# Swarm or Orientation flight? Video



## onespeedbiker (May 17, 2016)

I few days ago I posted a question asking what my bees were doing and there was a difference of opinion. One said it was an large orientation flight and the other a swarm. Well they are doing it again, a large group of bees exiting the hive flying around for a while and then returning. When I took this video, it appears they were all returning to the hive (the hive with the brown box was not involved; it always has bees hanging out). Swarm or Orientation flight?


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Swarm or practice swarm. Orientations do not usually venture that far from the hive.


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## onespeedbiker (May 17, 2016)

If I didn't make it clear, this hive just did this a couple of days ago. I might want to add that these bees never seem to beard anywhere, as I have seen when a swarm leaves a hive. They just fly around for about 15 minutes and then go back in the hive. BTW the weather has been very nice, so I can't see if they want to swarm they would have delayed it for a better time.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

That's why I said practice swarm. The workers are ready, but the queen is not. I have seen this behavior in my OB hive. Where they did this three times over the course of a week. Then the fourth time the did not return. Could be heading out with a virgin queen leaving on a mating flight also. It's conjecture.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

It's not orientation. I'd say practice swarm as well.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

I've got a few monster hives and have never seen an orientation flight like that.


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## Westhill (Jul 26, 2012)

I agree, they are way too far from the hive to be orienting. The other day I said it was probably orienting, but that was before seeing the video.


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## Rzrbackbees (Mar 17, 2015)

Swarm prep for sure.


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## onespeedbiker (May 17, 2016)

This hive did the same thing about 3 months ago, one time, but I never saw any bees leave. Of course I could have missed it, I will keep my eye on what's happening.


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

Just the sound says swarm or practice swarm to me. I heard it too much this spring.....


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

The bees flying around randomly in the air say it's a swarm of some kind. Orienting bees fly back and forth in front of the hive for a few seconds and then fly off into the world - swarming bees fly around in a cloud until the swarm moves off or condenses in a tree. Swarming bees leave the hive differently - they tend to march out on the landing strip and immediatly fly off of it - orienting bees tend to climb up the hive body before taking off. Swarming or orienting only take a few minutes - robbing goes on and on and on.


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## onespeedbiker (May 17, 2016)

Yes, I see it was definitely a swarm. My neighbor contacted me today and said the swarm that occurred 3 months ago, handed on a tree near hie bedroom window. He said at the time he didn't know I was keeping bees, so he called a bee keeper but they flew off before they could be captured. The neighbor said he saw the swarm in my yard a couple of days before and realized I was keeping bees and that he would contact me if he say a swarm again in his yard, so I could "bring them back"; it sounded like he thought of bees like a pet rabbit, but I feel very lucky to have such a neighbor. Anyway, since this one hive has swarmed twice in 3-4 months (not absconded) and continued to be a working and growing hive, I figure it must be a very healthy. I am curious on how much honey these swarms take with them,


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