Strange Behavior?

[Kris^]

Today was a cool day around here, reaching mid-60s at the most.  Through most of the day (well, at least in the morning and mid-afternoon, when I was around to look), there was just a small amount of activity at the hive entrance.  About 5 pm, though, I looked across the field and saw the air thick with activity, and when I went to the hive, they were just coming and going like crazy.  Now, it wouldn't have bothered me if it was 80 or 90 degrees out, but it's only 62!  We watched them and they were traveling to and from somewhere to the southwest, into the pinelands.  It didn't look like fighting, as I imagine defending against another colony might look like.  They mainly would just hover in the air for a while before landing, and lots of them, like on a hot day.  

I know the hive is growing.  Do they naturally get more active at lower temperatures when they get more populated?  I took pictures and could post one if I knew how.  

[Beth Kirkley]

I don't know about the activity the bees displayed. But I can help you with the picture posting.
1) You'll need to have a place you keep pictures online - such as http://www.imagestaion.com, or http://www.webshots.com.
To start an account with then is free. I use both, but prefer the imagestation one.
2) Once your pictures are uploaded there, right click on the photo. An info box will pop up, choose "properties" at the bottom of the list.
3) You'll see a long address there like this one - http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid105/pfb4a5c7e3dd8ee517647c77d9010d4af/f97dff0a.jpg
Cut the address. Then come to the forum where you are posting and either click the Img button above or type .

Like so - but I added spaces before and after the address:


If you take out the spaces, then it comes out like this:


Beth

[Markinaust]

Hi Kris,


The activity you describe sounds a lot like Orientation flights or cleansing flights. Most likely orientation flights though. When newly hatched bees take orientation flights they fly a few feet and head back to the hive, often not even entering the hive and then fly out again my be ten feet this time and so the whole process is repeated until the bee has familiarised itself with the surroundings. I can still recall when I first witnessed this I thought they where swarming.


Cheers


Mark

[Robo]

Here is a tutorial on posting images
http://beemaster.com/beebbs/viewtopic.php?t=475

[beemaster]

Kris:

If you were to watch the bees every hour of the day, you will see triggered scurry flights or as my wife calls them, traffic jams at the beeport! What triggers small bursts of airborn activity is varied and usually not something us humans can spot - it's a bee thing.

But many times a day, bees (a few hundred or more) can just take off stretch their wings, buzz around the hive a little and bottle neck up (especially if you have reduced entrances) until everyone gets back into the hive.

Sometimes, you are talking bees who have never flown before - it really isn't orientation, that involves a bit more than just leaving and landing, although (like pigeons) bees take longer flights as they leave the hive for their first flights. But these scurry flights are fairly frequent throughout the season and PERFECTLY NORMAL activity.