At the Hive Entrance.pdf - BioBees

Observation
Explanation
At the start of the main flow
groups of bees block the hive
entrance.
This situation, annoying at this time of the year, i!
caused by over-population. These colonies lose the
inclination and dedication to work even if they are
not yet affected by the swarming fever. Their inclina
tion to work is restored by removing as soon as possi
ble young bees and the frames containing sealec
brood (formation of artificial swarms).
Blockage occurs at the hive
entrances of certain colonies
due to bees entering and leaving.
Numerous pollen pellets of all
colours litter the alighting
board and bottom board of the
hive.
To what does one attribute the
"smoothing" movements that
certain of the bees make before
the hive entrance?
The hive entrance is too narrow. The fanners block i
and those going out obstruct the return of heavily loa
ded bees. In the long run this wasting of time result
in a decrease in the harvest.
The hive entmnoe is too narrow and its ridges ,J
sharp. On entering the hive the bees scrape themsejlves
and lose their pollen.
To find the cause of these movements, which are
particularly evident when the pollen harvest is plentiful,
I used a magnifying glass to observe bees buzy
"smoothing", without disturbing them. Only in a few
cases did they continue their movements. Thanks to
the magnifying glass I could ascertain that small pollen
particles, invisible to the naked eye, remained attached
to the bees hair. These were certainly not young
bees but foragers.
The colony I was watching was harvesting an unusually
large amount of pollen. Whilst in other colonies
I saw few or no bees "smoothing", in this one it was
frequent especially when the pollen was plentiful.
Finally, I concluded that the bees made these movements,
which sometimes continued a long time, to rid
themselves of these minute pollen grains, which slide
into the gap between the head and the thorax, and
can be particularly uncomfortable and annoying.
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