What does a mating flight look like?

[truebluefarm]

Just curious....my bees were behaving oddly yesterday.

I've seen them ready to swarm, like a tornado above the hive. This was not that. They were about 100 yards from the one set of hives and flying around in no particular pattern, but lots of them.

We did just hive a swarm about a week ago, and was wondering if that was what was going on. But would she mate so close to the hives? Her new hive is not located with the old hives where the bees were acting funny.

[Michael Bush]

I've only watched one for sure from my observation hive. There were a lot of bees that left with the queen when she first left and then came back. Eventually she came back. Usually the queen seems to leave in afternoon.

[beebloke]

Hi,
Was at a large commercial queen breeders yard,they pointed to a queen mating flight.I have never seen one so I reckon they knew what they seen.

It was longer than it was deep or wide,but fairly compact. Like a snake moving,which ever way the head went the rest would follow without breaking away.Remindered me of some screen savers that flow across your monitor.Very hard to describe,best I could do.
Did look much more organized and tighter than a swarm
Time was about 1-2pm .
When I say longer,not by much,enough to say not round or ball like.
Thank you
Beebloke