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There were about 4,200 bees inside the hive, which equals about three pounds of bees

4200 bees would not be very many for a hive. 42,000-60,000 bees would be closer to what a hive might contain.

When bees swarm they become remarkably docile. They no longer have a hive to protect so they won’t likely sting unless hurt. If one is careful it is possible to pick up several pounds of bees with bare hands without being stung.

When a bee stings you, it leaves a chemical message to its sisters that says “sting here”. So if you get stung once, you are likely to get stung several times if you hang around. Africanized bees are notorious for pursuing people/animals a lot farther than regular honey bees.

I had a swarm set up shop right on (and probably in) my worm bin which is in a shady area. It was like a thick blanket of bees which I tested by lopping off a section of them with a stick. The blanket of bees just plopped on the ground but when I checked back in 15 min or so they were back in place covering the worm bin. It was amazing. I took pictures but they didn’t capture the reality of the experience.

I think about two days went by and although they were docile as you said, I was uneducated and concerned they might set up shop for good so I called around and found a beekeeper who told me among other things bees don’t like to be in the sun.

So I dragged the worm bin, and remember, it is quite literally coated with a thick coat of bees, layers of them, out in the sun. Next time I checked back they were gone.

Do you know if their queen is with them when they swarm? So the queen could have been in my swarm? I guarantee you the amount of bees that visited me was well over three pounds, more like 10 at a guess. It was a LOT of bees. I live in a housing tract in suburbia.