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Author Topic: strange behavior  (Read 1880 times)

Offline 10framer

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strange behavior
« on: October 26, 2012, 02:42:26 pm »
my hives are located right next to my deer stand.  it has been reaching around 80 degrees the last week or so.
in the evening my bees have been flying around the entrance almost like they are preparing to swarm.  very active and buzzing audibly.
earlier in the week one hive was doing it and yesterday another hive was doing it.  this is happening a couple of hours before sunset. 
the bees settle down and go into the hive just before dark.  it doesn't seem like robbers or returning field bees.
both hives are strong with good queens and substantial honey and pollen stores.
any thoughts on what's going on?
i have seen hive beetles in all three hives but no damage.  my eyes aren't what they used to be but i haven't seen any varroa (i can still see eggs in a cell if i try hard enough so i think i'd see mites).
i used to run a couple hundred hives and worked for a guy that had a couple thousand.  i admit that this isn't a time of year that we spent in the bee yards.  we re-queened in august and usually didn't start feeding until december.
i just don't remember seeing this behavior other than when a swarm was emerging or settling into an empty hive.
i'm not overly concerned but i am curious.

Offline hardwood

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Re: strange behavior
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2012, 02:47:08 pm »
Orientation flights?

Scott
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline iddee

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Re: strange behavior
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2012, 02:50:57 pm »
Ditto hardwood.... Orientation flights.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline 10framer

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Re: strange behavior
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2012, 03:57:07 pm »
good point.  i moved them there a week ago today so that makes perfect sense. 
thanks