5
$\begingroup$

There is a beehive about 500-1000 meters away from my house. During the last years, almost every day, one or more bees enter from the window, "dance" for an hour or two, and then drop dead on the floor. Some more details:

  • The bees may come in every hour of the day, but most of them come just before sunrise. This morning about 20 of them came in; now they are all dead on the floor near the window:

enter image description here

  • Often, the bees prefer to make their "dance" near the lamp. But this is not always the case.
  • They usually do not sting me; I was stung only twice, the bee died immediately afterwards, I took the sting out with tweezers, and it did not hurt too much.
  • I did not use pesticides or any other stuff that could kill the bees.

Why are they doing this? How can I stop them from coming?

I read that bees are disappearing; maybe it's because they all come to my house to die? :-)

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
11
  • $\begingroup$ How can we possibly know? $\endgroup$
    – David
    Nov 8, 2019 at 16:31
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Abnormal behavior could be explained by use of pesticides, such as neonicotinoids. You may not be using pesticides, but agricultural companies around your place of residence may be using them. Hard to say for sure in the regulatory vacuum we live in, where our environment is concerned. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder $\endgroup$
    – Alex Reynolds
    Nov 9, 2019 at 4:11
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ As @AlexReynolds indicated bee loss has been linked to neonicotinoids (a class of pesticides often used as a seed treatment), but many pesticides and pathogens can have neurological effects. Consequently, I wouldn't believe any diagnosis made that didn't involve inspection for parasites and a toxicological workup ... Also getting someone local involved could result in the problem being solved! $\endgroup$
    – tyersome
    Nov 10, 2019 at 0:10
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @David - Just because you don't know doesn't mean no one can know. forestecologist might know; a bee keeper might know; who knows who might kniow, but someone might. You should be less dismissive. $\endgroup$
    – anongoodnurse
    Nov 10, 2019 at 20:32
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @anongoodnurse your guess was correct - my window does indeed face the rising sun. And the link you gave indeed describes a situation very similar to mine. Thanks! $\endgroup$
    – Erel Segal-Halevi
    Nov 11, 2019 at 13:14

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
4
$\begingroup$

After years of struggling with the bees, I finally found a solution. I put in my window a lot of pots with various flowers, including some vegetable plants with flowers. Now, instead of entering my house, the bees go to the flowers.

As a bonus, I get wonderful scents and some fresh cucumbers - pollinated by the bees. I have learned that bees are not a nuisance - they are an asset!

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
4
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Don't forget to mark your answer as best answer. $\endgroup$
    – DKNguyen
    Nov 7, 2021 at 18:07
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Fragrances inside your house were probably attracting them then. I just use nets to keep out lots of curious insects. Bees and wasps, for no discernible reasons, sometimes investigate the nets pretty thoroughly... almost certainly looking for a way in, either to nest or who knows what. $\endgroup$
    – Fizz
    Nov 7, 2021 at 20:11
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Also, based on your location: in arid/desert areas bee colonies send out more scouts. $\endgroup$
    – Fizz
    Nov 7, 2021 at 20:29
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ By the way, bees can see UV and of all the frequencies this is the most attractive to them nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64782-y. So it's possible the bulbs you were using, e.g. if CFL, were attracting them. $\endgroup$
    – Fizz
    Nov 7, 2021 at 20:53

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.