Bees chewing the observation hive

[dehavik]

Whew! Just moved three frames of brood and stores to an observation hive for a school presentation tomorrow. The weather has been miserable all month (rain, sleet, and upper 30s temp) and the bees were quite pissed about the intrusion. However, the transfer went quickly and smoothly.

My question is this: The bees in the observation hive are all lined up in a frenzy of chewing the wood around the ventilation holes and where the glass sides slide in. I don't think they can chew their way out before the presentation tomorrow, but does anyone know if that is their goal? Or are they expanding because bee space might be a little tight? I'm hoping they will leave the wood alone and pay attention to the syrup feeder, which they've ignored so far. The teacher gave me permission to bring an obs hive into the school as long as no bees can get out.

[Michael Bush]

Bees always TRY to get out. The important thing is to make sure they can't...