Explanation please....

[LocustHoney]

Talk to me oh great beekeeping gurus........

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/LocustHoney/100_3541.jpg
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/LocustHoney/100_3537.jpg
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/LocustHoney/100_3534.jpg

 :?

[Mici]

bees are bearding, some call it feastoning, but i'm not sure feastoning is the same (i think this term goes for the mode, when they produce wax)
anyway, they are bearding outside the hive, nothing bad about it, the ammount i see is nothing to be worried about.

this is caused by multiple things, the hive has grown to the extent, that there are too many bees to fit inside at the same time as to keep the temperature right-if they all went inside, it would be too hot.

many will suggest you using a top entrance, which improves ventilations thus keeping better temps etc etc, much has been said about it, anyway not to be worried

if there was this much bees---> i would be getting worried

[LocustHoney]

Can you briefly explain or lead me to a top hive entrance. Would this not produce robbing since that is where the honey is? I do have supers with honey on them.

[Robo]

They just need more ventilation.   The simplest way is to take two 20" pieces of 1x1 and place them the short way on top of the inner cover and then place the top cover on top of them.  Basically propping the top cover up 1" and giving them a covered upper porch (inner cover).   I used this method for many years before building vent boxes.

[LocustHoney]

I want to do that because that sounds easy. I still want to know if that will encourage robbing. I do have supers on that have honey on them and the flow is stopped.

[rdy-b]

This may not be your case but i have seen festoning (which is diferent than comon bee beard-when they feston they are starting the process of makeing wax -they beard to stay cooll basicaly) when to much sugarwatter is feed. if they have food stores and you are feeding cut back and bees will forage not feston.hope                          Hope this Helps RDY-B

[annette]

I know this would be an added expense, but I purchased an "all season inner cover" from Honey Run Apiaries. This top cover provides the best ventilation ever.  I always worry about robbing because I have had so much robbing around here so I understand your concerns. You have to see a picture of it on the internet. Perhaps you can just goggle "Honey Run Apiaries", as I do not know how to add the web site here.

What I like about this cover is, it has screened holes all around. So far the bees have not spent the evening outside like last summer.

Anyway, you do not have to purchase anything major to fix this problem. Lots of good advice here.

Good Luck
Annette

[rdy-b]

do you keep it on the weak hive that you have been posting about. have you tried one of janets (country rubes) botom boards.very cool gadget.nothing wrong with acesorising :lol:

[JP]

Mici, that picture is a nightmare, hope they weren't your bees.

[Robo]

I want to do that because that sounds easy. I still want to know if that will encourage robbing. I do have supers on that have honey on them and the flow is stopped.

Usually if they are strong enough to require bees hanging outside to cool the hive,  they are strong enough to defend themselves.  With the top cover elevated,  they will congregate on the inner cover and will only have to defend at the inner cover hole.   If your worried about robbing, build a screened ventilation box.

[Cindi]

I know this would be an added expense, but I purchased an "all season inner cover" from Honey Run Apiaries. This top cover provides the best ventilation ever.  I always worry about robbing because I have had so much robbing around here so I understand your concerns. You have to see a picture of it on the internet. Perhaps you can just goggle "Honey Run Apiaries", as I do not know how to add the web site here.
Annette

Ann, I thought I would help you out alittle bit, might make your day.  When you want to put an internet site on the forum.  This is what I do, there may be an easier way, but listen.  Go to the internet site and copy their internet address and paste it into a post.  It will show up on the forum and all members have to do is click on it and it takes them right there.

If anyone else has a simpler way, tell it to us, I would love to know too.  But that is my two cents worth.  Have a wonderful day, great life, love this life we're all livin'.  Cindi

[Ross]

All a top entrance takes is a stick, any stick.  You don't need much space to create an escape for heat.  Just break off a pencil sized twig and slide it under the migratory top or inner cover.  If you use full tops, you can prop them too, but beware the burr comb they may draw between the inner and outer cover if you do that.

[annette]

That screened ventilation box that Robo posted is the same one I bought at Honey Run. It seems to work great and no worries about robbing.

I have this box on both my hives. The weak one and the strong one. I also have the screened bottom boards from Rubies. So far, no more bearding.

This is an experiment for me to as this is the first summer using this ventilated box, but it makes sense to me. Will let you all know how it goes.

But, yes there are simplier ways to go as Ross suggested, but I always worry about robbing.

Also thanks for the info Cindi. I will try this next time.

Take care
Annette

[Michael Bush]

I don't see a problem.

As far as top entrances, the bees guard the entrance.  Regardless of what is just inside the entrance.

[rdy-b]

Cindi i tried to post a link from this site but another forum and paste it to a differant thread just the address apeared. was not clickable. is this because its the same site or am i doing it wrong? I am driving a mac and am trying to learn how to get it out of first gear. any tips ;)

[Robo]

I'm not familiar with the mac browser, but did you get the http://  part?    Any link starting with it should be made clickable automatically regardless of where it is from.

If you don't have the http:// part, just put the BB code tags around it like this

Code: [Select]

[url]your link[/url]

[tillie]

I've had the tops on my hives propped for both of my beekeeping years  ;) and I've never seen robbing occurring at the top entrance.  I did have robbing last year for a short time and made robber screens that were quite successful in stopping what was going on. 

I see bumblebees, wasps and other insects try to rob the bees from the front entrance but never from the propped top. 

The robbing I had last year occurred during a dearth and was each hive robbing the other.  Actually one of the suggestions when this happened on my hives came from BeeSource where they suggested that I open the tops on all the hives - take off the inner cover and leave them open to the world.  The idea is that the bees who are robbing are then needed at home to protect the then wide-open hive and the robbing will stop.

I felt cautious, like you Annette, that this would never work, so I didn't try it, and built robber screens instead, but propping the top has never so far (in my vast  :roll: :roll: :roll: experience!!) caused robbing.

Linda T in Atlanta

PS - if anyone needs robber screens, I did it really simply with window screen inserts from Home Depot.  Here's the post:  http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=5431.msg32008#msg32008

[rdy-b]

thank you Robo  ;) RDY-B

[rdy-b]

Tille that trick about removeing all the tops is somthing that we do when we harvest honey in large yards after the main flow.and only while we are working the yard.I will say this it works and if we did not do it it would look like a alfredhichcock movie :-D maybe when you harvest it will help RDY-B

[LocustHoney]

Tillie... I was brainstorming last night and came up with a screen over the inner cover idea. All I did was staple the screen to the inner cover and propped the top. It is working wonderfully. Problem solved. It was easy and simple....like me. Thanks beekeeping gurus. :-D