Honey bees are social insects that organize their lives around a central hive, which serves as their home base for raising young, storing food, and sheltering the colony. While the hive is a permanent structure, bees routinely leave its confines. These departures are not random but are driven by various essential needs and environmental cues, occurring for different reasons and at specific times. Understanding these varied excursions offers insight into the complex behaviors of a bee colony.
Routine Daily Excursions
Worker bees undertake frequent flights from the hive for daily maintenance and resource gathering. The most common reason for these excursions is foraging, where bees collect nectar, pollen, propolis, and water. These flights typically occur during daylight hours when the temperature is above 55°F (12.8°C) and there is ample sunlight. Foraging activity is influenced by environmental factors such as wind, with activity stopping around 25 mph (40 km/h), and is also reduced by rain or significant cloudiness. While bees can fly up to 12 kilometers (8 miles), most foraging occurs within one kilometer of the hive, and within 3 kilometers for most bees.
Another common departure involves “cleansing flights,” where bees leave the hive to defecate. Bees are meticulous about hive cleanliness and avoid soiling their living space, particularly after extended periods of confinement like during winter. These flights are prompted by warmer days, when temperatures reach or exceed 40°F (4.4°C) or 50°F (10°C), enabling bees to exit and relieve themselves away from the hive entrance. This practice is important for maintaining hive hygiene and preventing the buildup of waste that could lead to diseases.
Departures for Colony Growth and Reproduction
Bees also leave the hive for events centered on the colony’s growth and reproduction. Swarming is a natural process where a portion of the colony, including the old queen, departs to establish a new home. This phenomenon occurs in spring and early summer, between March and May, coinciding with abundant nectar flows.
Overcrowding within the hive, a strong bee population, and a reduction in the queen’s pheromone distribution are common triggers for swarming. Before swarming, worker bees prepare queen cells for a new queen to emerge in the original hive. The swarm clusters temporarily on a nearby object, like a tree branch, while scout bees search for a suitable permanent location before the entire group moves.
Individual bees also undertake flights for reproductive purposes. Virgin queen bees leave the hive for mating flights, typically between 8 to 12 days after emerging from their queen cells. These flights occur in the afternoon, between 1 PM and 4 PM, when weather conditions are favorable with low wind and sufficient sunshine. During these flights, a virgin queen mates with multiple drones from various colonies in designated drone congregation areas, ensuring genetic diversity.
Drones also exit the hive during spring and summer afternoons for mating flights; their sole purpose is to mate with a queen. Drones that successfully mate die shortly after, while those that do not may return to the hive but are often expelled by worker bees at the end of summer.
When the Entire Colony Abandons the Hive
An entire bee colony may abandon its hive permanently in a behavior known as absconding, distinct from swarming because it is not for reproduction. Absconding occurs when the colony faces adverse conditions or stress, prompting all or most bees, along with the queen, to leave. Common triggers include pest infestations, such as Varroa mites, or diseases that weaken the colony. A lack of sufficient food or water resources can also force a colony to abscond in search of better foraging grounds.
Other factors contributing to absconding include extreme temperatures, poor hive ventilation, and frequent disturbances from predators or beekeepers. Strong chemical smells from pesticides or new hive materials can also make a hive uninhabitable, leading to abandonment. This behavior is a survival mechanism, representing the colony’s decision that its current home is no longer viable. It leaves behind brood and honey, unlike swarming where honey is carried.