bearding or swarming?

3 OCTOBER, 2017

With mid spring feeling more like early summer, my bees have started bearding (hanging out the front of the hive fanning their wings) and am unsure as to whether they are just hot and cooling the hive / creating less crowding or just needing more room despite the heat. Am going to wait a week before adding another box for the coming months. Found a great article by Khalil Hamdan on the difference between bearding and swarming, which helped me relax a little about potentially watching my bees disappear for good because of overcrowding. But still going to expand the hive for them as soon as I can.

There is a lot of guesstimating in beekeeping which keeps it exciting. They are wild creatures after all, so often feel like I'm sensing into what they are needing, due to not being able to see exactly what is happening inside the hive. And am aware that leaving the bees alone as much as possible helps them stay happy and healthy, so guesstimating is my best bet. So far, so good!