Beekeeper’s Notes June 2018: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet…

Published on: 1 Jun, 2018
Updated on: 29 May, 2018

Hugh Coakley keeps bees in Worplesdon. He talks about the amazing speed of the tiny honey bee.

Sitting in the apiary the other week in the nice weather, it was very pleasant to see the world of the allotment leisurely proceeding and, in contrast, the constant and urgent bee traffic coming and going.

Taking out the rubbish. It must be the ‘bin day’ as the bees are ejecting some paper from the hive. They are very meticulous about cleanliness and hygiene and have specific bees nominated in the hive who take out unwanted debris or bee corpses.

I say urgent but it is somehow different from the urgency of humans.

Yes, it is unceasing and, no, they don’t hang around for a chat (the bees that is, not the allotmenteers who love a good gas).

The bees leave the hive on a mission, no dithering about direction or purpose.

They shoot off at an amazing speed, about 15 to 20 mph, straight as a bullet and angled up at about 45 degrees to get over the fence that I have erected around the apiary.

They come back at a slower speed, about 10 to 12 mph, probably because they are laden with nectar or pollen or water or propolis.

They look like they are putting the air brakes on as they approach the landing strip so they don’t crash land.

In fact, surprisingly, not many do. They are a very agile lot.

It is like watching a speeded up Heathrow with flights coming in and out all the time. Not as regulated though and too many flights to count.

It isn’t quite a speeding bullet but you know it if one of them hits you on the side of the head.

Bees coming into land with their legs swept back and tucked under, ready to be deployed like an airplane’s undercarriage.

That’s one of the reasons why beekeepers fence around the apiaries.

It isn’t just to keep out the unwary or the foolish.

It is also to encourage the bees to rise above 6ft before buzzing off, avoiding flying into passing gardeners, children or whoever could be unfortunate enough to get in the way of a speeding bee with a plan.

Responses to Beekeeper’s Notes June 2018: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet…

Harry Eve Reply

June 29, 2018 at 1:07 pm

I wonder what the bees think about beekeepers interfering with the trajectory of their plans?

Hugh Coakley says: “The bees tend to have a favoured direction coming out of the hive. In my apiary, they tend to fly south east but also upwards to get over the fence. They then head off in different directions towards their forage location (predetermined by instructions in the ‘waggle dance’ from fellow bees). In their natural woodland habitat, they would have to find a preferred route through the obstacles presented by the trees whether that be up or down or whatever.