bee behavior

[Kathyp]

is there a reason the many bees would be hovering around the hive, all facing the hive.  they do not seem agitated.  i see no sign of robbing.  they are around all sides and the top of the hive.  my first thought was that it was a new hatching.  second thought, robbing.  it's warm, but they have both a top and bottom enterance...small enough to guard on top.

the other hive is not doing the same.

[Moonshae]

Could they be the young bees making orientation flights?

[kevinmt]

Been wondering the same thing here  Bees from 1 of my hives have been doing the same thing   While the other hasnt been

[super dave]

mine are doing the same -- im just wondering if they are are all just taking turns for the perfect landing-- mine seem to do this around 3-4pm every day hmmmm

[kevinmt]

Yep seems to happen about 3-4pm

[Kathyp]

5 pm pacific  :-)

[doak]

If you take close notice, they  come out, crawl up the front, close to the top of the bottom deep, fly off, up and down side to side, they back off a little and repeat and make a bigger space each time till they get far back and up. They are oreintating to their area. The difference between this and robbing is theres no fighting. You will see a few crash into one another now and then, but then go their merry way.
What Moonshae said.
doak

[Kathyp]

is there any relationship between the number of new foragers sent out and the number of brood hatching, or is it simply done by amount of time in hive?

[Brian D. Bray]

It is sorta both.  In a swarm older bees may drop back and do things a younger bee maight be expected to do and visa versa, it depends on the ratio of old bees to new bees.
Once the hive becomes established and there are sufficient nurse bees to look after the chores inside the hive it is more age dependent on what task is being done with the older bees dedicating themselves to foraging.

[doak]

Also the new forger bees are replacing the die off. The overall number is rising untill summer soltice, If everything is going ok. In my area our build  up needs to be here by the 15th to 20th of april. My main nector flow is from then till through the kudzu bloom, unless I wanted to move them, whitch I don't. Then the queen slowly decresses the number of eggs each day till she completly quits for a short time in Dec. and early Jan. At which time she starts back slowly increasing as the days get longer. So swarm season is not over, till almost the last of june.
Most pros say 80% of swarms come spring with 20% in late summer/early fall.
A swarm in may is worth a load of hay
A swarm in june is worth a silver spoon
A swarm in july isn't worth a fly.
old saying.
 My Bit.
doak

[Kathyp]

this is my problem child hive.  everything they do makes me wonder what they are (not) up to.  our main flow does not start until may, then a break, then blackberries then not much for the rest of the year.  fireweed, if you are lucky.  there is stuff going all summer, but nothing like the berries.  i have some black locust and i thought the bees would like it, but they seem to ignore it in favor of the wild roses.

anyway, thanks all for the answers.  i guess i have just missed this in the past.

[TwT]

is sounds like orientation flight to me, they just building up the population for the flowand getting ready for when they are foragers, young bee's got to learn where they live ;)