.jpg