The BEES and dried algae! WOW!!

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So, I let my water fountain dry out because it was one less thing to have to clean string algae off of. (A whole other story)

As the fountain dried out, I removed 99% of the algae but couldn’t get it all... the concrete is too porous and bits of it just embedded into the fountain. After a few days, I noticed that a few bees started attracting to the remnants of the dried algae that was on the concrete fountain. I didn’t really pay much attention to it since it was just a couple of bees; they looked like they were feeding on the dried algae remnants.

Well… I came home from work today, this being about a week after I first noticed the bees, and there must’ve been 200+ bees swarming around that dried concrete fountain! Holy crap! It was a little unnerving. In general, I have a lot of bees around the property... they love my garden flowers, but this was a LOT of bees in a very concentrated area. It looked like I put a car washing sponge into the fountain, there were so many that’s what they reminded me of.

I actually turned the fountain back on because that’s too many bees in one place, and I have two small dogs who could really get hurt.

They are still flying around out there, waiting for the water to turn off, I guess!

Is this a known phenomenon? I never heard of it and a quick google search didn’t produce any relevant info.

// Radar //
 
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Well that's a new one! Maybe @addy1 will have some insight. Are you sure they were bees - not hornets, wasps or yellow jackets?
 
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Not hornets or wasps. Maybe yellow jackets, but I think just regular bees. Didn’t get that close! Lol

Same ones that are always on my flowers, though.
 
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I wonder if they were just moving? I've read that honeybees will sometimes move away and swarm together in a giant group until they find the perfect spot. They rest together along the way and look like a big scary glob of bees...
 

addy1

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If there was any moisture in the algae, i.e. dampness, the bees will start drinking there and then tell all their hive buddies. Algae is one of their favorite places to land and drink from. Where I have small amounts of moss growing the bees swarm it. They also love my small ponds that I let the algae go crazy in. Except this year they have all stay crystal clear.

They love smelly water. I work out where they are drinking all of the time, they never bother me.

Most likely they would not bother your pup. They are focused on getting water. Bees use a lot of water. I watch them inhale drops when they land on the edge of the hot tub. They just suck that water down and fast. Big drops.

I wonder if they were just moving?
This time of year they don't swarm as much. And if they were swarming the ball of bees would come fast and a be huge ball that would stay there and then move onto make a new hive. They would not sit drink and fly back home.
 
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No I can say with confidence that they weren’t moving.

The water premise seems logical, except 1) the algae was dry, looked like white fabric, and 2) there’s 3600 gallons of water 12” below that. Lots of plants (now) they could have landed on and gotten to drink from.

It’s just weird. Really weird. But isn’t nature in general? Lol
I find it all so fascinating.
 
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It literally seemed like they were “eating” it, or somehow getting something beneficial from the algae. Possibly water, or at least moisture I can’t say it wasn’t. Funny thing is, I’ve had the pond dry out numerous times in the past for various reasons and I’ve never experienced the bee thing before. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

j.w

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I read wasps like the smell of vinegar. Maybe the stinky algae attracted them. Yellow jackets will go to flower blossoms also. They love my Sedum plants in bloom!
 
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We had a very strange situation several weeks ago. Bees were swarming our bird feeder and actually keeping the birds away. They would leave for a while, then come back - 50 at a time! Flying around, going in the little holes where the seed comes out, then going back out. It was bizarre. After several days of it, we took down the feeder and changed the type of food. Presto, no more bees hanging out. Very weird but fascinating!
 
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Lol, yeah I agree. Since I folded the fountain, they moved to the string algae that up at the surface. Down to prob 30-40 now.
 

addy1

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They are gathers, if they think it is "pollen" they will gather it and take back to the hive. They pass it off to the hive bees which then say yuck and actually dump it.

This time of year food sources are disappearing. At least here they are. Fall flowers are helping.
 
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They are gathers, if they think it is "pollen" they will gather it and take back to the hive. They pass it off to the hive bees which then say yuck and actually dump it.

This time of year food sources are disappearing. At least here they are. Fall flowers are helping.
Makes sense.
 

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