Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Georgia Boy on April 30, 2013, 10:35:13 pm
-
Saw a bee yesterday while watching not bothering my bees who came out of the entrance and went back in, then came out, went back in, and did this again and again and again. I noticed something on it abdomen kinda looked like pollen but firmer. Then today I saw the same thing. Then I realized it wasn't pollen but I think it was wax the bee was excreting.
Is this possibly what I saw? Do bees walk around with wax hanging off themselves?
Just curious.
David
-
Was it a clear flake on the under side of her abdomen? If so then yes. What color was it.
Jim
-
Maybe clear or vanilla. Almost looked like a scale.
-
that's wax. you must have a good flow going?
-
Bees have 4 glands, 2 on each side, they make them like we grow finger nails.
Jim
-
That is kinda what it looked like a finger nail. Too cool.
Good flow and I am still feeding this last syrup. New pkg and no foundation. Will stop when the top feeder is empty.
-
I have an 8 frame observation hive and I have never seen the wax on a bee. I do see the clear flakes in the bottom trays and I see them in the oil trays of my large hives when there is no oil in them.
Jim
-
A couple of pictures. (I didn't take them.) Ed
(http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4593339670724665&pid=1.7)
(http://www.extension.org/mediawiki/files/1/12/HoneyBeeWaxScalesReduced.jpg)
-
That was it. Weird the way she was walking in and out but cool none the less. :)
Did I mention this beekeeping is neat stuff.
A little scary because I don't know what I am doing, but loving it. :)
-
I've been seeing those scales on the board under my screened bottom boards and was wondering what it was.... Good info to have :)