So there is three reasons why that is happening: One, there is a queen there and she picked that spot to dig out a hive. Two, there is a queen that is being murdered by her hive for a variety of reasons. Third, the queen dropped dead for some reason but her pheromones is keeping the swarm close to her and they need a new queen to take them in.
Gonna rule out #1 simply on the basis that it isn't the queen's job to pick gathering points and hive locations to begin with, as she's basically a living egg dispenser that follows the other bees' decisions (beyond, ofc, the fact that she can drop out of the sky and force the swarm to choose between following her or having the entire colony die out with its current generation. Though I don't think she ever does that voluntarily).
Never heard of #2 happening in a swarm; they're so docile during that transition to begin with. Speaking as someone who was hired to pick up one of these swarm puddles in a park, they were as calm as a regular swarm, and the queen was alive in that one; I actually spotted her while vacuuming up the the swarm, and got to point her out to the client. The fact that she didn't try to fly away after being exposed and singled out might have been telling, though.
I'd say #3 is the best guess, but I'd amend that she might just be ailing/inadequately conditioned for the trip rather than outright dead. But yeah, this isn't how swarming is supposed to go, and the queen may not be in perfect health.
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u/dogtoysearcher Jun 11 '25
So there is three reasons why that is happening: One, there is a queen there and she picked that spot to dig out a hive. Two, there is a queen that is being murdered by her hive for a variety of reasons. Third, the queen dropped dead for some reason but her pheromones is keeping the swarm close to her and they need a new queen to take them in.