strange cloud of bees

[11x]

well it has rained off and on for 3 days now. i have been watching my bees for the last few weeks(installed a 4 med frame nuc on may 14th) i have seen a few bees out side of the hive at a time and slowly increasing in number. i went out this morning and it was the usual 10 or 15 in the air going in and out of the hive. well it sprinkled all morning just a light mist. well it is still very cloudy out but i went out a few min ago and there is a huge cloud of i would say 100-150 bees in the air, on the ground,on the hive and on the building behind the hive. thay dont seem to be doing any thing just flying in circles and landing back in the hive or on the surroundings. their seem to be as many going out as their is comming in. is this a swarm trying to organise? or maby a cycle of brood hatching? all i know is it is alittle scary on a nasty non-flying day to see that many bees. sorry for the long post but i am worried as i wont be home this weekend. should i go look in the hive? is there anything i should do? maby add a super?

[NasalSponge]

Orientation and/or cleansing flights

[11x]

well just went and looked again and all seems well. just never seen my bees do anything like that before. this beekeping is a learning experience for shure.:scratch:

[tecumseh]

yes it sounds like an orientation flight related to a flush of new young bees hatching...

I would suggest (encourage all new bee keepers) that getting to recognize the sound assoicated with the various behaviors of a hive. the bees quite typically make a soft and pleasing humming sound during orientation flight. robbing can look much the same but the girls sound gets a bit higher pitched and nervous.

[dindallas]

I have had the fortunate (unfortunate for newly hatched queens) experience of hearing one newly hatched queen "chirping" to elicit a response from other queens getting ready to hatch. You can imagine that the results were not good for one of the queens.

Tecumseh suggested that we all learn to recognize the different sounds coming from a hive. I agree that it is a good idea. Does anyone have a link to videos/recordings of the different sounds so we can learn to recognize them?

[BEES4U]

The orientation flights of the young bees is a welcomed sight to see and it's a sign that a package bee hive or established bee hive is getting stronger!
Those bees will become foragers to bring in nectar and pollen.
Enjoy,
Ernie

[NasalSponge]

experience of hearing one newly hatched queen "chirping"

That is known as piping and I am jealous!! I have heard in on a youtube vid but never in real life:(

[Brent Bean]

There is a good book that explains what’s going on inside the hive by what’s happing on the outside (At the Hive Entrance) by H. Storch. I got a copy form betterbee.com.

[BEES4U]

When you hear the queens quank quank quanking and zeep zeep zeeping you will have an experience1
Ernie