WHAT IS A Honey BEE SWARM?

Swarming is a natural process. It’s the honeybee’s method of colony reproduction. When a colony gets big enough, it splits in two and the queen bee flies off, usually taking a third to a half of the colony with her, in search of a new home. (Back at the original hive, a new queen will take her place and continue on with the old colony), essentially creating two hives from one!

In Indiana, this usually takes place in the spring, but can take place any time of year when local weather conditions permit. To start the process, certain worker bees, called “scouts,” begin to canvass the surrounding area in search of a potential new nesting site, even before the swarm leaves its original beehive.

A departing honey bee swarm consists of a large number of bees flying in a cloud that seems to drift randomly through the air. This giant mass of bees can be a little alarming! If a bee swarm is found, stay back, and keep others away. However, swarming honey bees are very docile. That’s not to say they won’t sing you, but it’s unlikely unless they are provoked.

The honeybee queen is in the group, but not leading it. Usually within 100 to 200 yards of the original beehive, the bees land on an object such as a tree limb, shrub, or house, and form a cluster! Some honeybee swarms are as small as a softball, other swarms can be larger than a basketball.

At this point, most workers leaving the cluster are scouts that are hunting for potential new home sites for the swarm. When they return from a good site, they dance on the cluster to communicate the location of their find. Within a few hours to a few days, the swarm’s scouts usually reach a consensus about the best available site. Then the swarm takes to the air one last time to move to their new home.

European honey bees—the common honey bee in Indiana—will build a beehive in trees, chimneys, under decks, inside walls of homes, barns, churches, under mobile homes, utility boxes; just about any cavities larger than a shoe box make a great place for a beehive. I even took a honeybee hive out of an outdoor garbage can once! Hollowed-out standing trees are ideal sites. Bee-trees, as there called, are common in some parts of Indiana.

Once in flight, the swarm is guided by scouts and arrives at their new home. The honeybees form a cluster around the entrance with many bees fanning their wings and releasing a chemical signal to guide the other bees. Then the bees enter their new home, somewhat slowly. This is when most people notice bees have moved in to a structure or dwelling! Inside, the low humming sound of the bees ventilating their hive often can be heard.

Call us today if you find a honey bee swarm!

Carpenter Bees in Indiana

In the late-spring and early summer, Indiana homeowners often notice large, black bees hovering around the outside of their homes, buildings, or any outside wooden structure. They look as if they are staring in the same spot, and just hovering! Then if you watch them closely, they chase away any other bees that come close to their favorite spot. These are probably carpenter bees searching for mates, and favorable sites to construct their nests.

Male carpenter bees can be quite aggressive, often hovering in front of people who are around the nests. The males are quite harmless, however, since they lack stingers. Female carpenter bees can inflict a painful sting but seldom will unless they are handled or molested.

Carpenter bees and bumblebees in Indiana look very similar! The simplest rule of thumb for telling them apart is that most carpenter bees have a shiny abdomen, whereas bumblebee abdomens are completely covered with dense hair. Despite their similar appearance, the nesting habits of the two types of bees are quite different. Bumble bees usually nest in the ground whereas carpenter bees tunnel into wood to lay their eggs. Bare, unpainted or weathered softwoods are preferred, especially redwood, cedar, cypress and pine. Painted or pressure-treated wood is much less susceptible to attack. Common nesting sites include eaves, window trim, facia boards, siding, wooden shakes, decks and outdoor furniture.

Carpenter bees overwinter as adults in wood within abandoned nest tunnels. They emerge in the spring, usually in April or May. After mating, the fertilized females excavate tunnels in wood and lay their eggs within a series of small cells. The cells are provisioned with a ball of pollen on which the larvae feed, emerging as adults in late summer. The entrance hole and tunnels are perfectly round and about the diameter of your finger. Coarse sawdust the color of fresh cut wood will often be present beneath the entry hole, and burrowing sounds may be heard from within the wood. Female carpenter bees may excavate new tunnels for egglaying, or enlarge and reuse old ones. The extent of damage to wood which has been utilized for nesting year after year may be considerable. (by Mike Potter, Extension Entomologist University of Kentucky College of Agriculture)