Honey bees also prefer dark cavities with an easily defended entrance that is at least 9 feet from the ground. Honey bees will nest in cavities having a volume of at least 4 gallons but prefer cavities around 9 gallons. The same may not be true for Africanized honey bees or for any swarm of honey bees that has run out of food, as these aren’t nearly as predictable and can be very touchy, even as swarm clusters. It takes quite a bit of stimulation, such as being hit by sticks and stones or squirted with a hose, to induce defensive behavior. When they return from a good site, they dance on the cluster to communicate the location of their find.Ī clustered swarm of many bees may appear frightening, but most spring swarm clusters of European honey bees-the common honey bees in central and Northern California-are extremely docile. Sometimes bees fly from the cluster to collect water and food, but most workers leaving the cluster are scouts that search out potential new home sites for the swarm.
Usually within 100 to 200 yards of the original hive, the bees alight on an object and form a cluster, which looks like a seething, fuzzy glob of insects. The queen is in the group, but not leading it. People not familiar with honey bees are generally frightened by such a mass, which can contain 5,000 to 20,000 bees, but unless a bee becomes tangled in someone’s hair, it isn’t likely to sting. To start the process, certain worker bees, called “scouts,” begin to canvass the surrounding territory for a potential new nesting site even before the swarm leaves its original colony.Ī departing swarm consists of a large number of bees flying in a cloud that seems to drift along through the air.
The old queen and about half of the worker bees leave their former nest and seek a new home, usually in the spring but sometimes at other times of the year when local conditions permit. Swarming is the honey bee’s method of colony reproduction. However, bee swarms and nests can be safely managed if you follow careful procedures and get proper help. Large numbers of bees swarming in a tree in your garden or around your home can be unnerving, especially if they establish a hive within your house.
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