As a beekeeper from Europe these bees are so interesting to me. I guess there is a lot of studying to be done on these species! All the new beehaviours, excuse the pun.
Love the pun. How is the bee situation in your area? Are they behaving normally? I'm in Western Australia and bees here land on concrete path or on the sand and cannot fly again. I have picked them up with sticks but they don't fly. It is unusual.
Learn about Aquaponics 🐟 🍓🍅 with my "Backyard Aquaponics for Beginners" Guide for only US$19.95. You can see the guide in action on my website, ► www.bitsouttheback.com/aquaponics-guide Or, buy directly here, ► bit.ly/AquaponicsBeginnersGuide Don't forget to click the subscribe button if you enjoyed the video, bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob & share the clip around if you think it may help others too.👍 Cheers all & have a top one. 🐟 🌱🍅 Rob
My guess is small hive beetle. Few dead bees means you probably don't have invaders. A mating swarm forms a big ball which yours are not doing. I would treat it like an invasion and capture the swarm. You can then move it into a new box. Open yours and check what's happening. Look for little maggots and the odd beetle. It's a dead give away. If that is the case, you can't move the brood. Search for the queen and just move her into the new box. Apply a lot of diatomaceous earth around the base of the old hive to kill the small hive beetle larvae. Put the new box a distance away. Good luck mate. I did a video recently about exactly this issue. I hope you act where I didn't and save your hive.
We recently had a similar behaviour. The difference was we have 2 hives, one is ours that was a split we received, and the other was a "hospital hive" that was put with our as our area has so much flowering most of the year: the swarm was outside the hospital hive for the week, and then the next week I noticed that our original strong hive was very quiet and then found the dreaded Phorid fly had moved in. So not hive beetle but something else made our hive weak; yet the hospital hive which the swarm was interested in was the one that survived! But our hive did have a young queen so the remaining occupants were given a fresh box (old box full of Phorid fly eggs). Wish I'd already had an empty box ready for the swarm. Also I think our swarm moved for a few days to our peach tree in the front yard but not sure they're there now =( (Brisbane Australia)
@dshack4689 I'm in Brisbane too mate. I diatimacious earthed around base of the hive. The hive above was fine but I moved it just in case. I burnt the original bottom hive boxes. I'm going to split my 3rd hive this season as well. Having a spare empty hive is a good precaution.
Hi Rob, not sure about native bees but honey bees expell the drones at some point. Can also be time for a split. Had to get rid of my bees as we found out the hard way he is allergic to them. So not only have you got me into aquaponics but now I have an itch for natives to do the pollination. Cheer Pete for Sandy WA
Hey Peter. Sorry I missed this. I had a local say that it was probably the drones being booted out. Still haven't changed the top box & really need to do so soon before things cool down too much. Cheers mate.
The hive is still there & sitting on a pedestal. It will be swapped into a new box once the weather warms up. I know I have said that before. Life has been very hectic the past few years.
The two most probable reasons were the drones were being expelled or the hive was splitting. They settled down after a few days & have been fine since. Hope that helps some mate.
Very interesting video Rob. We get these bees in WA too. Not very often but a few every now and then. We get tiny miniature bees. They love the lavender and the passion fruit leaves. Where did you find the native Australian bee book? All the best for your bees. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Looking forward to the update 😀
Sorry I missed your comment. No update as of yet Ange as the rot didn't progress much further. 😕 The hive is now on a pedestal & we have a complete replacement for it now. We got the book directly from Tim here, nativebeebook.com.au/ Cheers.
@@RobsAquaponics thanks for the link Rob. Will order a copy 😄 we haven't seen many bees here lately. But we have finally got a few ladybugs back in the yard. Kids are stoked to be able to see them again
@@user-tn7xo7ky9o no mate nothing special. When divoc hit and people were looking at things to do at home. Bees, honey and native were a big thing because of the apparent experts marketing that pollinators were on a decrease. All commercial keepers could see was $$$. Hiveware like boxes jumped from $17-$50. Hives of bees jumped from $180/$250-$450/$650. In the last couple years some people have been getting out in wooded areas searching for bees to remove from the wild and sell to people in built up areas.
@@user-tn7xo7ky9o I’m not sure about cold weather environments. I’m in the tropics where if it hits 18c/65f most of us imagine we are in Antarctica for winter 😂
Native bees do. They can have even 4 at a time. And if they decide to split one just leaves. But best part is they keep working together until the split is established
Native bees (sugarbag/stingless) as said can have up to 4 queens. Only one lays and the others are backup in case something happens to her or they swarm. European bees (honey) only have one queen at a time in a hive
Make a new hive, put it close with old hive, put some propolis from old hive then apply it on the new hive hole
As a beekeeper from Europe these bees are so interesting to me. I guess there is a lot of studying to be done on these species! All the new beehaviours, excuse the pun.
Love the pun. How is the bee situation in your area? Are they behaving normally? I'm in Western Australia and bees here land on concrete path or on the sand and cannot fly again. I have picked them up with sticks but they don't fly. It is unusual.
@@angerainbow9200 perhaps the heat? Concrete or the sand just holding so much heat when they land it damages their wings in some way?
Learn about Aquaponics 🐟 🍓🍅 with my "Backyard Aquaponics for Beginners" Guide for only US$19.95.
You can see the guide in action on my website,
► www.bitsouttheback.com/aquaponics-guide
Or, buy directly here,
► bit.ly/AquaponicsBeginnersGuide
Don't forget to click the subscribe button if you enjoyed the video,
bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob
& share the clip around if you think it may help others too.👍
Cheers all & have a top one. 🐟 🌱🍅
Rob
We always keep a swarm box nearby to give the swarm someplace to go.
My guess is small hive beetle. Few dead bees means you probably don't have invaders. A mating swarm forms a big ball which yours are not doing. I would treat it like an invasion and capture the swarm. You can then move it into a new box. Open yours and check what's happening. Look for little maggots and the odd beetle. It's a dead give away. If that is the case, you can't move the brood. Search for the queen and just move her into the new box. Apply a lot of diatomaceous earth around the base of the old hive to kill the small hive beetle larvae. Put the new box a distance away. Good luck mate. I did a video recently about exactly this issue. I hope you act where I didn't and save your hive.
We recently had a similar behaviour. The difference was we have 2 hives, one is ours that was a split we received, and the other was a "hospital hive" that was put with our as our area has so much flowering most of the year: the swarm was outside the hospital hive for the week, and then the next week I noticed that our original strong hive was very quiet and then found the dreaded Phorid fly had moved in. So not hive beetle but something else made our hive weak; yet the hospital hive which the swarm was interested in was the one that survived! But our hive did have a young queen so the remaining occupants were given a fresh box (old box full of Phorid fly eggs).
Wish I'd already had an empty box ready for the swarm. Also I think our swarm moved for a few days to our peach tree in the front yard but not sure they're there now =(
(Brisbane Australia)
@dshack4689 I'm in Brisbane too mate. I diatimacious earthed around base of the hive. The hive above was fine but I moved it just in case. I burnt the original bottom hive boxes. I'm going to split my 3rd hive this season as well. Having a spare empty hive is a good precaution.
Hi Rob, not sure about native bees but honey bees expell the drones at some point. Can also be time for a split. Had to get rid of my bees as we found out the hard way he is allergic to them. So not only have you got me into aquaponics but now I have an itch for natives to do the pollination. Cheer Pete for Sandy WA
Hey Peter. Sorry I missed this. I had a local say that it was probably the drones being booted out. Still haven't changed the top box & really need to do so soon before things cool down too much.
Cheers mate.
Cheers
👍
those bees are so tiny (southern Illinois USA here), they look like out mosquito's. hope they fix what ever problem they are having.
these bees are quite a bit bigger than mosquitoes, more like the size of house flies, i have some they are very interesting to watch
I can’t find an update video and am wondering what ended up happening to your colony? Thanks
The hive is still there & sitting on a pedestal. It will be swapped into a new box once the weather warms up. I know I have said that before. Life has been very hectic the past few years.
Seen another hive doing the same during the week I think it has to do with hot days
Did you figure out why they swarming mine is Doing the same
The two most probable reasons were the drones were being expelled or the hive was splitting. They settled down after a few days & have been fine since.
Hope that helps some mate.
you need a couple of boxes to put them in
Very interesting video Rob. We get these bees in WA too. Not very often but a few every now and then. We get tiny miniature bees. They love the lavender and the passion fruit leaves. Where did you find the native Australian bee book? All the best for your bees. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Looking forward to the update 😀
Sorry I missed your comment. No update as of yet Ange as the rot didn't progress much further. 😕 The hive is now on a pedestal & we have a complete replacement for it now. We got the book directly from Tim here,
nativebeebook.com.au/
Cheers.
@@RobsAquaponics thanks for the link Rob. Will order a copy 😄 we haven't seen many bees here lately. But we have finally got a few ladybugs back in the yard. Kids are stoked to be able to see them again
Groovy!
Could be a mating swarm, looks larger than the usual 100 or so though.
Hey if you're going to have another queen please donate a hive to honchos. He needs a pollinator in his greenhouse!
These hives when populated sells between $450-$650.
@@downunderfulla6001 Wow! R those special bees? Sounds like allot of money for bees that don't produce much honey.
I do agree bees r worth every penny
Do bees stay active in greenhouse during cold winter months? I put lady bugs in mine. I always wanted butterflies & hummingbirds
@@user-tn7xo7ky9o no mate nothing special. When divoc hit and people were looking at things to do at home. Bees, honey and native were a big thing because of the apparent experts marketing that pollinators were on a decrease. All commercial keepers could see was $$$. Hiveware like boxes jumped from $17-$50. Hives of bees jumped from $180/$250-$450/$650. In the last couple years some people have been getting out in wooded areas searching for bees to remove from the wild and sell to people in built up areas.
@@user-tn7xo7ky9o I’m not sure about cold weather environments. I’m in the tropics where if it hits 18c/65f most of us imagine we are in Antarctica for winter 😂
thats colonizing swarm..transfer the colony in other area and replace with emtpy box..
That was true and about to say by seeing today
Salam satu hobi, saya dari indonesia🥰🥰🥰😍
Halo dari Queensland Australia
(Google Translate)
Thats a disgrace to let your hive get to that state you need to do your home work and get your act together Laziness.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions & helping to build a positive community Christine.
1 beehive can’t have 2 queens.make 1more hive for another Queens
Native bees do. They can have even 4 at a time. And if they decide to split one just leaves. But best part is they keep working together until the split is established
@@jamesmaxey6679 but not this stingless bees
Native bees (sugarbag/stingless) as said can have up to 4 queens. Only one lays and the others are backup in case something happens to her or they swarm.
European bees (honey) only have one queen at a time in a hive