Mildly Interesting

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Found a ball of bees today (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by MeatPilot@lemmy.world to c/mildlyinteresting@lemmy.world

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[–] MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works 79 points 1 week ago (4 children)

That's a swarm - get in touch with your local beekeepers group/organisation and someone will probably come and collect it.

Otherwise don't fret, the bees will do their thing. Scout bees will leave the swarm and look for a new home for the colony (the queen plus a third to a half of the original hive). They report back with details, and a collective decision is made on the best choice. The swarm will then leave. (Honeybee Democracy https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691147215/honeybee-democracy is a good read on this.)

Back home the rest of the colony have a new queen pupating. She'll eventually hatch out, go on a mating flight, and come back to start laying eggs.

[–] slothrop@lemmy.ca 30 points 1 week ago

This person minds their own beeswax.

[–] MeatPilot@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Thanks, I'm aware just thought it was mildly interesting to share. As soon as I saw it I grabbed a ladder to get that photo, so I was more than pumped they chose my tree to take a break. They are still around resting for the night.

I hope they picked the tree because we planted a lot of plants to attract monarch butterflies and milkweed which is currently in bloom. We get all sorts of pollinators and everyone is more than welcome. Would be fascinating if they stuck around.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago

Even if they decide they need a different place to build their hive, your buffet will still probably be within foraging distance, from both hives old and new.

[–] MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

Time to get a hive! It's only very slightly addictive, honestly. (My friends have stopped asking me about bees...)

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

So cool, thanks for the info.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago

That was a great read!