Normal bee behaviour?

[BeeJuice]

I'm a new bee keeper and only picked up me bees on Monday (BS 2015 overwintered colony)

Today is a nice sunny day around 13 or 14 degrees. For the past couple of days I've seen one or two bees popping in an out but everything has been quiet.

Today I went in the garden to see what is going on and I was surprised to see a small cloud of bees (around 50) buzzing about at the front of the hive. I'm not sure what they're up to - they are mostly facing the hive. Would this be them getting used to their new surroundings and orientating themselves or is just this what bees do on the first warm day of the year?

It is nice to see that some of them are taking pollen into the hive.

I've got an entrance reducer with the 4 inch gap open - another thought that occurred to me was that they might be waiting their turn to enter.

I'd be interested in any insights into this behaviour.

Thanks

 

[B+.]

I was surprised to see a small cloud of bees (around 50) buzzing about at the front of the hive.

This is perfectly normal - orientation flights. You will see his if you move a hive or when young bees begin their career as a forager.

Enjoy your bees!

 

[BeeJuice]

Thanks! You know how it is when you're new to something... there's no benchmark to compare with. Yesterday all was quiet - by comparison, today the hive looks like Brighton beach on August Bank Holiday.

 

[Nige.Coll]

This is perfectly normal - orientation flights. You will see his if you move a hive or when young bees begin their career as a forager.

Enjoy your bees!

 

[Millet]

The exact same thing happened too me last year when i got my first Nuc, but they was more than 50, it seemed more like hundreds, i panicked as i thought they where getting over taken and robbed by another colony, i was quickly put straight by the good folk on here and the next day was all quiet again, it happened several times through out the year and now i know its just the younger bees taking there first flight.

 

[BeeJuice]

They all seem to have calmed down now - lots coming in with pollen and only a few hanging around at the front. They don't seem bothered that I'm there... happy days.

Thanks for the replies and reassurance

 

[beeno]

They all seem to have calmed down n,ow - lots coming in with pollen and only a few hanging around at the front. They don't seem bothered that I'm there... happy days.

Thanks for the replies and reassurance

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your bees. There will be an odd guard bee which will mind that you are there sooner or later, so unless you are suited up be prepared to get stung.

 

[snelgrove]

Yes bees taking and orientation flight, young bees usually, a good sign that all is well

 

[Millet]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your bees. There will be an odd guard bee which will mind that you are there sooner or later, so unless you are suited up be prepared to get stung.

I would say the bees i have are slightly angry, i have spent many hours sat on the long grass near the hive watching them and taking pictures around 8ft away with no problems, the only problem i have encountered is when i get my head above there flight line, a fence when (coming and going) i have had them bounce of my face and the back of my head when i get it wrong, don't forget they do not see good when heading back to the hive fully loaded with one mission in mind, but to this day i have not been stung watching them.

 

[Swarm]

but to this day i have not been stung watching them.

Great, innit?
....one day.

 

[BeeJuice]

I would say the bees i have are slightly angry, i have spent many hours sat on the long grass near the hive watching them and taking pictures around 8ft away with no problems, the only problem i have encountered is when i get my head above there flight line, a fence when (coming and going) i have had them bounce of my face and the back of my head when i get it wrong, don't forget they do not see good when heading back to the hive fully loaded with one mission in mind, but to this day i have not been stung watching them.

That's a good point. They don't see an inch in front of their face.

The day the bees arrived I watched them coming and going in peace and quiet from a few steps away. As soon as my daughters finished school and ran up the garden to see them one got a bee caught in her hair (no problem for me as I'm bald) Fortunately both the bee and my daughter were calm and nobody was hurt. But there was a lesson learnt

 

[Pete D]

Hi Beejuice and welcome to the world of beekeeping now that you have some.
As others have said its all normal behaviour.

One thing that quite surprised me though was that you just got them. Its been too cold over here to do any inspections and despite me having over wintered nucs ordered I wouldn't dream of letting them go until the buyer and I can go through them and ensure all is ok. This time of the season is a critical period, make or break for the colonies as they try to build up.

Good luck in your first year, enjoy your bees and fingers crossed you get some honey.

 

[sbisme]

Yesterday all was quiet - by comparison, today the hive looks like Brighton beach on August Bank Holiday.

Wait till they really get going, if you need a hand give us a shout you are only a few miles away, not that I know a great deal but two heads are better than one

 

[Millet]

Great, innit?
....one day.

No doubt but i will not learn..

 

[BeeJuice]

Wait till they really get going, if you need a hand give us a shout you are only a few miles away, not that I know a great deal but two heads are better than one

Shaun, that's kind of you. We should definitely meet up some time. I have a feeling this is the calm before the storm - it won't be long before the're really buzzing.

 

[kazmcc]

Welcome BeeJuice!! And so the fascination with what the bees are doing begins There is an excellent old book, At The Hive Entrance by Storch. I don't think it is available to buy any more but it is online as a free PDF. A great read and you will be able to learn a lot about whats going on in the hive just by watching them.

 

[BeeJuice]

Welcome BeeJuice!! And so the fascination with what the bees are doing begins There is an excellent old book, At The Hive Entrance by Storch. I don't think it is available to buy any more but it is online as a free PDF. A great read and you will be able to learn a lot about whats going on in the hive just by watching them.

Thanks for the tip. Amazon sell it for £7 - I've ordered a copy

 

[kazmcc]

Thanks for the tip. Amazon sell it for £7 - I've ordered a copy

You could have downloaded it and printed it out from here

https://breconandradnor bka.files.wordpress.com /2016/03/at-the-hive-entrance.pdf

I got mine printed out. Remove spaces from the link. Have a sneak peek before your copy arrives.

 

[BeeJuice]

That's OK. I downloaded it, read some of it, liked it and decided it was worth the £7 to have a nice bound book. Thanks for the tip

 

[kazmcc]

I think it might be my favourite bee book, and I have many bee books.

What an exciting time for you! When I had the school bees, they were in a small enclosure and I used to go to pick up the kids early so I could go and watch them for a bit before school finished. I would lean on the fence that was 2 foot to the side of the hive and they didn't pay me any attention at all. I started to rely on that fix to relax and set me up for the rest of the day. Bee watching is one of the best things in life