It's been hot out here, in the nineties and humid as all get out. My poor bees seemed really stressed, they were on the outside of the hive doing what beekeepers call washboarding. If you watch this video, you can see why they call it that. They moved back and forth, just doing the two-step. It's as though they are cleaning the outside of the hive, or maybe a line dance. Not much is known about why bees do this, but mine have been doing it since it got hot and humid. Of course, we are also in a dearth (lack of nectar producing flowers).
Naturally, I was concerned with my beekeeping skills. Slumlord that I am, I apparently wasn't providing sufficient a/c. So I increased ventilation by putting a good 1/2 inch vent between the top super and inner cover. Previously, I had a vent between the inner and top cover but this didn't allow much ventilation.
I was so proud of myself! The bees kept washboarding, but they looked happier with all that ventilation. And there seemed to be fewer of them on the outside of the hive.
This is what is called "projecting." Turns out, I was happier. But I was about to learn about robbing behavior.
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