# Bees!!



## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

Oooh - that's a tough one. The only thing I can come up with is maybe they're at an "investigating stage" right now over near your alfalfa? Maybe the smell is more of an attractant than we would think. Assuming these are honey bees, hopefully they'll eventually give up since there's not any nectar - possibly they're not finding much nectar elsewhere yet, (beginning of season) and keep coming back to search again? Hope they'll move on for your horses' sake soon - I don't think honey bees are highly agressive, and pretty calm for the most part. Glad it's not a yellow jacket problem as that would be a whole different story! Good luck


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Yellowjackets would be easy......
I don't want to hurt the bees, they are mellow, just annoying, like they're not all awake yet( highly possible). Strange is the sitting and swarming in and around the haynets, 
I first thought, the orange feed bowls are so attractive, but they go for the feed, not the bowls.
Plus, they come into the house, through the swamp cooler, just now I caught one and set it outside .......


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Well, I'm guessing your neighbour has lots of experience with bees. Why not ask him? If you say it the same way as you did here, not that you hate his bees, just looking for some input, I think he would be willing to provide some tips.


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

We raise bees or I should say our Grandpa raises bees... Anyway I would need a bit more info. 

Are they all in a huge bunch? Are they just buzzing around? 

Usually when spring thaw hits (I'm talking Iowa.. No idea how it is like there) the bees will come out maybe look for food (do house cleaning) and then go back into the bottom of the hive, if the bees are just wandering around I wouldn't worry about them because when it gets cold again they'll go back into their hives, if they are stealing that's another thing...

I would, personally, feed them. Put a jar of sugar water out a ways from your barn, if they're hungry which I suspect, they'll find it sooner or later and it should keep them occupied. I would guess you wouldn't have this problem in spring because of all the different blossoms etc... ?


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## DimSum (Mar 28, 2012)

I second the sugar water idea, just put some in a shallow pan like a pie plate. Once they get the idea it is there they should leave the less yummy horse feed alone.


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## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

Wow! "I could've had a V-8"! Smart thinking, EmilyJoy and DimSum! I agree it's definately worth doing


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

I'll be curious to see if it works...


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## DimSum (Mar 28, 2012)

Glad to "bee" helpful ;-)


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## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

A little side note.... if I were to do this, it would be for the _briefest_ time possible until natural nectar is readily available. The bees must have natural nectar to make honey, and in the process they're pollinating flowers and fruit trees.


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

Yes absolutely Grandpa usually just feeds them in the winter... Like I said I'll bet you don't notice them in the spring/summer because of all the different blossom etc. 

 If you did continue to feed them sugar water the man would end up like one person we know.. He thought he had a bunch of honey at the end of the fall, well he did but it was more like sugar/honey water capped off! And it was all the sugar water he had fed them.


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## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

Oh my gosh, that's hilarious! (kind've!) Our winters are _extremely_ cold and snowy up here, so it's hard to remember that in other parts of the country such things could occur


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

For what ever reason we've had terrible winter kill with the bees... In fact rarely a hive makes it through, I think it's not just the winter but a combination.. Such as pesticides, mites, etc... At any rate nothing like homemade bread with homemade butter and fresh raw honey!!!


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## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

First, hmmm - hope the bee situation there is cyclic, and farmers are indeed observing the quota for pesticides in your state - Second, mmmm... _Love _homemade bread, butter and raw honey!


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Wow! Didn't think that thread would BEE so interesting;-)

I thought about the sugar water in a flat pan. Asking the owner is a bit difficult..he barely speaks English and I even less Spanish.
im not too worried about disrupting anything, these bees work for a living, he does pollination all over the valley with them, so as soon as the first fruit trees are blooming they'll bee gone.

When he brought them here in late summer, we had pine(I think) trees blooming, so they were good to go then.  Some of them hung out inside my water faucet and were kinda washed out when I soaked my feed. I rescued quite a few of them. Same at the water trough. 
I'm also getting quite good in catching them in a towel in the house and release them outside.
I'll try the sugar water for sure!!
But I still don't get it why they're literally IN the hay nets and also around the haybales in the pole barn.....if it was only alfalfa and grass hay I would understand, but they're also in the oat hay...no blossoms for sure.......strange.....


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## DimSum (Mar 28, 2012)

It's prolly warm in the hay net...


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Just thought about it...the farmer has cows..who frequently escape and come to visit....we have them eat our pasture down, when we got it it was quite overgrown, and now his bees.....hmmmmm


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