Undertaker Bees

[leominsterbeeman]

Have you ever seen this in action?   It's pretty cool.  The last few weeks have been very cold here except for the last week.  Well, the observation hive has had some dead bees that have fallen to the bottom of the hive.   Once it got to the warm part of the day - 2:00 pm,  there would be this loud buzz roar that starts from the hive and then all of a sudden the undetakers take out the dead and leave them in the tube to the outside.  They don't take all of the dead soldiers out, but  it seems like they only take about one each, because there is only abut 12 dead bees in the tube.  They are not taking them outside at all and it's been up to 50 degrees F and I haven't seen any bees venturing outside to drop off the dead or for cleaning flights.    

Have seen the queen yesterday and there is no brood in the hive as of yet.   Maybe by the end of February.