Question on bearding, fanning, roaring.

[DennisT]

The three broodbox hive I have has been bearding for months now. It seemed to have nothing to do with swarming, possibly ventilation.
Right now (11pm) they are bearding a bit more than usual, about half the bees are fanning and the others seem to be chewing/licking the entrance board. And I noticed this because of the roar. The other hives have never done this. It is also a cool evening and fanning isn't necessary. I lifted the cover and they were loud in there too.
I was hoping to add one of these boxes to a weak hive tomorrow, now I'm wondering what on earth is going on (queenless?)

[Joel]

Dennis, this is a good thing. You have a healthy populus hive that is thriving. The field workers not needed inside will beard on the boxes at night on a well populated hive. The roar you hear is not for cooling but bees fanning their wings over nectar to evaporate moisture and make honey. I would suggest you could add more supers if what you have appears to be 3/4's full. I'm asuming your fall flow must be in the early stage as washboarding (bees rocking at the entrance) is usually a sign of little nectar. Sicne they ar fanning at night some must be coming in. Be alert to swarming although there is little you could do about it at this point. Look for pollen coming in to answer your queen question but I'm betting your fine.