Photo of the Day ~ Macro: Bugs and Closeups Category ~ May 29, 2009

Nikon D-300

North Carolina

United States of America

While visiting my wife’s sister and her husband in North Carolina, my daughter and great-niece went for a walk around the perimeter of the yard. When they came back, they reported seeing a swarm of bees in the tree line. Of course, the first thing I did was grab my camera to go have a look. Scientifically, swarming is called ‘reproductive fission’, a process whereby a social insect colony splits into one or more subunits, each containing at least one queen and a fraction of the colony's workers. A natural occurrence in the wild, swarming propagates the species. It is always a planned event and can be caused by overcrowding, starvation or internal hive problems. Overcrowding is the main reason for a honey bee swarm though. A swarm consists of the original queen and several thousand workers. A swarm will cluster on a branch near the original nest while scouts seek a new, permanent location. This may take a few hours or a few days. Rarely, a swarm will build a new nest where it first alights.