Honeybee trouble: Fighting over water
The bees drinking at my stock-tank pond are no longer cute. They are too many, at least 50 at all times until after dark. They buzz around threateningly if you get too close. They are now fighting with each other over the water source.
Yes, fighting. I’ve observed bees grabbing the back legs of another bee and pulling it away from the water. A struggle ensues, with the two bees often turning to fight face-to-face, as pictured above. It’s fascinating but disturbing. I worry about getting stung, or my children getting stung, if we get too close when the bees are feeling so aggressive.
I did a little research today at the website Bees for Development and learned that bees need a lot of water. For some bees, their only job is to haul water to their hive, making about 50 trips a day. The water is used to regulate the temperature of the hive, to make food for developing bees, and to dilute food sources like honey or sugary nectar.
It appears that workers from at least two hives have found my pond and are fighting territorially over it. I wonder whether these are wild bees or whether they belong to a beekeeper somewhere in the neighborhood. I’m not sure what to do about it. I don’t want to get rid of my pond. And I don’t want to have the bees exterminated.
Are there any beekeepers out there reading this? Any ideas?
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Your photos are excellent! Some nature photography is so boring- I love it when people are able to document significant behaviors.
The USDA has some information about bee behavior as well. It seems bees rarely sting while foraging and their defensive behaviors towards rival bees typically culminates in a bite or hair pull (how catty!). I don’t think you have anything to worry about unless you are splashing around with the bees, but a soap spray might keep them away. Here’s the link-
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=11067&page=8
Thanks for the link, Kat. I’ll be doing some more research for sure. —Pam
Hi Pam,
Husband Kurt’s father was a beekeeper at one time. Kurt says you need to hire a beekeeper: if there are indeed two hives, a beekeeper should be able to locate and move one or both hives for agricultural use.
Thanks, Iris. But I don’t think the hives are going to be on my property. I’ve been watching to see where the bees fly, and it’s over our live oaks and off toward the greenbelt. —Pam
I’d guess (IANABK) that since your pond is very new, it’s a disruption to their orderly lives even though a welcome one. They’re acting up as a result, just like humans do, and it will settle down in while. Generally bees don’t attack unless they are directly threatened (eg stepped on) or they think you are attacking their hive. You might want to talk to your children about not running through this area barefoot, especially if you have flowering groundcovers. Like most animals, bees prefer you to move calmly and talk soothingly — if you’ve ever seen a beekeeper in action, you’ll know what I mean.
I’d check with an apiarist before using soap sprays, as soap kills some insects. Besides, it would make the edge slippery, and disrupt the water chemistry.
I agree that soap sprays would be bad for the bees. It would disrupt the water tension, I imagine, and lead to more drownings. According the website I cited, unfortunately, bees prefer large water sources (like my pond), and once they find a good source they keep using it, even if others are available. I think I may have a permanent busy-bee zone in my garden now, which I’m not exactly thrilled with, though I do agree that moving calmly around them is key to not getting stung. —Pam
Since they are so aggressive I wonder if they are the africanized bees. I hope you locate a bee keeper person to find out. Not fun when you have desperate bees.
I worried about that briefly, Lisa, but decided that if they were the Africanized bees then we’d already have been stung. I don’t think they wait for provocation. These bees don’t want to be disturbed while drinking, but they don’t actively fly at us unless we get right on them. Still… —Pam
I hope you get this resolved, quickly, Pam. We have some honeybees hanging around under the eaves of the upstairs of the house, and I’m trying to decide what to do about them. I know winter will kill them, but I’ve been trying to find a beekeeper to take them away. Not enough to bother with, apparently, for most beekeepers. 🙁
I hope you find a beekeeper for your misplaced bees too, Jodi. —Pam
I am so fascinated by your photos of your bees….such amazing pictures. Doesn’t Nat Geo need some anyone? Calling Nat Geo…..Pam has perfect bee photos!
Ha! Thanks for the compliments, Susie. —Pam
What an interesting problem you’ve found yourself with, Pam. My guess is that in time the situation will work itself out and that the bees are more concerned with the other hive than with any humans walking around. But who would have thought that offering such a big water source to wildlife could lead to such a dilemma? The rains are coming, too (we hope) — that might lead to other water sources for the bees than just your pond. Great photos, though — at least there’s that positive side to having so many bees at your pond!
Hi, Meredith. I’d been hoping that rain would lead the bees elsewhere for water. But that website I cited indicates that once bees have found a good water source, they return to it again and again, even if other water is available. I worry that I am stuck with large numbers of bees. Good for the environment, I know, but not so good with young children around, who are also attracted to a fun pond. —Pam
Wonderful photos. Specially the second one. i have never seen bees that desperate though.
Thanks, Muhammad. Austin’s drought has caused a lot of animals to behave this desperately for water. —Pam
Pam,
I’m scared. I’ve got bees too and I am getting ready to move my pond today. Do you think if you lowered the water level in the pond it might discourage them? They seem to have a perfect landing spot with the water level. Perhaps add another water source too away from the garden, like a bird bath? Better yet, relocation (of the bees) may be in order. Good luck and keep up posted.
Regardless, your bee photos are the best I’ve ever seen.
Good question, Jackie. I think, though, that the bees would simply use the water lily leaves as their landing pads if the water level were lower. I could try it and see though. I do have a bird bath, and a number of bees did use it until I installed the stock-tank pond. Now they ignore the bird bath and prefer the bigger pond, even though the bird bath has easier access. —Pam
Hate to hear about the dueling bees. Your images are pretty fantastic.
Thanks, CIMS. —Pam
Pam — Did you have this problem in your old garden? Perhaps it’s cumulative and the result of the ongoing drought which has sent the bees into overdrive. Our pond is big enough that I’ve never noticed bees at the water. Now I’m getting really curious and will have to keep my eyes open.
No, Linda, I never had this issue in my old garden with my small stock-tank pond. It could be that my new pond is the closest big water source to the hives, which are probably in the greenbelt near our house. And possibly the drought has dried up a natural source they used to use. The only bright side I see is that at least the pond keeps the bees away from our pool. —Pam
Such goings on! What have you started over there! I had to laugh out aloud because it just seemed so ridiculous when you have so much water for all of them. Are these honey bees? I have bees too but have no idea where they are nesting. In the ground? I wonder how far they travel for water? What a fascinating topic to research.
Yes, they are honeybees. That’s a good question about how far they’ll travel for water. They fly up and away over the trees after their drinks. I assume the hive is not in my yard but a neighbor’s or in the greenbelt nearby. —Pam
Hi Pam,
Your Photos are fantastic!! I have wild honey bees here for many years now … in a large old Rock Maple next to my farmhouse. They are great neighbors and are all over the gardens. Honey bees die if they sting and so rarely do so. Most likely they are so active because winter is coming soon… they have to get things all sorted out before then. Your kids could not have a better science class than what your have there, though I know it is scary for so many and especially those that are allergic to stings. I would bet you have nothing to worry about. I was very close to a swarm this summer and last … where I could almost touch the ball of bees… thousands then were in flight as they headed off to their new site and not one bothered me. The honey bees are declining, so I am so relieved to hear you would not harm them. Best of luck with this dilemma. GLAD TO HAVE FOUND YOUR SITE. Carol
Thanks for visiting and for your comment, Carol. Yes, bees are certainly beneficial, though I’d prefer these were bar-hopping somewhere else. —Pam
Hi Pam, I found a link with several Austin area contacts who could probably help you out with your bees. Some of these guys are beekeepers and specifically say they can do live bee removal, but it also looks like some have different backgrounds and might just do exterminations. Good luck! Here’s that link:
http://www.ebeehoney.com/zTX.html
Thanks for the link, Kurt! —Pam
Wow, what photos! We have some bees and wasps on the birdbaths, but not in such numbers.
These bees were a great photo opportunity for someone as talented as you, Pam, but I can see why you are worried. Is it possible to sort of follow them and see which directions they take? And make sure they are leaving your property?
We know people in Austin who have had bees nest inside the walls of the house – might want to be sure that the beekeeper in this instance is not YOU.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I don’t know how I’d follow them unless I had a hot-air balloon, Annie. Most of them zip from the pond across the pool and up over the live oaks to parts unknown. Maybe the neighbor’s house, not mine. —Pam
Wow, Pam! Fabulous photos! No help from me about the bees, but I sure am impressed with your photos!
Thanks, Kylee. They ARE to fun to photograph, but I move very slowly and carefully around them. —Pam
Hey Pam,
Sorry to hear about the swarming bees. I’m been having the same problem for the past two months on a maintenance job that is making my job very uncomfortable and unsafe. This morning at 7:30 am I received a call from my client who called to tell me her fountain pump had stopped working due to all the dead bees clogging the intake filter.
My clients next door neighbor has several cultivated bee hives and they have found my clients fountain their water source of choice rather than the water source on their own property. I’m working with the bee keeper to curtail the bees swarming , but it has not been easy. In the mean time I carry two new Epi pens ( $ 70 ) for allergic shock and hope that if I get stung that I have at least 7 minutes until I get to the near by hospital.
Try to find a good bee keeper to help you out with relocating the swarm.
Best of luck .
Michelle
If I knew I were allergic to bee stings, like you, I’d be a nervous wreck, Michelle. I’ve never been stung, so who knows? Good luck sorting our your client’s bee problem. —Pam
Great photos!! Though probably not feasible, you could drain the pond until the bees find another water source (I don’t know what you would do with all of your water plants during that time though).
For those in the Central Texas area, Central Texas Bee Rescue will relocate honey bees. That is mainly directed towards people who have bees nesting in wall voids of homes, chimney areas, sheds, etc. that could lead to dangerous stinging situations. If bees are in green belt areas or on someone else’s property then it’s the responsibility of the property owner to take care of the bees.
Yes, draining the pond would be a problem for my fish too. Thanks for the info about CTBR. —Pam
Poor little things. If no one has been stung yet, it’s not likely to happen now. We have the same issue with our 6 hummingbird feeders, where the bees cluster during the hot times. I’ve never been stung, even though I shake the feeders violently, throwing bees off into the air, before taking the feeders in to refill. Sometimes I even have to (gently) pry bees off the bee-guard with my thumbnail in order to help them off.
If nothing else, you can rely on the eventual cool weather to solve the problem.
Yes, their numbers have diminished slightly with the cooler weather and the rain. The main thing I don’t like is that if you walk through their “bee line” by accident, they sometimes hit you in the head as they shoot off. Very disconcerting for both me and the bee! —Pam
PS–FABULOUS pictures!
Just happened to stumble across your site – what sensitive pictures you have!
I think you’ve done a wonderful thing by having a pond. You’ve given relief and respite to species that are struggling, and you should feel good about that. There is a blessing in bees visiting your home – they symbolize service and prosperity, and their sound is said to be the origin of Om, the sound of peace in the universe.
I wish you all the best in your bee adventures!
I do feel good about helping the bees, Sylvia. I definitely value them and what they do for the natural environment and the garden. At the same time, I wish they were a little farther from the activity areas of my home and garden. I feel like I have to tiptoe around that area, and it’s right where my daughter has space to play. —Pam
Pam,
First, your photo’s are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing them.
It’s been a while, I’m wondering what, if anything, did you do? I assume that it’s been a non-issue during the winter months…
Just curious.
–Ryan D.
Thanks, Ryan. The bees have been absent during the winter, but I expect they’ll return when it warms up. Ultimately I didn’t do anything beyond calling a hive owner in town to ask for advice. He didn’t know of anyone in my neighborhood who’s keeping bees, so he suspected it was a wild colony and said they couldn’t be moved unless their hive could be found. I didn’t trek off to look for them. Since we all got through the summer without being stung, I’m inclined to hope for the best and see how it goes. Perhaps if we get normal rainfall next summer, the bees won’t be as thirsty. —Pam