Return to the Bees and Beekeeping Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
| | |
Posted by eileen15 z9 CA (My Page) on Mon, Apr 3, 06 at 22:56
I have a large planter in my front yard with an apricot tree in it. It is sitting on a stone walk way.
There is a small group of honey bees that are gathering and hovering and dancing around the edge of the planter.
I've seen bees do this at the entrance to their hive.
Is it possible they have a hive there?
These are definately honey bees, not sand bees or yellow jackets. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
| | |
| >>Is it possible they have a hive there? It could be but don't think they are honey bees, perhaps bumble bees.
Konrad |
RE: Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
| | |
No, these are not bumble bees, definately honey bees. After watering the plants there is water and a fine layer of silt around the edge of the planter. I thought they were drinking the water as the first time I saw them it was a hot day.
Then, yesterday after work just before the sun went down they were gathered there again.
What was strange is it was almost dark and it was a cool. |
RE: Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
| | |
Hm..The best would be if you could post some pics.
Can you see bees are going in and out of that pot?
Konrad |
RE: Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
| | |
| Are you also sure they are not Miner, Resin, or Mason Bees? Miner bees particularly make their nests in the dirt, so if the planter has soil in it that is the right consistency to make a nest, they very well may be Miner bees. But I am wondering if the bees are simply smelling the scent of the nectar coming from the flowers of your apricot tree that are either dripping down or falling and landing on the planter. That may be a possibility. If you feel they are honey bees and have nested in your pot (if it is overturned and empty as oppose to being upright and full of soil), then you should contact a bee specialist in your area (not pest controller) so they can extract them for you safely. As you may know, feral honey bees are now considered extremely rare since the onslaught of the Varroa mite infestation that began in the 1980s, and many bee keepers would not mind extracting them and keeping them in a small feral hive for pollination purposes (and possibly internal usage honey gathering). You can find a bee specialist at an Entomolgy department of a local university or at your state's Agriculture-Entomology department. Well, hope that helps. |
RE: Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
| | |
I think there may be a hive nearby. A month ago when my peach and nectarines were in full bloom they were covered with honey bees, more than i've ever seen.
We usually have carpenter bees, wasps, and some honey bees, rarely bumble bees.
This year no carpenter bees yet, & only a few wasps.
I've never seen a mason/orchard bee except in gardening books. |
RE: Honey bee hive under a potted plant?
| | |
| I have been having a similar problem. I have had all different kinds of potted plants sitting around my yard and the honey bees are always swarming around the drain holes in the bottom of the pots. When I water the plants the bees come out of the holes. I recently planted all but 1 of the plants in my yard. The last one was a Geranium and a small seedling tree in the same container. To get the bees away from the drain holes I waited until night time and put the container into anther pot so the bees could not get to the drain holes. I removed the Geranium and planted it. Now the bees are swarming around the wet soil in the pot? |
|
|
|
|
