A First for Me.

[fyrffytr1]

I was relic hunting Sunday when my hunting buddy said there was something I should see on the far side of the field. It was getting close to quitting time anyway so we got in our trucks and drove around to the other side. He stopped an got out of his truck and I did the same. That is when I heard the buzzing coming from the woods. I had brought my camera with me and changed from the telephoto lens to the 105mm macro one.
I am 73 and this is the first time in my life that I had the opportunity to get up close with a swarm of bees. The sun was going down, but I was able to get a few good shots from less than three feet!

 

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[fyrffytr1]

 

[Sandog]

Awesome! Great camera work.

 

[releventchair]

Swarm of honey bees.
A lucky find.


Many years ago ; had one forming on a limb above a road but unfortunately mostly loitering midair as I drove through on a motorcycle.
Pulled over after and cleaned off a lot of bees.
Being honey bees they were pretty mellow.
Of course the impact didn't help matters.

 

[fyrffytr1]

Several landed on me while I was taking the pictures which was a test in itself. I couldn't set a shutter speed fast enough to stop their wings and dancing so some of them are a little blurry. I went back today but they had already moved on.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I had a swarm a few yrs ago and called a bee keeper. He brought out a hive. The swarm was low on a branch and he backed his truck right up to it. He didn’t have any special clothes. He pulled the swarm down and found the queen and got her in the hive. All the bees followed. Those honey bees are pretty amazing.

 

[metrotec]

It's that time of year for honey bee swarms. Generally they are calm during a swarm, because they have nothing to protect.
We have honey bees, actually my friend in the Smokies who we initially got our bees from years ago had his bees genetically tested and they are from the original 1627-8 bees brought over from Europe.
We are re-queening a couple of stands this year because they are getting a little aggressive.
Last year was a "bust" for honey producers in the SE because the nectar flow was happening at the same time the Canadian wild fire smoke was hovering across our area.
Wild Mountain Honey is very good for you. Sour wood is the lightest of the colors, most of ours is a darker honey.
Bacteria cannot grow on honey! Think about it.
Help protect our bees, please..Thank you
PS: If those bees in the pictures were in a 5 frame Nu box, they'd be worth $235
Great photos.

 

[Marino13]

Super cool. Glad they weren't of the killer variety. That could have ended badly.

 

[herb n surf]

Nice photos.. thanks for sharing.

 

[Chilli]

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Wow that's crazy! Its like a bee pinecone! Great pictures 👍👍

I was once detecting relics in a large paddock when I got swarmed. They were stinging my neck and face. I threw my detector and pick so I could run faster. Was followed about a km back to my car where I sat inside for 20 minutes till they were gone. I ran back into the paddock, found my gear then back to the car. I started feeling really ill. I looked at my face in the mirror, my neck was swollen and felt like flubber, my face not quite as bad but swollen on the cheeks. Drive to the Drs, straight in, injection and pack of tablets to take. I never went back to that place.

 

[billb]

Amazing to see
Thanks for sharing

 

[fyrffytr1]

I know it looks like the pictures aren't sharp. but the bees were constantly moving and low light wouldn't let me get a fast enough shutter speed to stop the motion.