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Author Topic: Bees flying into the kitchen window  (Read 11521 times)

Offline smallswarm

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Bees flying into the kitchen window
« on: October 01, 2008, 04:37:14 pm »
My honey bees are attracted to the light coming from the kitchen window. Many of them are burning up all their energy trying to fly into it and dying. I try to save as many as I can in the morning by carrying them back to the hive. I remember my previous hive doing this before, and it seemed like they learned not to do it eventually.

Is this something they can learn to avoid as a collectivity?

Offline Bill W.

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2008, 01:28:08 am »
That seems kind of odd, since bees fly during the day.  Are you sure it isn't something else that is attracting them?  Is a bee-attracting color visible through the window, perhaps?

Offline tillie

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2008, 08:10:29 am »
It's very common for bees to fly to the light.  I have to keep all of my outdoor lights off ever since I began keeping bees because otherwise they die like moths all night long.  When bees come into my house, they immediately fly into the ceiling lights, throwing themselves there over and over until they die.

The only solution is to keep the lights off - the fact that it is nighttime is only a fact to you.  The minute the bees see light, they are attracted to it as if it is the sun and will fly directly there.

Returning them to the hive the next day is very kind of you, but they probably die soon after, having worn themselves out flying into the light the night before.  The bees who come into my house (on the backs of the dogs or through the dog doors) are usually crawling on the floor the next day, but die really quickly.

Hope that helps - turn off the lights or put a shade on your window at night.

Linda T

Offline smallswarm

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2008, 10:22:03 am »
Thanks, Linda. I remember you keeping your bees on a deck very close to your house. Mine are on the far corner of an open concrete patio. My dad stays up late, so turning the lights off is not an option.

I have read in scientific papers that the honey bee is the only invertibrate known to have advanced circadian rhythm cycles. They actually have a sleep cycle like mammals. So they do know something about what night is, according to scientists.

If it were some kind of instinct to leave the hive like this, I would expect all 20,000 to jet for the window. I wonder if these are late evening foragers who are misguided by the artificial light because it has become too dark when they return?

Since it's only a dozen or so bees, I'm not that worried, just curious.

Offline Cindi

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2008, 11:13:02 am »
Matthew, you been gone a long time, what on earth have you been up to?  Hope you've been having an OK time...nice to see you back.  Have that most wonderfully awesome day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2008, 01:00:03 pm »
If there are hives anywhere near a light source bees will congreagrate to the light, nightly.

Linda is dead on correct, it is kind of you to bring them back to the hive, but very unlikely they will survive from a long night of extreme stress buzzing and confused all night long.

People who have hives in their walls, ceilings, etc.. often tell me they see bees by a light and in fact this is usually one of the first signs that they have bees.

Move them or turn the lights off.


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Offline smallswarm

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2008, 04:58:30 pm »
Hi Cindi. I have been very depressed since I lost my bees last fall. I didn't even want to try beekeeping again. I started looking for a wife, but the bees did come back into my life by a sort of miracle, if you read my long story post. You should try psychedelic mushrooms. You will see Nature in a new and beautiful light and gain a deeper understanding of life's interconnected purpose. Peace, Matthew

Offline Card

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2008, 05:04:19 pm »
Quote from: Matthew
You should try psychedelic mushrooms. You will see Nature in a new and beautiful light and gain a deeper understanding of life's interconnected purpose.
I tried 'shrooms during my 'young and experimental' phase (this was a LONG time ago). Strangely enough, all I remember seeing were a bunch of tiny purple men in green shorts trying to rearrange all my furniture.
"You will come to learn a great deal if you study the insignificant in depth." - Buckaroo Banzai

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2008, 09:58:43 pm »
Hey Card!
 Those little people used to come out of my uncles closet and thru his windows( 2 stories up) and visit him!...Uncle gene never needed help to see them.....If they didnt visit him sometimes his dead wife did :)..Awwww, dont worry... Me and uncle Gene used to talk about the visits, and he didnt mind.
 One thing though..he's with his wife now as he died a couple months ago. I got to see him a few years ago and it was GREAT!
 He used to be the Toughest customer in Fall River Mass. until about 10 years ago!...Then people just started to shoot each other instead of "Mixin' it up"!
 I never did mushrooms...didnt have to.....Did everything else though! :-D

your friend,
john

Offline Miss Bee Haven Bee Farm

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2008, 10:34:24 pm »
I have a night time sensor light that comes on in my back yard and there are two 40 watt halogen bulbs on it, And i have no problems with bees on or around it. The Hives are about 25 feet from the light. However I do have a motion sensor light with two 250 watt bulbs on the front of the house and I notice a dead bee or two on the light from time to time.
Rodney Moore
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Member of Mecklenburg County BeeKeepers Assoc.

Offline tillie

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2008, 11:21:53 pm »
I'm surprised, Miss Bee.  I tried a halogen light for my back kitchen door and whenever I turn it on to go out with the dogs, within minutes there are bees on it.  Not tons of bees, but at least 5 - 10. 

Linda T

Offline poka-bee

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2008, 11:30:13 pm »
Oh MY! Tried "shruums" long ago & not so far away as I've lived in the area since childhood! lots of laughter? :?  It is funny to watch the "harvesters" now slogging through the cow pie pastures where they grow best! I was talking with my Stepdaughter & she was totally grossed out that I ate what comes out of cowpies!  :-P  J
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline Cindi

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2008, 10:37:37 am »
Matthew, sorry that you got so depressed, that can really upset the human soul.  I have not read your long post, sorry, but I get the gist, you did not find a wife, but you somehow got back some bees, yeah!!!  Tried mushrooms years ago, forgot mushrooms years ago, never to try mushrooms again, bad experiences!!!  The Stuntzes (sp) grow around my chickenyards and blueberry patch, from the old horse poopy stuff (no Liberty Caps at my place though).  Keep that chin up, life is good.  Have that most wonderful and awesome day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline greg spike

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2008, 01:42:45 pm »
I got curious about the bees flying at light thing a while back...Had to lock up the bees for a little while for some earth moving work. I went to staple screening over the entrances at about 10:00 at night. Didn't think i'd have any problems, cause they were all cozy and bedded down for the night. So I go stomping toward them with a pretty bright flashlight in my hand, the second I shine it on the landing board, they jump me. A couple went streight for my flashlight hand and got me on the knuckles.
  It peaked my interest, so I messed with them a bit. Turned the light off and on moving back and forth. They seemed to only get agitated by the light if i was within 40-50 ft. May be an evoltionary defensive response to bee predators. Perhaps they remember the moonlight shining from a bears eyes from long ago.

You guys lay off the mushrooms; You're gonna make me remince about the good old days, sitting in rainy fields and having deep and meaningfull conversations with cows.

Offline greg spike

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2008, 01:46:29 pm »
If you don't have the room to move the hive away from the light, you could try turning the hive around so the guards aren't staring at it all night.

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #15 on: October 03, 2008, 06:43:12 pm »
 :-D...This thread is like watching a tennis match!!!..."Shrooms" and "Lites"..."Lites" and "Shrooms"
Ok,...to be honest.....me and my friends, Chris, theresa, and teresa. skipped school one day..We knew we had to gather the mushrooms before the sun got strong...So, we gathered them, put them in the paper bag, watched for the purple color to come through the paper bag.....then took them home to cook them up( We were gonna drink it!)....Upon opening the bag and looking in, we saw hundreds of little maggots crawling around! :shock:....The girls backed off but this didnt deter me and Chris.....We went ahead and heated up the water and mushrooms till the maggots were dead, then made our broth!....Oh MY GOSH!!!!!...This stuff tasted so bad I think a normal person would have PUKED!!!!
...But we went ahead and drank it...We each probably drank a quart of this putrid stuff! :-P..........Unfortunately, to our dismay,.....Nothing happened to us!
 We did learn though that all mushrooms what grow out of cow poo arent always the magic kind :-\

your friend,.
john

Offline rast

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #16 on: October 03, 2008, 09:07:00 pm »
 Eating mushrooms! Dang, didn't ya'll know how to make tea instead :evil:.
Fools argue; wise men discuss.
    --Paramahansa Yogananda

Offline rast

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #17 on: October 03, 2008, 09:11:31 pm »
 Didn't see page 2 I recon. John just didn't know how to cook it, or got the wrong shrooms.
Fools argue; wise men discuss.
    --Paramahansa Yogananda

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #18 on: October 03, 2008, 10:07:25 pm »
 yeh, they musta been the wrong kind!...Then again, I dont read the directions until i cant make it work!

your friend,
john

Offline Understudy

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Re: Bees flying into the kitchen window
« Reply #19 on: October 03, 2008, 10:48:42 pm »
Open the window.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

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