orientation flights

[beeno]

Hi all,
Do orientation flights this time of the year mean that there is new brood in the hive?

 

[Finman]

Poo flight would be better name.

.

 

[Luminos]

Mine were doing orientation flights last week, and I'd seen capped brood 3rd.March (16C shade temps, before anyone asks...)

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi all,
Do orientation flights this time of the year mean that there is new brood in the hive?

pooh flights are different but in most of the uk climate, i expect you now have orientation flight at any warm spell

this hive in the link had newly emerged silver back bees on the frame tops when i added fondant last week and now some on orientation flights in video

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EWe6kpJPaA[/ame]

 

[beeno]

Mine were doing orientation flights last week, and I'd seen capped brood 3rd.March (16C shade temps, before anyone asks...)

Hi Luminos,
I had not been looking for brood as it was cold here. Now the hive looks as if it ought to have been brood there and I certainly had orientation flights on all four the other day. Good idea to put temp. in post. I will do that in future, sick of people banging on.

 

[beeno]

pooh flights are different but in most of the uk climate, i expect you now have orientation flight at any warm spell

this hive in the link had newly emerged silver back bees on the frame tops when i added fondant last week and now some on orientation flights in video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EWe6kpJPaA

Thanks for that MM. That's looks like what all four of mine were doing. Now, can you show me what a poo flight looks like! Actually, they are back in a jiffy when they do those. If it is orientation flights, do they go off to forage or do they go straight back in?

 

[Swarm]

Banging on? Because they are saying it's still winter? It is hardly banging on to point out that temps will not be staying around a mean average of 16 degrees at this time of year.
Far better, if you're champing at the bit, to observe the hive entrance, it will help to answer the questions being posed without disrupting the bees.

 

[Cazza]

Hi Luminos,
Good idea to put temp. in post. I will do that in future, sick of people banging on.

Yes, good idea. I do like a good bang on when appropriate.
Cazza

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes, good idea. I do like a good bang on when appropriate.
Cazza

ooh matronn!

 

[Luminos]

Yes, good idea. I do like a good bang on when appropriate.
Cazza

 

[beeno]

Banging on? Because they are saying it's still winter? It is hardly banging on to point out that temps will not be staying around a mean average of 16 degrees at this time of year.
Far better, if you're champing at the bit, to observe the hive entrance, it will help to answer the questions being posed without disrupting the bees.

Who is talking about average mean? No, activity what does that tell you?

 

[itma]

In my reckoning, orientation flights are within only a couple of metres of the hive.
But poo flights are 10's of metres away from the hive ... or have I got unusually home-loving bees?

 

[Swarm]

I'd be thinking of that kind of temperature over an extended period before worrying about brood or opening to find out. A day or two of favourable weather will be followed by bitter cold nights.
Your comment about temps and people banging on is the only reason I mentioned it.

Observing the hive entrance on fine winter days, bees doing their thing (pooing, orientation, foraging) tells me they are alive, the weight of the hive tells me if they are ok for stores.

 

[Outlander]

Banging on? Because they are saying it's still winter? It is hardly banging on to point out that temps will not be staying around a mean average of 16 degrees at this time of year.
Far better, if you're champing at the bit, to observe the hive entrance, it will help to answer the questions being posed without disrupting the bees.

 

[richardbees]

Do orientation flights this time of the year mean that there is new brood in the hive?

beeno, yes you can assume it means you've new brood - after all, we had quite a warm February

 

[Easy Beesy]

Do orientation flights this time of the year mean that there is new brood in the hive?

beeno, yes you can assume it means you've new brood - after all, we had quite a warm February

Funny, I'd have said no. It just means orientation flights for bees, they could be old, they could be young.
And I thought it was three weeks in cell and three weeks inside hive - 6 weeks from February isn't now.

 

[Easy Beesy]

Who is talking about average mean? No, activity what does that tell you?

'No activity' tells me it's too bloody cold for them to come out so its obviously too bloody cold to go in too

 

[beeno]

Funny, I'd have said no. It just means orientation flights for bees, they could be old, they could be young.
And I thought it was three weeks in cell and three weeks inside hive - 6 weeks from February isn't now.

Hi Easy Beesy,
The jury seems to be out on this one too thereof the question. Six weeks are supposed to be to foraging. However, read somewhere that nurse bees have to vent after four days because they are fed bee bread at first which is roughage.

 

[beeno]

'No activity' tells me it's too bloody cold for them to come out so its obviously too bloody cold to go in too

Hi Easy Beesy,
My problem was that the other three hives were out en masse and PH wasn't. Supposed to be better insulated but I guess it works both ways, when the weather improves they are last out. Roll on spring that's what I say.

 

[Finman]

But poo flights are 10's of metres away from the hive ... or have I got unusually home-loving bees?

from where comes that poo on roof and yellow color of snow in front hive

.