Clumps of bees
Bearding
In hot weather, bees sometimes take their hot little bodies out of the hive and congregate in a U shape above the entrance. This helps them maintain the correct temperature in the hive. It is a normal occurrence with wooden and rare in poly hives.
Absconded Queen
I found this little group of bees and a queen several metres from my apiary four days after a shook swarm.
Bearding BeeBox style
The bees would migrate up the hive if the entrance reducer was removed.
Swarm
This sort of swarm, hanging off a branch, is easily shaken into a box or skep. *
Dead bees
Note how the dead bees are situated in the floor depression. This makes it less likely that they will block the entrance.
Feeding on fondant
This is a view of a crown board in September. They created a “sail” of comb around the entrance hole.
We can’t fit in bees
Winter cluster
In the winter, the bees cluster together for warmth.
Balling
Bees use balling to kill giant insects like hornets by encircling and cooking them. Bees can survive 50 degrees C, whereas other insects only manage 40–44 degrees C. The clump size depends on what they are balling. If you spray it with water, it will break up. I have only seen it once when I dropped a queen; the ball was the size of a golf ball. It can arise when a queen is introduced to a colony. It is uncommon and needs to be better understood.
Cold Bees
Maybe you are running them up a plank to the hive. It clouds over, and they get cold. They huddle together and don’t want to go anywhere.
Drippy bees
Some bees clump together on the bottom bar of their frame and may drop off. Bees making wax cling together and form strings like daisy chains.
Uncertainty cluster
Occasionally, bees get muddled and do something strange, like cluster outside their hive in mid-winter. In this example, check their hive is not uncomfortable and brush them back inside.
Disaffected bees
They are showing an interest in a caged queen and are gnawing the cage because they have not accepted her;
More often than not, they don’t show her so much attention, but this does not imply they like her. If they feed her, this is a good sign (although I find it difficult to distinguish it from gnawing).
