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Last week, we experienced the process of democracy at its best. As a country, we were able to cast our votes on who we thought should be the President of the United States of America for the next four years. But did you know that our electoral process isn’t that much different than the process of how honeybees find a place to live?
A female scout is sent out to find a new home for the hive. When the scout finds a suitable home that is large enough to store honey with small entrances to keep invaders out, it returns to the current hive to tell the other honeybees about their find. The scout will rave about the new findings by wagging her tail and dancing, this isn’t always the tactic that we see in our own politics but you never know. The scout travels back and forth many times to the prospective site. Each time she returns she continues to wag and dance for the other bees. When her moves are more enthusiastic it is a sign that she still thinks the new site is a great place to live, if her moves get less enthusiastic then the other bees know that she’s not as on board with the new site as she once was. In certain cases, similar to US politics, the scout bee will even head butt other scouts that are trying to convince the hive of going somewhere different.
Eventually, as a group, the bees determine which place is best for the whole group. See, just as with American politics, there is dancing around and even the occasional headbutting but the majority rules on what is for the greater good.
Although you may be seeing bees buzzing around your home it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have an active bee hive in your area. There is a good possibility that you are seeing scout bees. The survival of a bee hive oftentimes depends on the scouting bee. Bees need a constant supply of nectar and have to find a new place to go once their source is low. This is where the scout bee comes in. Scouting bees are sent out to look for a new home for their hive and if you do not take action, your home could be their new home.
To most people, scout bees look just like other active bees but once you get a closer look, you are able to notice small differences in their behavior. Scout bees usually scout an area for about 3 days before moving in or moving on. If you see bees for 5 days or longer, there is a good chance that it is an active hive and not just a scout bee. Scout bees tend to hover around an area rather than a steady stream of bees that are coming and going from the same area; that is typically an active hive. Scout bees are not as aggressive as other bees since they are not protecting their hive.
It is better to treat for scouting bees rather than taking a chance of getting an active hive. Bees can cause structural damage to your property as well as pose a safety risk. It is always best to call a professional exterminating company for bee removal. If you live in the Atlanta, Columbus, or Nashville area and are seeing bees, call Northwest Exterminating and we will come take a look to see if you are seeing scouting bees or an active hive.
Have you seen scouting bees near your home?