Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING => Topic started by: shan777 on January 26, 2012, 08:04:37 pm

Title: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: shan777 on January 26, 2012, 08:04:37 pm
Anyone ever had bees bearding at night in rain???
It was a very humid night.
Wasn't sure how normal it is.
 They were all bunched together on front of hive putting up with the rain. Sitting on the front porch as its known....
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: iddee on January 26, 2012, 08:28:19 pm
They need either space or ventilation, or both. They will beard when the whole cluster cannot get inside without creating too much heat.

The rain doesn't bother them, as they will spread their wings to form a "tent" to shed the water.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: shan777 on January 26, 2012, 08:39:24 pm
wow, aren't they amazing little creatures.
Room shouldn't be an issue, new colony, going strong, but just put 3rd deep on. Might be the ventilation issue. Maybe some screened small holes in the bottom deep???

And thanks for helpful reply
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: iddee on January 26, 2012, 08:47:58 pm
Maybe just a shim under the lid.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: shan777 on January 26, 2012, 08:53:45 pm
a shim? Sorry, newbie :-)
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: iddee on January 26, 2012, 09:00:13 pm
A sliver of wood or something on the rim of the top box, to hold the lid up 3 or 4 mm, just enough to let air escape. A coin on each front corner will work.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: shan777 on January 26, 2012, 09:15:35 pm
ah yes, i did have paddlepop sticks for that but they fell off and i got lazy :-) I'll put them back on. Thanks again.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Lone on January 26, 2012, 11:20:06 pm
Thanks Shan,

You helped to answer my same question.  We've had a few recent storm warnings and with the hives bearding so much I was wondering what to do if there was a storm blow to the entrance.  They do have a corrugated iron shelter to stop some wild weather.  I ended up putting another super on the main offender and there haven't been any problems. 

Are you in a flooding area in NSW?

Lone
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: bernsad on January 27, 2012, 06:39:35 am
We've had a few recent storm warnings and with the hives bearding so much

You know when you're reading fast and you just skim over something to get the gist of it? Well with a handful of "W" words leading up to it I read this as the "Wives bearding so much" and I thought, at least I'm not the only one with this problem! :lau:
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Lone on January 27, 2012, 07:38:42 am
Please direct your wife to this informative and inspiring website.

http://www.gillette.com/en/AU/home.aspx (http://www.gillette.com/en/AU/home.aspx)

"...after one shave, you'll stop shaving and start gliding"

Glad to be of service.

Lone

PS maybe you should wead more slowly.

Crikey I am laughing so much I can hardly press Post.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Harpo on January 27, 2012, 08:17:19 am
 X:X
 :-D
 X:X

Bahahahhahaha too funny!

But am guilty of skim reading too  ;)

BUT am now able to enjoy NOT one But 2 paddle pops in order to make a "shim"...

hang on... I may aswell do all the hives.... I'll get a box... for the sake of my bees  :-D
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Lone on January 27, 2012, 08:16:20 pm
You are going to do ALL your hives, Harpo....shave all the bees' little beards off...??!

  :-\

Lone
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Michael Bush on January 27, 2012, 11:45:03 pm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#bearding (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#bearding)
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Harpo on January 28, 2012, 01:24:39 am
You are going to do ALL your hives, Harpo....shave all the bees' little beards off...??!

  :-\

Lone

HHmmm I could try  ;)

Offer them a leg wax to boot  ;)

Mainly just wanted a reason for my hubby as to why I had to eat his whole box of Paddle Pops....

Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: annette on January 28, 2012, 07:43:53 pm
What are paddle pops??
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: bernsad on January 28, 2012, 08:12:36 pm
Paddle Pops is a brand name for an icypole or icecream on a stick, not sure what you call them in your part of the world. Their mascot is the Paddle Pop Lion.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: iddee on January 28, 2012, 09:36:11 pm
popsicle
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: iddee on January 28, 2012, 09:41:36 pm
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/58/Paddle_pop_box.jpg/450px-Paddle_pop_box.jpg)

 
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: bernsad on January 28, 2012, 11:13:29 pm
That's the one, iddee, and popsicle, of course, I should have remembered that from all the American tv we get over here.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: annette on January 29, 2012, 12:04:56 am
Well that looks better than that vegimite you have over there (which I tried by the way :-X)
Yeah, I could happily eat that.

 :-D :-D
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: bernsad on January 29, 2012, 02:38:04 am
Hey, don't knock the Vegemite, generations of Aussies have grown up on that. I still have it most mornings for breakfast, two slices of toast & vegemite and two slices of toast with my honey. Mmmmmm!
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: shan777 on January 29, 2012, 05:14:33 pm
haha!, you guys are funny
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: annette on January 30, 2012, 01:49:55 pm
Hey, don't knock the Vegemite, generations of Aussies have grown up on that. I still have it most mornings for breakfast, two slices of toast & vegemite and two slices of toast with my honey. Mmmmmm!

Believe me, I tried to like it, I really did :-*
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Lone on January 30, 2012, 08:27:03 pm
Now now Nettie,  you know our customs officials here won't let you in the country unless you eat vegemite.  Paddlepops just don't cut it.

True Blue Lone
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: annette on January 30, 2012, 11:08:33 pm
Now now Nettie,  you know our customs officials here won't let you in the country unless you eat vegemite.  Paddlepops just don't cut it.

True Blue Lone

Lone

You know I tried - even paid more money ordering it overseas from an Australian company to give it a far chance.  I think you just have to be brought up with the stuff. A friend of mine visited his daughter in Sydney last year and never had to eat vegimite. You are one tough people over there, not sure if I could make it there.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: bernsad on January 31, 2012, 04:43:21 am
Following the old Aussie saying, "She'll be right , mate!", you will fit in just fine Annette, we like ladies with parasols.
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Lone on January 31, 2012, 08:24:33 am
Just to connect this looped tangent with the original topic...

Once upon a time, a little bee was cheerily flying home.  She was very excited, because she had discovered she could carry cow dung in her sacks just as well as pollen.  After many such trips, lo and behold, her hive had filled up with a black tarry substance in the cells where the honey used to be stored.  The little bee called this "vegemite".  None of her sisters, however, like this new form of food.  One by one, out the door they marched, until they were all bearding.  In the rain.  At night.

Lone
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Harpo on January 31, 2012, 09:23:49 am
 X:X

AWESOME but now after a massive endorphine hit from all the laughing how am I going to get to sleep...

I know - warm milk and honey  :-D
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: Lone on January 31, 2012, 10:26:17 am
..and a spoonful of vege"sleep"tite

 :-D
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: shan777 on January 31, 2012, 05:34:39 pm
LONE- ......... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: bearding in the rain at night
Post by: annette on January 31, 2012, 07:25:01 pm
Cute Lone!! :-D :-D