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This is the second time I've seen this happened here. It separated into 3 sections today, yesterday it was in one big mass (see the last pic). It's too far to see, but I think they are honey bees. Swarming is part of the natural reproductive life cycle of honey bees. The swarming season is usually between September and December (in Australia) but on rare occasions colonies may swarm at other times. The old queen, together with about half of the bees from the colony, leave the hive and cluster on a nearby object such as a fence or a small shrub. When scout bees (worker bees) have found a permanent nesting site the swarm will move to this site and establish a new colony.
backyard near Royal National Park
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