I had a question re: new bee behavior (at least for my hive). The hive is physically placed about 45ish feet from my front door. Our porch light is automatic and starting about 2-3 weeks ago we’ve noticed a number of bees come to and hang around the light. Their buzzing is audible. I recall @Dawn_SD mentioning about guard bees and light sources.
Is this in fact what is happening?
If it is…why NOW? Nothing has changed re: the light type, color pallet, distance from the hive etc.
Beneath the light is where we’re finding dead bees.
What can I do to make it…less attractive to them? We need light to see so we don’t trip. The light is a full spectrum LED - so if a different light COLOR would work? Right now it’s set to 3500K.
As a side note: About 3-4 weeks ago is when we saw a population decline. The hive is still active, but it wasn’t “crazy” like when everything bloomed.
I will attempt to get some photos and add them later this evening.
I have no idea why the bees weren’t attracted to your light, then all of a sudden became attracted to it for no obvious reason. The fact remains that bees are attracted to lights at nighttime. The good news is that only a dozen or more bees hang around the lights at night. I’m thinking that the reason for that is that those bees don’t return. Maybe those bees are scouts looking for food. So therefore if they don’t return with any food, no others will follow. That’s my theory, & I think it’s a plausible one.
All I can suggest is to create a physical barrier, so that the bees can’t see the lights, or turn the entrance away, so as to have the same effect.
Do you know what caused your colony to decline in population? The first thing I would do is to do a brood check. You can learn a lot by examining the brood of a colony.
I second what Jeff said about the light…and it would also fit with what sounds like dearth in your area. Cali tends to get pretty dry by this time of year, I think? Also a reason for population decline. Do you know other beeks near you who could advise on typical seasonal fluctuations? How cold do you expect it to get in the coming weeks/months where you are?
I also second what Jeff said about checking to see if anything is amiss with your bees’ health or pest management. Population decline might be normal and fitting with reduced forage available, but is still a chance for beetles etc to get the upper hand. You might need to condense the space a bit to help the bees stay in control of it.
Update: I changed the color to my bulb from 35K to 25 degrees (orange for fall /Halloween) and not a single bee last night.
Additional update: Not so good. I last emptied the the tray about 1 month ago, no mites found. Did it this morning and - yea…Just ordered Apiguard and will apply tomorrow or day after.
Just because I said I would I have uploaded pics of the hive to front door and vise versa view. And my lovely discovery of mites =/.
If you have any other advise feel free to let me know. Otherwise my game plan is to drain and remove the super, add the Apiguard, and follow the directions.
I agree with Jeff about the light and the dry conditions in your area. California does tend to dry out around this time, which could affect bee populations. Do you know any local beekeepers who could provide insight on seasonal fluctuations? Also, how cold is it expected to get in the upcoming weeks?
Additionally, as Jeff mentioned, check your bees’ health and pest management. Population decline can be normal with less forage, but it can also give pests like beetles an advantage. You might consider condensing the hive space to help your bees maintain control.
