hi all. Had a ship come into dock here today with what looks like a swarm on the side of the ship. Can anyone help me identify the type of bee
You should notify the Harbor Master straight away or someone in authority, depends where the ship has come from but it could be a bio security issue, regardless of the bee species.
Cheers Ali…
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The relevant authorities were notified and unfortunately there was no choice but to eradicate the bees. I understand the biosecurity issues but its never nice to have to kill bees who were just doing their thing.
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Understand your feelings but it is the best result to protect other bee colonies. It is sad but a small price to have to pay.
Cheers
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Apis dorsata? They look quite large…
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Definitely look similar. They were quite large looking bees, even from my noob perspective. The ship came from Bintulu Malaysia so it is the right part of the world.
Thanks for the info. Have been untless google searches to no avail.
Pest control came and sprayed the bees but im quite certain that some may have gotten away. Would it be possible for a few dozen bees to create a new hive?
The queen would have been in the cluster on the side of the ship so with her being killed any bees, like scout bees, out looking for a new home site that escaped won’t survive long.
Cheers
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