# Scout Bees



## dunit (Apr 16, 2014)

Okay I'm in the dark about something. Do scout bees actively seek "new homes" all the time, or only after the swarm has left the old hive? Thanks in advance......


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## smoore (Feb 1, 2012)

The majority of the work is done after the swarm leaves the hive and clusters. I have defiantly seen references in the literature that some scouting may be done in the days leading up to a swarm leaving the hive but I have not seen it suggested they always seek new homes. I'm not sure how one would go about testing for that one a long term basis. The swarm scouting is obvious and easy to observe, the preswarm scouting can be verified by marking all the bees in a hive days before a swarm event and monitoring where they go but long term scouting activity would be hard to observe.


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## Northwest PA Beekeeper (Mar 28, 2012)

I think if bees are flying by and "smell" either old comb or some kind of scent - lemongrass oil / queen juice they will stop to investigate.

But as for them seeking new homes all the time? No. 

However, if a swarm is imminent in coming from a hive, I do believe they "pre scout" BEFORE the swarm actually comes out of the hive and clusters. (This would account for the bees that swarm and an hour later they take off for their new home.)

Several years ago I had scouts checking out a hive near my sister's house. It took them over a week before the swarm actually moved in. I do not believe the colony swarmed and then started looking and stayed clustered for a week before moving in. I believe they already had scouts out looking and then once they swarmed, they narrowed down their choices and then moved in.

Of course, on the other hand, I think sometimes the bees do swarm and have not sent scouts out before hand. This would explain the swarms that end up hanging there for 3 or 4 days or the ones that just build an open colony where they land.


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## Northwest PA Beekeeper (Mar 28, 2012)

I think if bees are flying by and "smell" either old comb or some kind of scent - lemongrass oil / queen juice they will stop to investigate.

But as for them seeking new homes all the time? No. 

However, if a swarm is imminent in coming from a hive, I do believe they "pre scout" BEFORE the swarm actually comes out of the hive and clusters. (This would account for the bees that swarm and an hour later they take off for their new home.)

Several years ago I had scouts checking out a hive near my sister's house. It took them over a week before the swarm actually moved in. I do not believe the colony swarmed and then started looking and stayed clustered for a week before moving in. I believe they already had scouts out looking and then once they swarmed, they narrowed down their choices and then moved in.

Of course, on the other hand, I think sometimes the bees do swarm and have not sent scouts out before hand. This would explain the swarms that end up hanging there for 3 or 4 days or the ones that just build an open colony where they land.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Dunit,
Let me enlighten you and bring you out of the dark. lol
Scout bees are always seeking, but seeking for nectar. They do scout for new diggs about a week or so before the swarm is timed to fly. You will find bees are great communicators. 
Most often the scout bees find a swarm trap because they are looking to rob out the contents within. Especially if it smells "hivey" (old comb, smells of honey residual) They have a really good sense of smell.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Do scout bees actively seek "new homes" all the time, or only after the swarm has left the old hive?

My impression from watching scouts check out empty hives is that bees looking for nectar sources take note of other useful things like future homes. When they swarm I think they remember them.


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## Rzrbackbees (Mar 17, 2015)

I've had bees "scouting" some empty hives in my yard for a couple weeks. About a week ago I noticed some aggressive behavior at the entrance by 2-3 bees. This past Sunday the group of aggressive bees was about 5 bees that would mob each bee that arrived. Sort of giving them a once over TSA pat down. Two hours later a huge swarm arrived and occupied the hive. I believe as early as a week out certain bees had picked the hive for the coming swarm and were somewhat protecting it.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

That kind of defensive behavior is always a good sign.


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## dunit (Apr 16, 2014)

Interesting.....the more I learn the less I know.


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## GarfieldBeek (Jan 12, 2015)

Take everything I say with a grain of salt, I'm in my second year and just learning every day. A friend and I have been aggressively using traps to capture swarms the past two weeks.

These are couple of things I've noticed and been surprised by:

I'd read about the scout bees and I've seen what I expected them to be, a few bees actively checking out a trap and you can almost see them "measuring" it flying all over it on the outside inspecting it, going in and out etc.

Here's what surprised me. On three occaisions now I thought that I had already caught the swarm. There was a LOT of activity, guard bees at the opening, steady coming and going and I believe, probably at least a couple of hundred bees moved in. Then, while we were preparing to take the trap down and transfer bees we actually saw the real swarm arrive, the cloud of bees in the thousands, swarming, landing, bearding the fiber pot and eventually just kind of melting into the opening.

I had figured that scout bees would be just a few but I've observed three times now a kind of "expeditionary force" of bees that moves in up to a couple of days early. I had not expected this and hadn't read about it.

To the experts- am I reading this behavior right?


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## jwdeeming (Apr 22, 2014)

I'm not an expert - just hung my first ever swarm traps last weekend. But I am reading the book Honeybee Democracy and it mentioned there can be 100-150 scouts lobbying for a new location before the hive will commit. Also read elsewhere on this forum that they may post guards to discourage other scouts during the time when the new site is agreed upon but the swarm hasn't arrived yet.


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## GarfieldBeek (Jan 12, 2015)

Thanks, I guess that's what I was seeing but I think 150 would be a conservative estimate.


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

dunit said:


> Interesting.....the more I learn the less I know.


This has become one of the working philosophies of my life!
I'd have to agree with just about everything I've read in this thread. There is clearly competition among colonies for new nest sites, even if nest sites are plentiful. 
The earlier you get the traps out, the better your success is in my experience. Then again, there are those instances such as what happened to me twice last year where I sat a trap out and caught a prime swarm the very next day. That happened two days in a row at the same location.


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