Comments on: Barton Dam

By: suswhit

suswhit — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:40:08 +0000

Did you hear about this? [link] How long would it take them to get to Ann Arbor? ;-)

By: cosmonıcan

cosmonıcan — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:44:51 +0000

RE #8: According to the USDA killer bees are nowhere near here, yet. [link]

By: Andy Fowler

Andy Fowler — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:10:34 +0000

Is it possible that killer bees have evolved bumblebee camouflage?

By: Linda Diane Feldt

Linda Diane Feldt — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:54:28 +0000

Thanks George. That fits with what I had heard. And that the bumblebee is only solitary in the first part of spring – the queens come out to feed, and so you see the overly large bumblebee queens in early spring, once she has raised her workers they go out and she stays in the nest. The workers are smaller.

The bee expert I met more than 15 years ago said most bumblebee nests are just 30-40 workers. So that’s why I said the whole nest seemed to be buzzing outside.

John, I can say with absolutely certainty these were bumblebees and not hornets. There is a huge difference in body composition. No mistaking the bumblebee.

Thanks for the help, everyone.A blocked hive entrance is also a good theory. Wish I could have helped.

By: George Hammond

George Hammond — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:38:26 +0000

Bumblebees don’t swarm like honeybees as part of their natural life-cycle. Each new queen starts on her own in the spring, raises up some daughters as workers, and then later in the summer, they all work to raise drones (males) and future queens. The drones and future queens leave the hive to mate, but hang around until fall. When winter comes the old queen, workers, and drones all die. The new queens hibernate, and each starts her own new small nest in the spring. Bumblebees mostly nest underground, often in abandoned mammal burrows.

Another idea: the entrance to the nest may have been buried, perhaps by a skunk raiding the hive.

By: John Hritz

John Hritz — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:09:46 +0000

Bumblebees are solitary and don’t nest in trees. Are we sure these aren’t hornets?

By: Linda Diane Feldt

Linda Diane Feldt — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:43:46 +0000

I would like to learn more about option 1, I don’t know much about bumblebee swarming for a new nest. Honeybees are so gentle and calm about it, acting cohesively, I would assume bumblebees are the same but don’t know. I’ve captured a few honeybee swarms, they were nothing like this at all. They did seem distressed, which is why some sort of option 2 seems most likely.

By: Andy Fowler

Andy Fowler — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:11:38 +0000

4) Killer bees

By: cosmonıcan

cosmonıcan — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:19:58 +0000

Seems to be three possibilities, pick one:

1) New queen establishing a nest

2) Raccoon raided the nest for larvae, riling them up

3) It’s one of the first hot days we’ve had, maybe they just got out so the nest wouldn’t overheat

By: Linda Diane Feldt

Linda Diane Feldt — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:37:13 +0000

I’m used to seeing bees at high noon flying like mad women working til they drop. (I’ve kept hives in my backyard off and on for over 20 years). This was milling about, no one taking off, and they were being really aggressive for bumblebees. There was no back and forth swooping in and out of the area like hard working bees will do.