Red bees

[W. Peters]

I went out to check my bees yesterday. Everything seemed to be fine. I had picked up these bees from a swarm this spring and believe that they are common Italian. Yesterday, however, I did notice that a few of the bees had odd coloring. The two yellow bands on the abdomen closest to the thorax were bright red. Has anyone else seen this coloring before? If so, is there any genetic significance assosiated with it?

[Eaglerock]

A picture would be nice. Can you get one?

[BerkeyDavid]

SOUnds like Alien Bees! Maybe from Mars!

[Joseph Clemens]

I went out to check my bees yesterday. Everything seemed to be fine. I had picked up these bees from a swarm this spring and believe that they are common Italian. Yesterday, however, I did notice that a few of the bees had odd coloring. The two yellow bands on the abdomen closest to the thorax were bright red. Has anyone else seen this coloring before? If so, is there any genetic significance assosiated with it?

It's called "Humming Bird Feeder syndrome". It happens when their is a dearth and there are people feeding humming birds with the feed that has red colorant, within foraging distance of the hives affected.

[Bill W.]

They've been drinking the Koolaid? ;)

[deantn]

I've got hummingbird feeders all over and never had a honey bee land on them, they fly all around the porches and have never even slowed down at one of the feeders.

[Scrapfe]

I went out to check my bees...Yesterday
...notice(d)....that a few of the bees had odd coloring. The two yellow bands on the abdomen...bright red.

This is a piece of cake.
Your got bees are from Kansas?
They got red stripes?
You got J. Hawker bees, also known as Red Legs.

[adamf]

It's called "Humming Bird Feeder syndrome". It happens when their is a dearth and there are people feeding humming birds with the feed that has red colorant, within foraging distance of the hives affected.

YES Exactly! Saw this last year--had hopes of new line of "Red" rocket
bees...

Planning my retirement on a tropical island with this new novelty bee-type
when I saw my neighbor's Hummingbird feeder hanging about 75 yards from
where the "Red" workers' hive was.
:D


Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com