Subject: Bees walking instead of flying

From: [email-masked] (Mike Buckler)
Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 13:24:08 GMT

I was sitting in the garden today having a cup of coffee and watching the bees
flying around my Almond tree which has just come into flower (spring in
Western Australia) when I noticed a few bees walking around on the grass. The
bees in question looked like they were unable to fly, but had obviously flown
into my garden.
Some of the bees would climb up to the highest point on the plants in the
garden and then just stand there looking pretty clueless (a bit like when you
stall the car at the traffic lights) and without moving their wings. Other
bees would just walk around on the grass not really knowing where they were
heading. I watched these for about 20 minutes. Other bees were flying around
as normal. Weird.

Mike

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From: [email-masked] (Crispin Foster)
Date: 24 Aug 1996 19:46:23 GMT

Has anyone sprayed insecticide near by? Sounds like those bees may have 
been poisoned.
Crispin Foster

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From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 25 Aug 1996 01:15:56 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]

>heading. I watched these for about 20 minutes. Other bees were flying
around

   You'll see an occasional bee that can no longer fly, because her wings
are frayed. You can check and see if this is the case.

   If you see a lot of them, they are sick bees.  The most likely cause is
that they have taken a pesticide hit, and the bees are dying.  Pesticide
hits do not usually occur because a plane flew over the hive and sprayed
them.  That doesn't usually hurt the bees, because they are inside.

   Pesticide hits come from the food supply being poisoned.  Someone
sprayed some blooming plants that the bees were visiting.  That is illegal
here, though it happens a lot.  I don't know what the laws are in
Australia, though the bees *should* be protected from this kind of
pesticide misuse.

   They could also be suffering from disease or parasites.  Nosema will
make bees crawl around, and this disease crops up when the bees are
stressed.  It could be a combination of poisoning and stress disease.

   Parasitic mites also will shorten adult life span.  I don't think you
are *supposed* to have them yet in Australia.  I hope you haven't
discovered them.

   Disease or parasites usually cause a slow attrition.  If there are
enough crawlers for you to notice, I'd put my money on a pesticide hit.

[email-masked]    Dave Green,  PO Box 1200,  Hemingway,  SC
29554

Practical Pollination Home Page            Dave & Janice Green
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html

[email-masked]                                   Dave and Janice Green
Practical Pollination Home Page    
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html  
PO Box 1200, Hemingway, SC    29554