Maule Driver wrote:
Morgans wrote:

Bee swarms are a different animal than what Hollywood presents. All
the bees are interested in the Queen, and the Queen only. If the
wingtip was removable, you could have walked up to the plane, taken
the tip off, and walked over somewhere else and given it a sharp rap
against something, and the queen would have fallen off, and everyone
would have followed her. No protective equipment, no stings, or
anything.

Intellectually, I know and believe that. Emotionally, I was unable to
even get near the plane in a sealed car until I was convinced the queen
and her court had left. But knowing how they operate was the only thing
that allowed me to get in and fire it up despite the FBO's staff belief
that some must still remain in my ventilation system waiting to sting me.

I'd have to say it depends a lot on what part of the country you're
in. Here in Central AZ, most wild bee colonies are africanized. If
you try Morgans trick on one of their swarms you're likely to end up in
a hospital for a few days. Morgans is correct that all the bees are
interested in is the queen, but for an africanized colony, they're
mostly interested in protecting the queen with their lives while
enroute to a new hive. You don't even have to be bothering them.
Just being within 50 ft. of an africanized colony on the move will make
you a target. They're not the stuff of the 70s movies, but they do
command a great deal more caution and respect than european bee swarms.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)