Loud buzzing of bees...gathering?

Graces7

This is my first summer on a small offshore island rich in wild life,,

I have had quite a few huge, ponderous bumble bees in the dwelling over the months; I mean HUGE.

And always smaller striped bees around the flowers I grow.

Totally ignorant although I have saved many a bee on sugar water when it was all but dying .
This morning when I emerged, first thing i heard was a mighty buzzing. I am not one to be stupid around bees but I traced if quickly to a large fuchsia that is fully in bloom.. has been for weeks and no numbers of bees.

The noise was amazing. So were the midges so I came in. Went out again and it has quietened some, but plenty of bees. Not that frantic loud buzzing of earlier.

Glad to see them as we need them and would be glad of input. As long as I do not have to get too near!

Many thanks

doolox

I for one welcome our Apical Overlords.

I had the same same thing happen on a Catoneaster we have in the garden. A veritable horde of white bottomed bumble bees making the most of the pollen an the bush.

Bumble bees (Bombus) are not as aggressive as ordinary bees because their colonies are much smaller. The big danger with ordinary bees is that if a clumsy person or animal disturbs the nest they will send out alarm phermones ( chemical scent messengers ) that will drive the colony into attack mode. Bees will die when they sting, the stinger is barbed and rips out the bees arse when they sting, a sort of suicide mission.

Wasps, the bootboys of the insect world, have smooth stingers and can sting readily and repeatedly which they love to do.

Graces7

doolox wrote: »

I for one welcome our Apical Overlords.

I had the same same thing happen on a Catoneaster we have in the garden. A veritable horde of white bottomed bumble bees making the most of the pollen an the bush.

Bumble bees (Bombus) are not as aggressive as ordinary bees because their colonies are much smaller. The big danger with ordinary bees is that if a clumsy person or animal disturbs the nest they will send out alarm phermones ( chemical scent messengers ) that will drive the colony into attack mode. Bees will die when they sting, the stinger is barbed and rips out the bees arse when they sting, a sort of suicide mission.

Wasps, the bootboys of the insect world, have smooth stingers and can sting readily and repeatedly which they love to do.

Thanks. I love bees and just hoped there was nothing amiss? The buzzing was so loud and ferocious. Quiet now so there must have been a reason for it? all my cats were safe in. Maybe the stray tom? i stayed many yards away.

brianmc

Graces7 wrote: »

Thanks. I love bees and just hoped there was nothing amiss? The buzzing was so loud and ferocious. Quiet now so there must have been a reason for it? all my cats were safe in. Maybe the stray tom? i stayed many yards away.

Have a look around for a honeybee swarm clustered in a bush or a tree around there somewhere!

How long did the noisy buzzing go on for?

Graces7

brianmc wrote: »

Have a look around for a honeybee swarm clustered in a bush or a tree around there somewhere!

How long did the noisy buzzing go on for?

The really loud I am not sure as it was midgy so I came in.. They are still making noticeable noise several hours later, in the same thick fuchsia and I have never heard this before.

Could that be a swarm? Vegetation on the fuchsia is too dense to see much.. but yes a good,constant buzz,,

If so what do I do? If anything!

This island continues to amaze and delight. The big bumblers that came in were breathtaking

brianmc

Graces7 wrote: »

The really loud I am not sure as it was midgy so I came in.. They are still making noticeable noise several hours later, in the same thick fuchsia and I have never heard this before.

Could that be a swarm? Vegetation on the fuchsia is too dense to see much.. but yes a good,constant buzz,,

If so what do I do? If anything!

This island continues to amaze and delight. The big bumblers that came in were breathtaking

It sounds like it's probably just a good day on the fuchsia so! It can be quite surprising how loud a bunch of foraging bees can be.

A proper swarm would arrive in a big noisy cloud for about 10 minutes before they settle somewhere.

Enjoy!

Graces7

brianmc wrote: »

It sounds like it's probably just a good day on the fuchsia so! It can be quite surprising how loud a bunch of foraging bees can be.

A proper swarm would arrive in a big noisy cloud for about 10 minutes before they settle somewhere.

Enjoy!

They possibly did; I was asleep and the noise was sensational.They were in the bush and milling and spilling out when I realised If a swarm I can just leave them to it? lol

I can hear them from the house door which is new today

Very isolated here and afaik no one keeps bees.

As long as they are OK...Will they be setting up house here?

brianmc

Graces7 wrote: »

They possibly did; I was asleep and the noise was sensational.They were in the bush and milling and spilling out when I realised If a swarm I can just leave them to it? lol

I can hear them from the house door which is new today

Very isolated here and afaik no one keeps bees.

As long as they are OK...Will they be setting up house here?

If they were a honeybee swarm...

After leaving the current hive, a swarm would typically cluster in a bush or a tree or wherever for anything from a couple of hours to a few days while they scout for a permanent home. Once they figure out where that home is going to be, they will take off in a big cloud again and all head off for the new spot.

So, ideally, if it is a honeybee swarm you would want to do something about it while it is in the bush or tree. Their permanent home will be a sheltered cavity of some sort like a hollow tree or a cavity in the roof of a house or similar. There is a good chance that the new home would be a place where somebody doesn't want them.

Have a look here to quickly identify whether they are honeybees or not.

waxmoth

Graces7 wrote: »

Very isolated here and afaik no one keeps bees.

The campsite owners keep bees. Fuschia honey is reasonably common in the west in areas where it is abundant.

Effects

Graces7 wrote: »

This is my first summer on a small offshore island rich in wild life,,

What island are you on?