What are my bees doing VIDEO

[sfisher]

Can anyone tell me what my bees are doing? I dont think they are swarming, its a month old package, with plenty of room in the hive. The bees were leaving the hive at a rate of 5 to 10 a second, but it looks like they were rentering at the same rate. I have another hive not far away and it was normal.













oO

[Intheswamp]

Looks to me (in my newbee opinion) to be new young bees orienting. Very good for a colony that was started from a package a month ago!!!

I had the same thing happen yesterday from some established (but new to me) hives. I thought they were swarming and called my mentor...he chuckled at me.

Best wishes,
Ed

[amethysta]

It looks like they are taking orientation flights. That's when a newly-promoted-to-forager bee takes practice flights.

[franktrujillo]

well while examining the video several times i noticed orientation flights of young bees.also there excited because the pollen that there bringing in...towards the end of the video i seen one bee loaded down with it.

[sfisher]

Frank what did you mean by they are excited.

[sfisher]

If they are orierntation flights why are they leaving the hive at such a fast rate. After I took the video I stood back and watched them, they were comming out of the hive at least 10 per second. Thats alot of young bees.

[franktrujillo]

since the package of bees was installed a month ago new young nurse bees are hatching at a increasing rate now. all the older bees that had to stay in the hive longer than normal finally are able to leave to collect nectar and pollen for the increased laying of the queen.food is very much needed now so they are excited.....

[Foreststalker]

I just got 2 NUCS yesterday installed and later this evening I saw mine doing this very same thing.

[Terra Vita]

Don't robbers climb up the side before taking off because of the eaxtra load? i'm very new but it's something iv'e heard...

[Nantom670]

mine are 3 weeks from being released from the package. They drew 4 frames of comb and if the queen started laying right off it would take 21 days for the workers to hatch out. But I have seen the same thing for the last week or so around noon or so. They all must do it but I don't think I had new ones because I think it would not start hatching out for at least 25 or 26 days, just my estimate. I also thought it might be the nurse bees coming out to refresh, sometimes there may be quite a few flying around like yours.

[sasquatch]

frank nailed it.

[psfred]

You get that "bees pouring in and out" behavior when there is a good nectar source somewhere. My brother's bees are like that today, the bees leaving are having to climb up the face of the hive a couple inches to avoid colliding with the bees coming straight in.

Check to make sure they don't need more space!

Peter

[sfisher]

Thanks Frank

You are right Fred they climb up the front of the hive before taking off. And I dont see much pollen coming in so it has to be nectar. They were doing that today also, and they were working jate tonight. They were comming and going when the sun was already down. They have some empty frames that are not drawn out yet.

[NasalSponge]

Orientation flights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtH9nG929OU

[geebob]

I agree... orientation flights. However, next time around if you are starting a new colony from a package or nuc, you might want to use an entrance reducer to help them protect themselves from robbers.

[tbb39]

to me if you look half way through the vidio you will see a bumblebee come out.

[VanderLaan]

to me if you look half way through the vidio you will see a bumblebee come out.

I think I saw one at 8 seconds and around 22 seconds. Are they just robbing or is there something else going on?

Should there be three boxes on after a month? I know that you started with a nuc, but is that too much room, too quickly? Serious question from a new beek trying to learn.

[DonMcJr]

I thought I saw a bigger sized bee to the left of the front handle too...unless that's the one that someone said is loaded with pollen...

Pause it at 26 seconds...left side of screen.

I would put on an entrance reducer but I'm new and just installed my first bees Sunday and am going by what I have read in the past 2 months...

[sfisher]

I'm pretty sure those are drones not bumblebees.
The queen has already laid in both bottom boxes so I put the third box on because I need them to start drawing comb, so they dont run out of room. I checked today and they are making comb in the third box.
I did have a enterence reducer on at first, I removed it to add another coat of varnish, and I put it back on today. I am using the three or four inch opening.

[Zanna]

My bees are doing the same thing today, only it looks like even more of a traffic jam because I have the entrance reducer on the smallest opening. I installed a 5 frame nuc with lots of brood 6 days ago. Yesterday and the day before we had heavy rain, and the sun had just come out right before I checked the hive. I checked and it appears they have plenty of room (added a medium super 4 days ago, and I don't see any comb started on those frames). I put a jar of sugar syrup on top at the time of install, and it is still quite full. So I'm assuming there is a great nectar source out there today, perhaps in response to all that rain. I'm also assuming that a bunch of new bees from the brood that arrived with the nuc are taking orientation flights. I'm actually thinking at this point I need to either remove the entrance reducer, or at least flip it to the larger opening. There a still a bunch of bees hanging out outside the screen bottom, and I'm wondering if that isn't because there is too much of a traffic jam at the entrance.