[flyingslanted]

My second year of beekeeping so still considered a newbie.

Bees are hanging out on bottom board for two days and appear to be doing the Hokey Pokey. Most noses inward and it's like they are rocking back and forth.

A few things:
1) Things appeared to be going well and added new boxes over months to accommodate hive growth.
2) Noticed reduction of brood & no larvae and two queen caps. Could not find queen.
3) Checked following week or so and less brood no larvae and queen caps had no larvae and never capped. Could not find queen again.
4) Ordered new queen and placed in hive
5) 3-4 days bees released her
6) Ever since queen released bees hanging out. There are foragers that come and go but not nearly as active. Hive still full of bees.
7) It has been 85-90F here for several days and humid with some pop up thunderstorms.

What say you experts? I posted video at the following site.
http://unemployedsurvivalguide.blogspot.com/

Thanks for any help

 

[waynesgarden]

They put their right foot in,
They put another right foot in,
They put the other right foot in,
They put their right foot out....

Yep, its bee Hokey Pokey time.

Can't watch the video on my work computer but is sounds like washboarding.

Some will say that that the activity is associated with cleaning, others will tell you that nothing is known about why they do it. I believe that there is a wedding reception going on on the bottom board and after enough drinks, they put their right foot in, they put another right foot in....

Wayne

 

[Rick 1456]

Bee Hokey Pokey ,,,,or is it Hokie Pokie:scratch: anyway,,,,in the beek wold it is referred to as "wash boarding. I worry when mine aren't doing it
I was taught a long time ago it was a "cleaning thing" but info changes so I don't know. My recollection is these are young bees whose job is hive cleanliness and there is a large population of them with nothing to clean. So,,,they got the short straw and have to clean the "porch".(so to speak) Just what I recollect

Rick SoMd

 

[Aram]

Large population with nothing to do ... so dance is their unemployedsurvival mechanism.
Mine are doing it too. I thought I heard some of them say "C'mon sisters, if we all rock in the same direction, I bet we can knock over the hive. C'mon, it'll be fun!"

 

[Bens-Bees]

I listened close and heard them singing "rock the boat..."

 

[devdog108]

Mine do it on a flow too.....they do it all the time...man, id get sick of that song!

 

[Rick 1456]

Now see,,,,you guys are flirting with my "recollection" I don't recall any of the songs you mentioned. The song I heard was "Ina gadavida" (Iron Butterfly for you youngsters"
Rick

 

[DBeeCooper]

It definitely looks like "washboarding". Peter Loring Borst proposed a very interesting explanation of the activity in the July 2010 issue of American Bee Journal in his "Mystery of the Hive" series. He proposes that the bees may be applying an "odorous substance" to the front of the hive as a beacon to foraging bees.

First time I had heard of that, what a cool idea! You just added a new queen, maybe they were changing the scent?!

 

[Noelle]

very interesting. mine swarmed and the new queen just started laying this past week. now they have been washboarding for the last few days. perhaps it is a scent thing. i love beekeeping - it is so fascinating.

 

[flyingslanted]

Thanks so much for all of your replies. Hopefully the new queen will provide them lots to do in the coming months. I don't need any delinquent type bees with too much time on their hands and not enough to do.

 

[annette]

Now see,,,,you guys are flirting with my "recollection" I don't recall any of the songs you mentioned. The song I heard was "Ina gadavida" (Iron Butterfly for you youngsters"
Rick

My gosh, that song!! Now it will stay in my head for a while. Just loved it.

Annette