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Author Topic: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.  (Read 7623 times)

Offline Acebird

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Re: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.
« Reply #20 on: January 11, 2019, 03:02:34 pm »
It is like CCD, really not known.  Only the behavior is recorded.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline eltalia

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Re: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.
« Reply #21 on: January 11, 2019, 05:40:00 pm »

Guys, I never had bees absconding.
What makes them do it?

IF one accepts communal bees - or indeed "communal" anything - are aware of a Future and plan accordingly
it is sudden change which triggers flight.
Some observed triggers here (.au) are;
Extended rain period over a poorly sealed hivebody (operator error) - gone within hours of first rays of sunshine.
Greenant attack - unlike other ants here GA go on 'crusades', at _their_ communal decision. Think Viking raids
as a humanised analogy.
Livestock intrusion - shifting cattle into a paddock  holding unprotected hives can be catastrophic.
Toads - Moving a hive to set it down in new location without providing a 450mm (H) stand will see bees gone quicktime.

No doubt there are others - some whisper "spray plane" as an accusatory trigger however having run scores
 of hives in pollination tasks I myself cannot confirm spraying crops has the effect of absconds happening.
Classic sign is no uncapped brood, very little honey stores and obvious slack(remiss) housekeeping to
bottomboard (detritus) - and no QC or newly formed cups.

Cheers.

Bill

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.
« Reply #22 on: January 11, 2019, 07:20:52 pm »
Another reason I think they abscond is Africanized genetics. Bees in Africa have to get up and move when a dry spent starts and follow the food source. They do not/cannot hunker  down for a 6 to 9 month dry spell like our bees do during winter. Here in the states our bees have a lot of Africanized genetics mixed in. When the nectar stops while it is warm, they abscond.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline SiWolKe

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Re: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.
« Reply #23 on: January 12, 2019, 10:24:53 am »
Thanks, Bill.

Sawdstmakr,
My bees have monticola genes, hope that does not mean african absconding traits. So I have to keep them satisfied with stores.
 :wink:

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.
« Reply #24 on: January 12, 2019, 10:34:53 am »
It is the Apis mellifera scutellata that has the genetics that drive it to move when the nectar dries up.
Not sure how close the East African bee?s genetics are to the scutellata.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline SiWolKe

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Re: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.
« Reply #25 on: January 12, 2019, 11:23:48 am »

Offline eltalia

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Re: New colony swarming. Refuses to stay in hive.
« Reply #26 on: January 21, 2019, 09:21:13 am »
Yep, that sounds like a fairly reasonable plan. I'll put that into action. Than you.

Any new doings?

Cheers.

Bill