# What is this writhing mass of insects in my tree? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2019, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000 "2019-06-04T06:21:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/1 "2019-06-04T06:21:38Z")
I found this yesterday. [https://ibb.co/Tc9Tb2g](https://ibb.co/Tc9Tb2g) Image is taken from a 2nd floor window and had to be digitally zoomed, so the quality isn’t great. It is a disc shaped mass of flying insects, with a diameter of approximately 15cm. My first thought was a bee hive, but it doesn’t look anything like the bee hives I’ve seen on those Winnie the pooh documentaries. 2nd question: should I call pest control, or leave it be? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/2 "2019-06-04T06:32:09Z")
Looks like a [honeybee swarm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarming_(honey_bee)). It will disperse soon if it hasn’t already. ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/3 "2019-06-04T07:34:21Z")
I took another shot from a different angle. [https://ibb.co/ZY5y5mm](https://ibb.co/ZY5y5mm) Looks like it’s intended to be permanent. I think I might leave it and only if someone gets stung, then call pest control. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/4 "2019-06-04T07:54:30Z")
Honey bees. Call a bee farmer. They will gladly take it. ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/5 "2019-06-04T08:05:38Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Honey bees. Call a bee farmer. They will gladly take it. This turned out to be good advice. I found a bee keepers association that will do [free relocation](http://www.beekeepersassociation.ae/swarm-removal-original.html). However, they [don’t do it in the summer](http://www.beekeepersassociation.ae/swarm-removal-not-available.html) so I will have to wait a bit. No harm done so far so I don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/7 "2019-06-04T10:45:54Z")
Do I see wax comb in the second photo? It’s less common to set up exposed in the open like that but it does happen. In that case you have an actual hive, no longer a swarm. Still relatively easy to remove. Although with a swarm we literally just hand-scoop then into a box. Depending on how widespread membership is in that association, there may still be folks around and available. But finding them can be tricky. In the US I’d say contact your local USDA extension office. If you’ve got any local message boards, Facebook, etc., it may be worth fishing about. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/8 "2019-06-04T14:11:26Z")
I second the ask around suggestion- I’ve collected one swarm posted about on Facebook and arranged the collection of another. That doesn’t look like a very big swarm to me, it looks like quite a bit of comb and not too many bees. ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/9 "2019-06-05T13:46:14Z")
Weirdly, over the last 24 hours, I’ve become slightly fond of these critters. Would it be a bad idea for me to leave out a bowl of sweet stuff for them, to ensure they survive long enough (until the end of summer) for the bee keepers to relocate them? If I were to do so, what would be the best concoction? Just sugar and water seems a bit devoid of micro-nutrients. Maybe muscovado would be better. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/10 "2019-06-05T15:03:57Z")
All they need is flowers within a mile or so. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/11 "2019-06-05T16:49:22Z")
> [@Saffer](#): > > Weirdly, over the last 24 hours, I’ve become slightly fond of these critters. > Would it be a bad idea for me to leave out a bowl of sweet stuff for them, to ensure they survive long enough (until the end of summer) for the bee keepers to relocate them? > > If I were to do so, what would be the best concoction? Just sugar and water seems a bit devoid of micro-nutrients. Maybe muscovado would be better. I’m just guessing but I think they like honey. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/12 "2019-06-05T16:58:26Z")
Maybe your new friends will give you some honey. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/13 "2019-06-05T19:21:36Z")
> [@Saffer](#): > > Would it be a bad idea for me to leave out a bowl of sweet stuff for them, to ensure they survive long enough (until the end of summer) for the bee keepers to relocate them? [This](https://carolinahoneybees.com/feeding-bees-sugar-water/) was the first hit when I googled feeding honeybees. Seems like plain sugar water is fine, but not necessarily necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/14 "2019-06-05T19:40:37Z")
If feeding honeybees, always use white sugar- brown or muscavado can give them dysentery. I wouldn’t though, leaving stuff like that out in the open is a good way of getting problems, like attracting other bees which then start robbing the little colony. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/15 "2019-06-05T20:07:36Z")
Yeah, look around to see what wildflowers, shrubs etc. you have in blossom, and maybe plant some flower seedlings to provide some extra supply, but no need to give them pre-processed stuff. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/16 "2019-06-05T23:09:18Z")
> [@Saffer](#): > > Weirdly, over the last 24 hours, I’ve become slightly fond of these critters. Are those sweet, little, black Italian bees? They are nice and unlikely to sting, is what I’ve heard. They never sting me. They are like pets. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2019, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/17 "2019-06-06T00:33:02Z")
Down here in the southland we call ‘em good-news bees. If they hang around you’re likely to get good news. According to local woo and my ol’ Granny.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2019, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/18 "2019-06-06T10:08:48Z")
If anything important happens in the family, a birth, a death, a marriage, etc. Be sure to go out there and tell them. If you don’t, they’ll get offended and leave the property. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2019, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-writhing-mass-of-insects-in-my-tree/835000/19 "2019-06-06T21:28:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Maybe your new friends will give you some honey. Lord knows that’s what I’m hoping for.