Bees Hot - or Swarming?

[misterbliss]

I am new... Are my Bees just hot?  It's 80 at night and 90+ during day (on really hot days). My hive has been growing a beard for a a week now.

Is this indiciative of swarming? (I added 2nd body 2 weeks ago) - or How do I increase ventilation? Put small blocks under outer cover?

Any advise would be appreciated.

http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/misterbliss/

[AdmiralD]

If the photos show what you are describing, you might want to concider opening the top for ventilation....

[misterbliss]

Thanks... There ARE fewer Bees "hanging out" in the AM, so the heat issue sounds correct, thanks for the "I Agree" posting. The photos show late afternoon BEARD that develops. It's just a bit concerning cause they "clog up" almost the whole entrance.

But other than THE BEARDING -  behavior seems to be on par for what I've seen. Not as frantic as first week though - but that makes sense to me - first week they were going crazy building a home.

..mb

[Hi-Tech]

Definately sound like heat problems... Prop open the top cover with a stick or something...

[amymcg]

If you don't have a Screened Bottom Board, you might want to consider getting one. It will help with the bearding and is good for varroa management

[misterbliss]

I Got a good stick for that. and Added screened Bottom board w/ 2 HB ....

I appreciate the responses.

******** There is no Spoon? ***************

[Hi-Tech]

There never was a spoon.... I am so sorry to have to tell you that...

[Bubba]

That is not all that bad of bearding. When I got home from work last night I checked on the hive at 11:00 P.M you could hardly see any of the front of the first brood box. Where the top is proped up there were bee.s hanging in 3 different tennis ball size cluster's. It is just so hot and humid here right now. Havent had much rain so that is probably another factor.

[misterbliss]

That is not all that bad of bearding. When I got home from work last night I checked on the hive at 11:00 P.M you could hardly see any of the front of the first brood box. Where the top is proped up there were bee.s hanging in 3 different tennis ball size cluster's. It is just so hot and humid here right now. Havent had much rain so that is probably another factor.

Dude!,  I count myself lucky - My Family would overthrow my Authority and ditch the Bees if that's what my hive looked like. I better prop my cover quick. We got GOBS of rain today - Hope my Bees love all the fresh water around.

[Brian D. Bray]

Also try the addition of a slatted rack for a place for the bees to expand into in hot weather and it also works as a place for the bees to station themselves while they fan the have, a tactic that also reduces internal temperatures.

[tom]

Hi

  Last couple of weeks my bees were hanging on the front and then we got that rain from the storm. And since then they don't hang out as much during the hot wheather and they seem to all be up in the top super so i guess they are starting to draw out the foundation i hope. As for brood well they have no room to store honey in the brood chamber because my queen has every frame filled from top to bottom and side to side in all ten frames so she is doing her job and all is capped brood and some are being capped no swarm cells i did see some cups but they were empty.

Tom

[tillie]

Mine were bearding much bigger than your picture and when Brian and TWT suggested a slatted rack, I ordered them.  

One came broken and so I put the unbroken one on the hive with the biggest beard.  AMAZING change - those girls are now hanging out on the slatted rack, rather than the outside of the hive.  

The other hive, still waiting for the replacement slatted rack, still has a huge beard every night.  I expect when it arrives on Monday, I will see the same change.

BTW, I have a SBB, the top propped up with a stick and plenty of unused space in my hive previous to slatted rack.

Linda T in Atlanta

[Michael Bush]

Can't say from looking at the beard if they are JUST hot or if they are overcrowded.  They could be some of both.  I would try to take care of both.  Make sure they have room.  Make sure they have adequate ventilation and usually this will get them all back inside.

Overcrowded and hot are both contributors to swarming.  But bearding itself is not a sign of swarming.

[Kathyp]

If you don't have a Screened Bottom Board, you might want to consider getting one. It will help with the bearding and is good for varroa management

i just pulled the sliding-removable board out of my sbb to check it and clean it.  it was really wet.  i'm guessing that this is just condensation from the hive?  it has been really wet here, so i'm going to leave the board out for the moment.  all that moisture in there can't be good?

[TwT]

i just pulled the sliding-removable board out of my sbb to check it and clean it.  it was really wet.  i'm guessing that this is just condensation from the hive?  it has been really wet here, so i'm going to leave the board out for the moment.  all that moisture in there can't be good?

I would leave the slid out and add a top entrance to help get ride of the moisture, during the warm months I wouldn't have the slide in, I have SBB on half my hives and leave them open all year long, even during the winter, I never close mine up but im down south, you might want to close your up during all them cold months but others from up north could help better with that info... and on my hive with regular BB's I use slatted racks.. all my hives have top entrances but they still just use the bottom entrance, they just hang out the top entrance...

[Brian D. Bray]

>>i just pulled the sliding-removable board out of my sbb to check it and clean it. it was really wet. i'm guessing that this is just condensation from the hive?

Very good guess.  A wet interior is a standing invitation to the bad diseases: EFB, AFB, Chalkbrood, Sacbrood and so on.  The solution is ventilation.  Leave the tray out of the SBB and let some air in at the top.
A wet hive will become a sick hive, a dry hive is a healthy hive.