Bees on the front of Hive

[Kentuckybee]

I have a general question about this. It is my first year raising my own bees. I started this hive late, the first week in June. I have feed them sugar water all summer in hopes of a strong hive before winter. I live in Northern Kentucky area, winters can be quite cold. It has been very hot and dry the past few weeks. I have been seeing a lot of bees on the front of the hive in the mornings and in the evenings. I think this is normal, but not sure. I do have the top cover opened about an 1/8 of an inch to allow a little air to flow under the cover because it has been so hot.
Is it normal to see the bees covering the front of the hive like this ?
Or am I getting into trouble here ?
Here are my pictures.
Thanks to all you seasoned bee keepers out there.

Bruce

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27288326@N08/2791593451/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27288326@N08/2791591669/

The 1st picture is this morning. The 2nd is last night.

[J-Bees]

mine do that:

I also like your bench, did you make it??

JB:}

[Adrian Quiney WI]

No, I don't think you are in trouble. I am also in my first year. my hive swarmed in the spring - but when it did there was a clump of bees on the front about 3 inches thick by a foot deep.
What you are seeing, I believe, is bees just thermoregulating the hive. When it is too hot in there they come out. If their numbers increase five-fold you may want to reassess.
Reassure yourself by looking in there to see if you have eggs and larva - which means the queen is still laying and not ready to buzz off. Also see how much space they have to work in; Is there room for them to add more stores?
There are lots of threads on here about bees on the front of the hive if you want to corroborate what I am saying, before the veterans have a say, do a couple of searches and you'll see what I mean.
By the way I admire how tidy you have set up the hive area. It looks great, Adrian

[Joseph Clemens]

Mine also are frequently seen to "beard": Bearding in July

Many hives are still bearding this same way, even now. None of my hives have swarmed this season. Most hives only have a thick mustache-like layer of bees on and just below their entrance - though many will have a beard similar to the one in my photograph until the weather cools off into the 70's or lower.

[Kentuckybee]

OK now I really need some help.
They had been building up on the outside of the hive in the morning and nights, I thought it was the heat.

Looks like I feed them too much and both broad boxes were about full so they swarmed.

I hurried up to action setup another hive beside my other one. Caught the swarm out of a near by tree and shook them into the new hive.
I pulled of some of the broad frame and frames of honey 4 frames total and put them into the new hive.

So what do you think ?
Should I have done anything different ?

It looks like they my take to the new box they are in it and all over it.

[Joseph Clemens]

Perhaps not feed them as much; or carefully monitor how they are using what you feed them, and possibly feed more empty frames/combs into the brood nest and move frames of honey/sugar syrup up into supers above the brood nest.

My hives look like the one in my picture for most of the year, but I only feed sugar syrup if the hives are very weak, or so short of stores just before Autumn/Winter that they might not have enough to take them through the Winter. December 2007/January 2008 I fed sugar syrup and pollen supplement because there was an uncustomary dearth of nectar and pollen, through most of 2007 and into early 2008. When I checked the hives in December most had starved down to less than three medium frames each of bees, brood, queen, and had very little honey remaining.

[Joseph Clemens]

Here's another photo taken more recently: Bearding Photo

[Kentuckybee]

I hope mine will just stay home. I took a picture a few hours ago. They are hanging all over the front of the new hive I hope they stay. I have to say I think I made them a little mad shake them into a 5 gallon bucket from the tree and putting them into a new hive.
I am not sure if I have a queen with them or not ????
I just got almost all the bees out of the tree after they swarmed.
Took them to the new hive and shook them into to it.
I took 4 frames of honey and broad from the other hive and put that with them.
I really am only into about 3 months into my first year of bee keeping.
I have read alot into the forums and have a couple of books but I am really really a newby.
Any advice is much apperciated. Thanks

Bruce

[Joseph Clemens]

Sounds like you're doing just fine.

[WayneW]

I have hundreds of white bees on the porch of the hive, as thinck as i have ever seen a breard......... oh wait.......... prolly from the sugar shake down, never mind

[Kentuckybee]

Joesph, Thanks for your support.

Here is my picture I took this evening after all my fun I had today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27288326@N08/2794945776/

Bruce

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#bearding