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Author Topic: Washboarding or Bearding  (Read 2056 times)

Offline winginit

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Washboarding or Bearding
« on: July 17, 2010, 07:50:10 am »
Nother question from a newbee--Both my hives are bearding a lot (or maybe washboarding, I don't really know the difference), even in the evening in the shade. They are all the way up the hive on the outside. I took pictures but the camera messed up.

It's in the nineties and humid and wet. I have both hives elevated, on solid bottom boards plus screened boards. At the top, I have shims or rocks placed between the inner cover and telescoping cover, but only providing 1/3 inch space. Two questions really:

1. Do I need to do anything right away?

2. Eventually, I'd like to convert to top entrances. I've read about this on Michael Bush's site but don't quite understand the bottom. Looks like he has a slatted bottom board with screening added so you don't have to buy a screened bottom board (If so, I like it!). But is that just sitting on the ground? It doesn't seem like there's much room for ventilation.

Offline winginit

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Re: Washboarding or Bearding
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2010, 08:14:07 am »
I guess it's not because the bees are hot. I just went out there, it's only 74 degrees and about to start raining, and they are still doing it, though not as bad as yesterday. So maybe this is a good thing?

I managed to get a bad picture...
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bY1j68HjGho/TEGPiqNTYUI/AAAAAAAAAM4/6C1WBerH5WA/s1600/P1030060.JPG

Offline gundalf

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Re: Washboarding or Bearding
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2010, 10:32:58 pm »
My girls are doing the same...   They start in the heat of the afternoon and stay out until dawn...   It don't cool down too fast in a full hive...
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Offline buzzbee

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Re: Washboarding or Bearding
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2010, 10:53:18 pm »
It sounds like bearding,even if it's raining or dark,if the internal hive temp is too high,or it's just busting at the seams with bees,they will beard up the front of the hive.
I pulled some honey supers today and left less room for bees. It was the largest beard I saw all summer so far. I plan on putting some boxes back on to give them room.

Offline PeeVee

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Re: Washboarding or Bearding
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2010, 01:11:12 am »
I've had one hive bearding for the last couple days - hot and humid. Tried to get in yesterday but started to rain. Tomorrow for sure and will be prepared to add super.
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Offline winginit

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Re: Washboarding or Bearding
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2010, 09:50:10 am »
I went in yesterday. Deep hive is really crowded with bees, but the foundationless super I put on ten days ago was empty, with no comb started. Are they not moving up because of the heat? Or possibly preparing to swarm? I examined only 4 frames (from the brood nest) yesterday, had to quit because this hive just gets really pissy and loud whenever I get near their brood nest. Stung me through my suit, swirling around me like mad. Could just be that I'm not used to what hives do when they start to get bigger and have some honey to protect.  But I like my other hive much better. It's smaller, but it seems so calm and quiet in comparison.

Offline meade kampe

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Re: Washboarding or Bearding
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2010, 01:43:55 am »
Question, Winginit.  Was the original box foundationless that you added the foundationless super to? (Does that make sense?)  The reason I ask is because I had a brood box that had black plastic frames.  Once the frames were full, I added a deep, but one that had wax foundations.  The bees crawled all over the wax frames, but never drew any comb.  I just recently replaced that super with another black plastic frame super.  If my hunch is right (keep in mind, I am new at this), my girls developed a fondness for the black frames.  This theory may apply to your situation, as well.  Maybe your bees prefer supers with foundations as opposed to foundationless?  Who knows.  Hopefully someone will post and give us some insight!

Offline winginit

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Re: Washboarding or Bearding
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2010, 09:19:09 am »
Hmmm, interesting thought. Original deep had foundation, but I replaced one frame with foundationless and they did begin to draw it out. I think I'll put a couple of frames of foundation in that super. Also, I'm going to add some serious ventilation for now, just by putting a stick or rock between the super and the inner cover. Right now the ventilation is between the inner cover and the telescoping cover, which probably doesn't allow as much heat to escape. We may also be in a dearth, though to my untrained eye, everything is in bloom.

The heat here is now more about humidity. It's no longer even in the 90s, but it's miserably sticky and just feels heavy and hard to breathe. 98 percent humidity in the mornings with 70 degree dewpoint. I can see how the bees might be stressed.