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Offline newguy

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bothered
« on: May 24, 2005, 12:14:12 am »
i have had my first and only bees for about four weeks and it seems everytime i observe a new activety, i get myself into a panic about what im seeing. i read the beekeepers handbook and that is about all i know about bees. on day 5 i observed the first  real activity, at first i thought it was great, but then i started thinking that my hive was under attack and getting robbed. a few days later i looked inside for the first time, when i saw those little dropped wax scales on the bottomboard i thought they were mites. last week i saw a little brown beetle walk out of my hive and i thought i had an infestation of small hive beetle, yesterday i saw one bee grab another live bee and fly away with it. it carried it for as far as i could see them and just kept going, why would it do this, i havent read anything about this type of behavior?  later, i noticed a dead bee at the entrance, it looked like it was a pupae that died before it was fully matured, it had no wings yet and was very light in color.  now im worried that there really could be a problem.  i think i might be over reacting but i want to be safe. please advise thanks,   kevin  :?  :?

Offline thegolfpsycho

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bothered
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2005, 12:23:07 am »
Bees have been around a long time.  For the most part, they do very well IN SPITE OF OUR EFFORTS.  Obviously, there are brood diseases, mites and the associated virii they bring, just to name a few. Sometimes, a lazy queen will drive you crazy trying to figure out what is going on in a colony.  Give em a chance and observe whats going on.  It's a learning curve that starts out steep... and stays that way!! bahahahahaha....

Actually, just watch whats happening.  They are a living organism and will fight to stay that way.  No need to panic.  They know what to do most of the time.

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: bothered
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2005, 12:29:28 am »
Quote from: newguy
i saw one bee grab another live bee and fly away with it. it carried it for as far as i could see them and just kept going, why would it do this, i havent read anything about this type of behavior?


I saw the same thing awhile back and wondered about it. Does anyone know?
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Offline jathomas

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Gruesome bee behavior
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2005, 10:54:20 am »
I have also seen that happen.  I would say that they got some sort of idea it was a dead bee, and was carrying it away from the hive?  Don't the bees usually wait until the dead bee is.. you know... lighter?

This past weekend, I saw a bee that had gotten squashed a little, and was walking around with you know...  intestines and all.  Another bee came up behind and STARTED EATING THEM!!  What is up with that?

Offline Barny

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bothered
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2005, 11:01:24 am »
I bet the bee was taking away an injured bee to the great hive in the sky.  Bees don't like to allow their dead to pill up around the hive (even if they have not expired yet).  And Jathomas I bet that bee had honey or nectar inside its honey-stomach, and when it was smashed the other bees were trying to collect this resource.

Offline Jerrymac

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bothered
« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2005, 11:20:21 am »
I could understnd not wanting them piled up close by, but how far do they take them. One I watched went up ten feet or more and headed north until I couldn't see them any more. That was a pretty good ways and it didn't appear to want to stop anytime soon.

And the carryee was still alive when they left.
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Offline Jerrymac

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bothered
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2005, 11:22:32 am »
This ain't some buddy system is it? Go further by trading off the carrying.
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Offline Apis629

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bothered
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2005, 03:31:14 pm »
Quote
This ain't some buddy system is it? Go further by trading off the carrying.


That would be wishful thinking but I've never heard of that in any books or web pages I've read.  I have however, read that if a bee is deformed or dieing that another bee will carry it away from the hive to a distence, in some cases, up to 1/4 mile.