Balcony journal - Red dwarf honey bees

 Jul 2nd/3rd 2026 - Red dwarf honey bees

My ajwain pot had some interesting visitors a month ago for a few days.  They have not come back (or I should say more accurately, I have not observed them since those couple of days).

The context

The beginning of July - temperatures were high and the rains had not really started.  We water the balcony pots regularly, so they are a ready source of moisture and wet soil.

Red Dwarf Honey Bees -  Apis florea

I noticed these bees for the first time this summer - 3 different locations around Thiruvanmyur - and for the first time in our balcony.  I was really intrigued by what they were doing in the mud.

I took these short videos with my phone camera- I was quite close, but they did not seem to mind me.

I checked before going close - Apis flora are pretty mild, harmless bees.  They usually fly off rather than sting - and that explains my bravery.

I wondered if they were after the water or do bees also mud puddle?

Given the warm weather - I did feel they were sipping water , as they were quite still.  They almost seemed to be resting.  Then they seemed to scratch the mossy mud with their forelegs, before buzzing off.  hey Were they collecting minerals dissolved in the muddy water maybe?

I watched in fascination - the soil was wet, but there were no "puddles" - so how would they be getting the water I wondered.  

Bees kept coming back and forth - I wondered if the same ones kept returning, or were they a relay of colony bees all coming for a water break?  there must be a nest closely somewhere - but where to look?  I read that these bees have smaller honeycombs which could go unnoticed.

Oh and there was a millipede in the middle of all the action - and the bees seemed quite unbothered by millipede, and vice versa too.  Interesting!

None of the bees seemed particularly in a hurry, isn't it?  They kind of malingered around, did not sip and leave immediately.  They spend a noticeable amount of time with their heads down.

And they each minded their own business - no jostling, or no hellos to each other also.  Worker bees at their favourite watering spot.

I will update the journal - if I see anything new.