Honey Bees Bearding Outside the Bee Hive! FAQ 33 Why do they do that? Bees Clustered.

In this video, FAQ 33, see what a honeybee beard is and learn about why bees collect outside the hive.
Also an update on the recently hived swarms.
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[@SmallTNHomestead]

Hi Fred! I didn't understand the full bearding behavior until now. I have to say, I'm not so sure they would have stayed out all night during the storm without your genius hive visor. The simplest thing cam make all of the difference! I wish you would market those. Thanks again for a great learning experience and awesome video.

[@masterbeekeeper30years18]

Fred, you show us the activities we've seen for many years but you manage to invite us to take another look and increase our understanding. That's why I look forward to your videos. Looking forward to your video today!

[@FrederickDunn]

That means a lot coming from a Master Beekeeper, I hope you have a great weekend!

[@mikeofborg2]

That colony looks 👍🏼. Great job getting those swarms in boxes. They look healthy and strong.

[@gabe-po9yi]

You’re responsible for me now loving bees. I have so much respect for them and I think they’re the most amazing creatures on the planet. Their communication system alone is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Thanks for all you do for honeybees. EDITED to add: The thanks for all you do for bees includes educating people and supporting beekeepers, which I know is of primary importance to you.

[@PAPSROYALAPIARY]

very impressive Fred, I dealt with bees since childhood, but never slowed down to enjoy what you just posted, nice work.Dan

[@johnvanderslice7966]

Excellent Mr. Dunn. I have a lot of people ask me about this very thing. My stock answer was "they are just hot." Now I can give them a little more indept answer.

[@DarrellCraig]

Great explanation of bearding. Great video

[@strugglingbeekeepermarkcot9642]

Very interesting and informative I will be watching more of your videos I am a new bee keeper here in West Virginia I really enjoyed your video.

[@mrcreditunion1]

That grip strength must be off the charts for those attached to the hive, thanks for sharing!

[@danskisbees7348]

Good morning Fred! That is so cool! Would love to stick my hand next to the vent holes just to feel the breeze.

[@FrederickDunn]

Usually they fog my lens when this is going on! It's like walking through a year with everyone running their dryer vents! :)

[@mioduz]

my hive was bearding more last night than ever before. I haven't been out to check on them since all that rain and lightning last night though

[@TheFarmacySeedsNetwork]

Awesome catch! That beard chaining up is really cool! I have never seen that here yet. Your sunflowers and Goldenrod look wonderful! The flower on that Maxmilian Sunflower looks similar to Jerusalem Artichoke flower. Looking forward to the mite video... Getting ready to check for them in a week or 2 here. Thanks Fred!

[@mihaiilie8808]

Those visors are really usefull. Because my beehives have.screen bottom open even in winter,i never see such beards of bees except on the only langstroth beehive i have .

[@draygerard4550]

Thanks, I'm new at this and was super concerned about bearding. Nice video👍

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad I could help!

[@SwtTrisha8]

Greetings from Pensacola Fl. 🌻🐝😎 I loved this video- thanks for sharing this. ❤🐝🌻🐝🌻🥰 I’m going to try to plant a big sunflower meadow in my back yard like yours. I may still grow another sunflower circle over in a corner of the yard to enjoy but the meadow is really beautiful!

[@FrederickDunn]

Good luck!!

[@pmessinger]

I'm preparing to move to a more permanent house with plenty of room for keeping chickens and planting a huge lawn in assorted wild flowers and a garden of sunflowers and even more flowers for just a few hives with flow hive frames. I'm buying perennials mostly based on color, but I intend to also sell cut flowers at a farmers' market, too. I'm going to look for a list of the many plants that bees prefer and do my best to include areas devoted to the bees' private stock!

[@mikeries8549]

In my yard in illinois generic bees go nuts for Arizona Sun. It's a perrenial. Honeybees really like lupines in my yard. Not sure if that works where u are at. Good luck.

[@jamesgrissom3750]

Thank you for sharing all ur wealth of knowledge, I'm live in south Miami, I assembled 2 hive with most of the need equipment need .Watching your video's I've learn so much. I also built some rain shields and narrower landing boards ,aswell as 2 of your hive top vented feeders order the better conb an looking into a small chicken coop .There a local club nearby that's willing to accept my money so I can practice getting STUNG !! BEE SAFE and please keep doing the work you obviously love jag.

[@FrederickDunn]

I'm so glad that my videos have helped you along! I also appreciate that you took the time to comment! I hope your hives suit your bees well :)

[@bashhalow2729]

You are a great instructor! Keep it up!

[@MikeLaziisky]

Thankyou very much, I am s new bee keeper and i pannicked when i came outside after dark and half my hive is hanging on the side of the box. Now that i know ill sleep a lot better😅😂 Thankyou sir.

[@janedough8733]

Always something to be learned. Never a dull moment . Thanks Mr Dunn🐝🐝🐝

[@mikenoyola-izquierdo9081]

Thank you Frederick absolutely fascinating go bees go!!! ❤️💕❤️

[@luther7541]

When i first saw this on my hive, i thought they are about to swarm.

[@georgeadcock2347]

That's exactly what I thought. I added a super and opened up entrance more

[@JohnnyDeaux]

how do the ones at the very core/top have the strength to hold their bros up like that....crazy

[@donbearden1953]

Thanks Fred! Another fine video. I definitely understand the bearding better now. I always look forward to your videos and may not comment on everyone but you can bet I will watch and hit the thumbs up! 👍👍 Thanks again! Don

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much Don, it means a lot as I know everyone is very busy these days!

[@justinrotola2449]

Can you do a video about what kind of plants are best to plant in the spring, summer and fall that honey bee's love. Give a variety of what to plant, and when it will come up?

[@FrederickDunn]

That's in one of my FAQ videos... the problem with that information is that it's different for many ag zones. I always try to show what the bees are benefitting from as the year progresses. Trees are actually high on my list, particularly for early pollen and nectar - Pussy Willows for early pollen, dandelions, clover, alfalfa, Linden Trees, then into the sunflowers and pollinator wildflower mixes for meadows - MIlkweed is a heavy nectra producer.

[@mihaiilie8808]

@@FrederickDunn Number one american tree its the black locust.Its a tree native to North America but Romania produces the most Black locust honey in the world( this year we are #1 in Europe).Its the most expensive honey here. The next best plant is also american native,Phacelia Tanacetifolia .Its a perenial and can be planted 2 times a year. Both ,the black locusts and phacelia make more than a ton of nectar per hectare.Phacelia also has a beautifull mauve pollen. This link tells about our acacia honey and its black locust honey,pseudoacacia not real acacia . kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6STYpptapl-mKc

[@roberthowells]

I've got to try that BetterBee Better Comb!

[@FrederickDunn]

It absolutely works!

[@masterbeekeeper30years18]

Another product that sold out when Fred shared about it! I'm with you Robert Howells and they are back ordered. I think they will solve many problems.

[@jpthedelawarebeeman6239]

Thanks Fred - I am going to plant some more sunflowers next year and have a place to order some seed rather than rely on dollar store seed :)

[@ramakrishnak598]

Thank you so much

[@FrederickDunn]

You're most welcome, thanks for taking a moment to comment :)

[@matthewlastrapes8104]

That is so cool

[@bradgoliphant]

Hello my friend. Wow, I love that. When bee beard like this, and they also at there most docile like they are when they swarm? Could I put my hand through there and pick up some bees? Also, I would love to come visit you one day. I'm in NYC. How far you you from me. Would you be open to that. either way I'm fine. I would just love to come visit you bee yard on day and meet you. You have bee a true help to me.

[@dandevaul1224]

Another excellent video Thank you Fred

[@FrederickDunn]

You're welcome Dan!

[@johnmcneill923]

Fantastic...gr8 job as usual.

[@gordonlassen2626]

Fred, this is my first year. One of my colonies is very strong and now has a Flow Hive honey super on top that is heavily engaged by the bees. I've noticed that every afternoon for the last couple of weeks the bees beard, sometimes a small amount and sometime very heavy. I'd check on them and found the bearding continued when I checked them at 12:00 am. In the morning they were not bearding. I'm hoping it is related to what you teach in this video about dehydrating the nectar. But I need your feedback. (Details: Utah, July, routinely in the mid 90s f, afternoon sun, humidity < 20%, 2-3 significant thunderstorms over this time period). Thanks.

[@FrederickDunn]

Yes, when the temps drop off at night, most of the bearding bees return to the interior as they are also available as insulation around the brood frames. It's a very normal cycle.

[@stevefox7961]

Thankyou very informative and helpful to me

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ambertracks]

would you be shocked if they spelled out something ?

[@SmallTNHomestead]

LOL!

[@janedough8733]

😂

[@danskisbees7348]

Don't give him any ideas, lol.

[@SmallTNHomestead]

@@danskisbees7348 I agree Dan! Fred has a clever witty mind! It shines through his videos.

[@danskisbees7348]

Good morning Mary! Yes ma'am, I can definitely see him doing something, lol.

[@bradgoliphant]

oh forgot, do drones have long tongues like the workers? Do they actually NEED to be fed?

[@FrederickDunn]

They have very short tongues and do have to be fed, there are some instances where you can see them appear to try to take nectar directly, but overall they must be attended to.

[@robertmathurin3716]

Hey Mr.Dunn was down but Am back Now..🇱🇨👊👍🖤

[@susanbrockbank4670]

You certainly have happy girls , so glad your late swarms 1 and 2 are doing so well. Only wish i had the space to plant as many sunflowers as you have i managed 60 interspersed with cosmos and verbena bonariensis. Great video very informative. Thank you fred 💕🐝

[@brandishoogy]

Great video

[@geanitsucuneli4791]

I didn't see a little opening at superior part of the deep box.when is warm and umidity is high they need the second enter up by the cover.

[@FrederickDunn]

Even in hotter weather where I reside, the bees have shown that they don't want the upper ventilation openings or screens. They have sealed everything up with propolis and prefer to vent through the lower entry only. Even in the largest natural feral colonies in trees, we've observed that they have a single opening in the lower 10% of the cavity and it's an average of 1.5" in diameter. The bees are showing a preference for cavities without upper venting.

[@geanitsucuneli4791]

I do run 2000 hives full power(carnica and italian Bees) and also 1000 Nucs (5 frames deeps)here in Az.If I do cover my uper vent ,in next few hours they are all over outside of the box.So if you want bees w.o. stress and good production of honey and viguros brood, make sure your hive doesn't become a green house ,full of CO2,the killer for everybody.

[@downbntout]

Wowza!

[@lwil2808]

Hi Fred. I have seen other beekeepers talk about how important it is to give a lot of ventilation to a hive to keep the bees from bearding otherwise high internal temps can be depremental to the brood. What are your thoughts?

[@FrederickDunn]

My thoughts are that the bees, provided with adequate water resources, can ventilate the hive as needed as well as cool it just fine. The idea of larger ventilation openings really comes from human comfort and not observation of honey bees. Too much venting can actually remove valuable humidity inside the hive and present challenges to the developing brood.

[@lwil2808]

@@FrederickDunn thanks. I agree that the bees know best and we should let them bee.

[@downbntout]

4:29, just as you were saying 'What is that?' I see at the top center, a bee with a dark color abdomen. Why is that?

[@FrederickDunn]

All of the workers in a bee colony are sister bees, however the queen mated with up to 20 drones which makes them half-sisters for the most part. Because of those contributing drones, there is a often a variance in color and traits within the same colony. Thanks for watching!

[@johnjordan7884]

Is this a sign of overcrowding? Seem like you could give them more room and maybe prevent a swarm impulse? I have the same issue going on right now and I'm considering giving them more room because I'm scared their gonna swarm. It's been in upper 40's at night, and raining and I still have huge beards!

[@FrederickDunn]

I'll talk about this on Friday, it's not a sign that they are overcrowded, it's just a way to reduce humidity within the hive.

[@brendasmith5937]

Hi Fred. We have had such terrible downpours here, many people have had their hives go under water.

[@FrederickDunn]

That is terrible! How high were those hives off the ground? It's something I think about a lot when I see flooding situations on the news.

[@brendasmith5937]

@@FrederickDunn my friend had his off the ground a few feet but he also has 5 feet of water in that area now. We got hammered with rain badly in the spring. Most farmers werent able to get a crop in. Lots of fields just lying fallow. Now more rain the last week and more on the way.

[@FrederickDunn]

@@brendasmith5937 What a huge challenge.. sounds like forage would also be profoundly impacted.

[@brendasmith5937]

@@FrederickDunn some areas, yes. Some of these fields that were left fallow are FULL of sunflowers. Yes we have them native here but I think someone had to have planted them. Im thinking some people's bees must be doing well. On the other hand the elderberries here didnt look very good. You can always tell when you have plenty of honey bees. The elderberries are good then.

[@robertmalis4493]

Hey Fred I noticed you had a bunch of corn next to your big yard now I know corn self pollinate but can bees utilize corn pollen as well

[@FrederickDunn]

My goal is always to keep the bees off of the corn pollen... by providing better alternatives. Corn often has systemic pesticides which may negatively impact developing brood.

[@danskisbees7348]

@@FrederickDunn There you go, CCD.

[@LaraLovesBees]

Hi Fred! I know your hives are probably strong enough that you don't have to worry about wax moth, but if you have a chance, will you observe whether the ultrasonic device has an effect on wax moth? Many thanks for your amazing videos!

[@FrederickDunn]

HI Lara, I can say with absolution that wax moths would be uneffected by the ultrasonic owls - first issue is that they won't trigger the motion detector and the second is that the sound frequencies would not be perceived as a threat. For example bats echo-locate moths and other night fliers with ultrasonic clicks that the insects have no reaction to. Good question though!

[@LaraLovesBees]

@@FrederickDunn I see. This nuc seemed pretty strong, then I noticed some bald brood...then the moth larvae. They wash at 5 mites. I plan to start Apiguard in the next couple days but I don't want to overwhelm them. Is my only option to switch the brood comb that is affected with a brood comb from a strong hive, letting the strong hive clean the moth larvae out of the comb? It's a new box, but I'll inspect for a cocoon inside. I'm afraid simply switching the affected comb won't solve the greater problem of the moths laying inside the weaker hive. Maybe getting the mites lower will give them the strength to fend off the moths.

[@FrederickDunn]

@@LaraLovesBees If I had any wax moth damaged frames, I'll remove them completely and not count on other colonies to clean them up. I'd replace with fresh clean comb. Or a good foundation that is ready to draw out.

[@mihaiilie8808]

@@LaraLovesBees for wax moths there is a biological treatment solution.Bacillus Thuringiensis,you spray the frames with it and it lasts forever.There are certain brands that sell it but regardless of the brand ,you want to see Bacillus Thuringiensis listed on the ingredients.

[@danskisbees7348]

If you're going to reuse that frame, you need to freeze it first and give it back to the nuc. Like Fred said, I wouldn't put it in another hive to clean it up, you could be spreading disease to a strong hive. Reduce your entrance if you haven't already.

[@angelacross2216]

Can you explain wash-boarding? TBH it looked to me as is my were happy and partying.

[@FrederickDunn]

I compare washboarding to the old sailor practice of holy-stoning the decks... the bees lick the wood and scrape with their mandibles as they shift side to side and fore to aft often in a line... the "reason" appears to be simply surface cleansing and they do also scrap little tidbits from the surface. They work horizontal and verticle surfaces and it's a behavior I've captured many times over. It's an observed behavior that really has no firm scientific explanation. Fun to watch though :) I wish they would do more of it!

[@angelacross2216]

Frederick Dunn , thanks that makes sense. I told my kids they were line-dancing. Scrubbing the decks whilst humming a sea shanty is pretty close I guess.

[@FrederickDunn]

@@angelacross2216 They have tiny sing-song voices and that's exactly what they are doing... nothing like maritime bees ; )

[@mark-ish]

1

[@awarenessawake6357]

There are some abandon hives on my property . In light of recent events the keepers have not been around ! The bees seem to be thriving and recently collecting on the outside of the panel box's ? Great tutorial by the way .... You really articulate with a certain graceful flow .... 💞... Any advice ?

[@FrederickDunn]

I think those hives with bees collected on the hives this tim of year are preparing to swarm out :) and thanks!

[@gilfisher8457]

did anyone see varroa at 4:45-4:55

[@FrederickDunn]

HI Gil, can you provide more detail about where on the screen you noticed one? I'm looking :)

[@gilfisher8457]

@@FrederickDunn 4:43 middle hanging column, bee on right, VM on left side of bee

[@blueraspberrylemonade32]

5:23

[@JohnnyQuanSW]

Lol, that bee practices calisthenics

[@matthewsweeney2577]

👍

[@seanb0wers514]

I don't have any exposure to aster honey, but golden rod honey definitely smells like dirty sweat socks.

[@FrederickDunn]

BUT it tastes awesome ; )

[@seanb0wers514]

Yeah Fred, you could label it Toe Jam Honey. Smells funny but tastes great!👍😄🐝🐝🐝

[@FrederickDunn]

@@seanb0wers514 unfriended.... er... blocked... or... whatever gets the toe jam away

[@seanb0wers514]

@@FrederickDunn Sorry Fred. Hope I didn't step over a boundry.

[@FrederickDunn]

@@seanb0wers514 there are no boundaries in beekeeping Sean! No apology ever necessary... it's my dry humor!

[@SelfMadeEntourage]

Probably to full

[@yolandah6891]

Hi Fred

[@anthellis]

I live in Vegas where resources aren’t great. I’m actually in Henderson, a much greener part of the Vegas area. So because of this, I’ve been putting out sugar water and ultra bee pollen. And when I do, it is incredible! Thousands of bees show up in less than ten minutes. Checkout my Instagram for video. Anthellis79. They will clear away a pound of pollen in an hour, and 5 gallons of sugar water in 3 days. I have 3 hives, but clearly I’m feeding the neighborhood. My question is, do you think it’s bad to do this? Im clearly building up all the hives, but am I setting them up for disaster? I’ll switch to hive top feeding soon. I don’t have the time, or money to feed 10 million mouths... Love what you’re doing with this channel. I think everyone should have solar panels, and bees. It would be such a sweet world.

[@danskisbees7348]

I hope you aren't open feeding near your hives?

[@user-md4di6yg2p]

Lazy bees...just hangin' around. Get to work! No loitering!

[@PaulOttavio]

Get to the point will you? :-)

[@FrederickDunn]

I'm not known for "getting to the point". I enjoy taking my time :)