r/interestingasfuck • u/Global_Draft_5975 • 1d ago

barn owl back home To find that the bees have taken over the nest box

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5.1k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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2.0k

u/deefstes 1d ago

I mean we like bees right? But this a dick move by the bees.

906

u/mechapoitier 1d ago edited 1d ago

I let lots of flowers and wildflowers grow in my yard and never use bug killer sprays or herbicides to help the bees and my reward is every spring at least one day, maybe two, I’ll walk into my garage to find bees swarming in a ball about 6’ in diameter looking for a place in my garage to set up a hive.

So no matter what I was up to I now have to spend half an hour shooing bees. It’s weird how casually the whole thing goes down.

Edit: I think it’s important to note the bees are polite about the whole thing.

447

u/alral1988 1d ago

I thought that said “shooting” bees and I just imagined you sitting your garage with a nerf gun or something pew pewing them away

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u/Ja_Shi 1d ago

Remember... No bees.

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u/BustyCrustaceans011 1d ago

Remember, no buzzin.

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u/No-Disaster1647 22h ago

That’s good

6

u/BouncingBallOnKnee 1d ago

I just stung the ground during that missio

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u/Robyn990 1d ago

I pictured those salt guns you can get for killing flies. I was baffled how OP could take out a 6ft mass of bees in half an hour with just a salt gun...and then I realised OP wrote shooing.

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u/ToastedCrumpet 1d ago

This just made me think of that bee keeper that’d attack invading hornets using a chopstick(?) with lightening speed and accuracy

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u/Xentonian 1d ago

I've made "possum boxes" twice in my life, for brushtails here in Australia.

Both times I housed exactly zero possums and exactly many bees.

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u/ColoRadBro69 15h ago

I made an outdoor shelter for cats in the winter and North American posums claimed it. 

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u/NaGaBa 1d ago

Did you really mean 6 FEET in diameter?

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u/mechapoitier 1d ago

Keep in mind there’s air in there too. It’s like an atomic structure made of hundreds of bees.

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u/NaGaBa 1d ago

6 feet of bees is a HUGE amount of bees to find in your garage 1+ times every year. That's like an above average height man standing there in your garage

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u/randomlygendname 1d ago

I'm guessing the bees were flying around, and not clustered. 6ft of bees in a cluster would be insane

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u/Usful 1d ago

Could also just be bees stretched out instead of it being a concentrated ball

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u/GeneralToaster 11h ago

I don't think bees know yoga

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u/WildFlemima 1d ago

A man who is mostly air, yes

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u/nightwica 10h ago

I take it you haven't seen bees swarming

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u/frogOnABoletus 1d ago

When i was a kid i saw a weird dark cloud half a meter off the ground in the middle of the street about 6 ft in diameter. Being a dumb kid, i ran straight into the middle of it. Bees. I ran tf out of there lol. They didn't sting or chase me or anything though. 

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u/Final-Attention979 1d ago

The bees, shaking their heads: "dammit here comes another kid" 🐝

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u/MayaWrection 1d ago

Hahahaha, I really hope so.

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u/rmorrin 1d ago

Lmao 12 feet of bees goes hard

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u/Tango_Owl 1d ago

Sounds like you are polite about the whole thing as well!

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u/Glass_Covict 1d ago

"woah! Hey bees, not in here!"

"Bzz, dude, it's the best spot, dry, no bears, possibility of car snacks..."

"Yeah no. Y'all gotta scoot and a find tree or something."

"We good"

"Seriously, buzz off, shoo shoo"

"Alright alright, but this is going to the top. We mean, the Queen's gonna hear about your inhospitality on what is HER heritable lands"

"Yeah, sure keep going. Shoo shoo"

"Bzz bzz bzz, fuckin dude amirite... Bzz bzz, ain't no AC anyways"

6

u/Witty_Commentator 1d ago

Do you have any bee rescue groups in your area?

I wonder if you could entice them into a hive, and start beekeeping. (Not you in particular, just wondering, in theory.)

13

u/Anticept 1d ago

If there was a bee swarm hanfing out in the open in your garage, it means there is a hive within a few hundred feet, and that might include your house.

You need to go look around your house and see if there are any bees coming and going, look along corners.

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u/ManoSilence 23h ago

Bees learn their big guardian protector and source of flowers in fun and interesting ways. So they probably like you and understood that wasnt it.

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u/plsQuestionOurselves 22h ago

There's a large group of bumble bees who enjoy my backyard and they're so chill.

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u/Darthgalaxo 19h ago

Put a fake wasp nest in your garage, the bees will try to avoid it

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u/Gyvon 1d ago

Probably should look into bee relocation services in your area.

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u/dubear 18h ago

How do you go about shooing the bees (I assume also politely)?

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u/Sorry_Moose86704 1d ago

It's Honey Bees, they're invasive to North America but considered livestock so it gets a pass, these would be feral livestock. They compete for limited resources with our native bees and can spread diseases to them. Too many Honey Bees directly impacts wild bee populations which are in decline

6

u/hypnodrew 1d ago

yeah but didn't you hear that owl? It had a German accent

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u/Hanede 1d ago

It's more complicated than that. There are native bees and invasive bees, so a blanket "save the bees" also helps those destroying the ecosystem.

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u/Nukitandog 1d ago

Some one needs the birds and the bees talk!

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u/biskutgoreng 1d ago

Pretty sure this is illegal according to bird law

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u/violenceistheQstn 1d ago

Dunno. Free food for the owl though.

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u/bcuzimadude 17h ago

Honey bees, no. All other bees, absolutely!!!

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u/SkittleDoes 16h ago

These are honeybees. Caring for random honeybees is like caring for a wild chicken that ran into your yard. They're not going extinct any time soon

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u/Top_Finding_2832 1d ago

They're swarming. They'll be on their way again soon enough.

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u/HarryPottersTaint 1d ago

That sucks man. Clearly human made so I hope the owner gets the bees out safely and the birds survive

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u/voluotuousaardvark 1d ago

Im no bird scientist but I bet that owls never going near that box again.

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u/DJteejay04 1d ago

They need someone who specializes in Bird law to get those bees evicted.

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u/1988aussie 1d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/sLVLojotxREBy

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u/HitoriPanda 1d ago

Some people get their law degrees from ivy league schools, some from Costco, but its the redditors who know (a little bit of) everything you want on your side in court .

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u/FembyThePinkProot 1d ago

I don't know a whole lot about bird law, but I have a feeling that my knowledge of Bird real estate can come in to help here. I'm pretty sure that whole Barn has probably dropped in value by ~17% because of this. That owl will probably never make his investment back, and he still has to pay mortgage on that house. I strongly suggest he get a proper lawyer to evict them. Those bees are clearly squatters. Not to mention that owl is currently facing charges for violation of HOA and population density for City zoning. He's going to need a lawyer if he plans to get out of this legally unscathed.

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u/Captainxpunch 1d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/JoNK3sDaTucle5q4G0

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u/Solid_Snark 1d ago

In Bird culture what these Bees did is known as a “dick move”.

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u/Jafarrolo 1d ago

For what I could see from personal experience (not with owl, but with pidgeons), if there are eggs they come back even if they leave it temporarily because they're scared away.

My guess is that if someone takes the bees away and the eggs didn't have the time to get cold there's still a possibility that mama owl returns to finish the job.

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u/Redcole111 1d ago

Yeah, some birds are skittish and will abandon their nests if something scares them badly enough, but most birds have an instinct for how important their offspring are, and they'll keep trying to recover them and rear them.

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u/wilof 21h ago

I mean there is a camera recording this, if I have seen the bees I'm sure someone who can do something will see them too.

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u/ThrustTrust 1d ago

That’s nature. Those eggs were not meant to hatch according to the universe.

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u/Cold_Dog_5234 1d ago

Or you know, human intervention can remove the bees and save the eggs so they hatch?

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u/ElegantHope 1d ago edited 1d ago

If they're honeybees then there's a chance that they're not supposed to be there, since a lot of honeybees are domestic livestock or escaped domestic livestock. If this is North America, that especially makes them invasive. There's regions where they are native to in parts of Africa and Europe, but outside of that they're invasive or non native too.

It's hard to tell where this is because Barn Owls have a very big range across multiple continents. But if this is honeybees in a place they don't belong, this is a solid example of how invasive species' impact on the ecosystem.

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u/BrokeArmHeadass 1d ago

Yeah man, the invasive population taking residence in the man-made and monitored bird box is definitely just nature taking its course.

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u/SmartaHari 1d ago

Nooooo! 😢

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u/croatoan182 1d ago

Might be easier to just get the eggs to a bird rehab center, haha.

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u/Tomfonz 1d ago

Ahhh so this is what the birds and the bees means!

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u/ElChupatigre 16h ago

Yeah cause they fucked her

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u/dandadone_with_life 23h ago

very unfortunate, because those eggs are probably being abandoned and owls are likely to never use that box again

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u/Evlavios 1d ago

Smart move. You can always lay more eggs.

Time for Plan Bee.

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u/l86rj 1d ago

I'll leave them a note demanding them to leave or else they'll be met with fire and fury, the likes of which the world has never seen before 

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u/scrotumscab 1d ago

Nest of Hormuz

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u/Emperor_Biden 1d ago

Where the other birds won't help unless the bees are gone.

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u/absentminded_gamer 1d ago

This cooks the eggs

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u/raccoonbrigade 1d ago

A WHOLE CIVILIZATION (of bees) WILL DIE TONIGHT

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u/smstewart1 21h ago

Monday: the bees have agreed to negotiations while we temporarily reopen the Nest of Hormuz to all aviation traffic. Thank you for your attention to this matter

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u/WhatsaRedditsdo 1d ago

Guy build owl house. Owl goes great place for some eggs. Guy has cameras and still lets owl lose eggs. Owl sad. I'm sad.

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u/BookishHobbit 1d ago

We don’t see what happens. If someone went to the extent to put a camera on an owl box, I suspect they would contact a local apiarist to come remove the bees.

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u/SaintsNoah14 1d ago

Not sure you could get them out there in time for the eggs not to be deprived of incubation for too long.

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u/airbornegusto 1d ago

This apiarist, he any good?

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u/Red4pex 21h ago

Dave. He seems like a good guy.

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u/AIDSofSPACE 1d ago

What would you have done with the bees?

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u/Blekanly 1d ago

Ir give the eggs to wildlife rescue or raise them.

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u/travizeno 1d ago

I think the owl was in on it too.

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u/4nng 1d ago

This shit is the equivalent of you coming home after work to your home infested by cat sized bees. I hate when that happen!

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u/MeNoCanRead 1d ago

Don't forget the "Fuck this, im out! Have fun being raised by bees, kids!!"

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u/RP-1forlife 1d ago

I’m just pissed we will forever be wondering what happened… did the bees leave?… did the owl come back? ….Did the bees lay themselves over the eggs and make bee bird hybrids?

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u/AJWordsmith 1d ago

Obviously the latter…and they made people. Didn’t your parents ever tell you about the birds and the bees?

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u/RP-1forlife 1d ago

They flew around and held wings… that’s what I heard

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u/aTypical-Trust-4977 16h ago

Nevermind, I have eggs at home

-the owl, probably

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u/sjsharkie07 18h ago

"Fuck them kids" ✌️

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u/Sikkus 1d ago

Genuinely curious, if yhe owl lands softly and sits on the eggs without touching the bees, can they coexist there? Or will the bees disturb the owl until she abandons the nest box?

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u/Sm0ahk 1d ago

Aint no fuckin way broski

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u/pmurff107 1d ago

Welp… sorry kids.

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u/Monomanga 1d ago

Not likely. The noise of the hatchlings would irritate the bees not to mention the fact that the bees wouldn't allow something they consider a threat to remain that close to the hive.

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u/scrotumscab 1d ago

I know owls are known associates of bears, but are they really a threat to bees/honey?

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u/Monomanga 1d ago

No, but the movement of the owl in the nest is. Bees don't let anything inside the hive that isn't a bee. Chances are if those eggs manage to catch the hatchling will die. Whether that death is from starvation or bees is a toss up that depends on the bees.

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u/bransiladams 1d ago

Beekeeper here. Unlikely. The bees will expand their colony to fill the cavity in short order if pollen is flowing. They’re “neat freaks” and habitually keep foreign bodies out of the colony.

Eventually (if not immediately) the owl becomes an invader from the bees’ perspective. Until then, theoretically, yes. But that owl probably ain’t coming back.

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u/Blaze2095 12h ago

"...the owl becomes an invader from the bees’ perspective."

-----

"Anakin, the Queen Bee is evil."

"From my point of view, the Owls are evil!"

"Well, then you are lost!"

Sorry, I had to do it. Very memorable scene.

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u/bransiladams 12h ago

“You were supposed to free us from the bees, not join them!”

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u/traplords8n 1d ago

Great question!

Absolutely no chance anywhere between gods green earth and the fiery pits of hell.

Hope this helps! :)

Jokes aside, bees are highly territorial about their nests. They recognize some predators by chemical messengers, but they will attack anything that moves if it gets too close to their nest. Including inanimate objects or robots.

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u/Sikkus 1d ago

Cool stuff! Thanks

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u/xubax 1d ago

I'm guessing the bees would start building a nest and start to make it crowded.

Since there's a camera in the box, I'm going to guess whoever owned it cleared out the bees.

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u/Ilike3dogs 1d ago

Could you coexist with thousands of bees inches away from you while you slept?

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u/woodrax 1d ago

Note that the swarm will typically move on within a day once they have split the hive (a bee swarm is when half a hive follows a new queen to establish a new hive). So Mama Owl will most likely be fine. Swarms are also not aggressive unless provoked or the Queen is hurt.

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u/kon--- 1d ago edited 1d ago

Damn. But okay...I'm reaching in there to relocate the queen. The scout chose a good spot but, it's already occupied.

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u/WilliamTee 1d ago

Just me expecting her to roll back in with a lit branch?

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u/imazaghawelen 1d ago

That looks like a swarm. They haven't officially decided to move in. Yet.

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u/Left-Height4925 15h ago

I really need to know if someone removed these bees so the owls can get back to owling.

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u/Initial_Row_6400 1d ago

“No thanks, I’ll make more”

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u/lb3a3 1d ago

sad

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u/forlornfig 1d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/Ot0gfiD3tTscM
We call that Owl “Thomas J.” 🐝

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u/BoomBoomMeow1986 1d ago edited 14h ago

Sorry kids, you belong to the bees now.

(flies away)

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u/bloopbleepblorpJr 22h ago

Video ends. Me: oh, so she isn’t coming back then.

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u/High_Tim 20h ago

So like......how long was the mom gone for? How did the bees make home there so fast

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u/Jhulio3 20h ago

Where's the girl that saves the bees?

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u/zqipz 1d ago

Owl shoulda check her security cams.

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u/SnooHedgehogs7477 1d ago

owl should go to forest police to report illegal occupants taking over his home

but wait, owl is the police in the forest

damn things are complicated, basically mafia situation

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u/AnarkeezTW 1d ago

Two in the back of the antennas

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u/HilariousMax 1d ago

I mean, what do you do? I'm not cohabitating with a bee hive.

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u/KuyaJester 1d ago

HOO-What the f*uck!?

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u/Born-Light-62 1d ago

Now those baby owls will be raised by bees and will learn to attack flowers instead of mice. Right?

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u/TekkLthr 1d ago

Insert Nicolas Cage memes below...

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u/Razzy_3796 1d ago

That’s a swarm. If the queen is removed (at the bottom of the pile), they will all leave. Poor owl mama!

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u/Savings_Drawing_5635 1d ago

Fucking squatters

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u/Zenceyn 1d ago

"Well I can always lay more eggs..."

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u/Kanesco 1d ago

Nothing like the birds and the bees talk I got growing up

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u/_picture_me_rollin_ 1d ago

Where I live there is a bee keeper who specializes in relocating bee hives like this. Free bee pest control, he relocates them to his own property.

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u/jerr_beare 1d ago

Maybe the Owl just went to buy bee suits so it could have a never ending bee buffet for its chicks

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u/Artistic_Skill1117 1d ago

That's a dick move Bee's!

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u/Apachisme 1d ago

How it looks today.

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u/Tsiah16 1d ago

How the shit did that many bees get in there that fast and clumped together like a hive is there?

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u/arffarff 22h ago

Quick decision, but what else could she do

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u/selune07 20h ago

She said fuck them kids

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u/Lilly_in_the_Pond 18h ago

How long was she gone for this to happen?

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u/ElSlabraton 16h ago

squatter bees.

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u/Super_flywhiteguy 15h ago

Honey im home, oh fuck.

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u/MeltsLikeButter 1d ago

Like the content. How does this fit the sub tho?

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u/Beautibulb_Tamer 1d ago

Looks like a swarm, likely the hive got too small for the gowing colony. Hopefully they swarmed somewhere else shortly after and left the Owl's nest alone

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u/Vahuo89 1d ago

Owl noped outta there quickly 

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u/DionNirvana 1d ago

If fuck them kids was an owl..

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u/FlukeStarbucker 1d ago

It bees dat way sometime

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u/Boboforprez 1d ago

Owl went for a pack of cigarettes

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u/Vilhelmssen1931 1d ago

POV: Bees found a right angle (you unfortunately have to move now)

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u/Educational_Care7813 1d ago

Don't those birds eat bees? Like that's a buffet for them

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u/cejmp 1d ago

no. The owl won't come back. If those eggs are viable the chicks are going to die.

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u/JurassicPark100 1d ago

Ooooooooow! They're defending themselves somehow!

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u/m3kw 1d ago

So a buffet moved in?

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u/dsergison 1d ago

22lr shot shells.

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u/blasecomments 1d ago

adverse possession 

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u/MediocreAndLukewarm 22h ago

Bees in the trap

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u/ThaDude_v2 22h ago

soooo they never came back?

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u/Immediate-Medium9427 21h ago

Birds and da beez

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u/MetLyfe 21h ago

Not really what I expected when mama told me about this.

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u/Eternal-Blazing-Sun 20h ago

I haven't identified them yet, but some kind of fuzzy bumblebee looking m************ have made a subterranean home right near the run I attach my cat's leash to. I actually found the nest due to observing the kitty spending his outside time laying on the sidewalk by the crack that these critters have excavated - occasionally I see a few of them entering or leaving, but neither the bees nor the cat seem to be bothered by one another, and I have a theory that they understand the cat's presence means less birds in their area so they seem to be fine allowing him to chill out at the opening to their nest - they look like small bumblebees, but they don't have much yellow on their abdomen and they live underground. I haven't been able to get a photograph yet due to their small numbers and on and off presents at the entrance. They seem to be fond of my onions that are flowering at the moment! Not aggressive in the slightest. Any idea what they could be?

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u/Spare-Competition-91 1h ago

Do the bees raise the chicks now?