# What do bees do on rainy days?



## Westhill (Jul 26, 2012)

Today is the first all-day rain/cloudy/cold day we've had a in a while.

All of the foragers are in the hive. No one's going out.

Which makes me wonder, What do they do when they're all in there?

Do they get more comb built? Do they get more honey evaporated because there are more wings moving air?

What jobs do they have that they can do more of when most/all of the bees are home? 

Or do the foragers just hang out in there and get in the way of everyone else?


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## BeeBop (Apr 23, 2015)

They sit inside and watch TV.

It's drizzly rainy here today and no bees are flying.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

LOL! Great question. We REALLY need some easy, unobtrusive, inexpensive hive cams invented. Then we can keep an eye on those no-goodnicks and see what they're up to. 

Isn't the rain great? After suffering thru a moderate drought pattern, who cares if it's raining for 3 days straight...

I'm going to nail a To Do list inside the hive to give them suggestions and get their bee bottoms off their couches:

1) Hurry up and build comb! What are you waiting for? Christmas? You only have a few good months left and then you're hive is going to be Clustered!

2) Get that honey capped! Make hay while the sun doesn't shine! Hurry up, because we're all waiting here...

3) Hurry up and lay more brood! I want this hive packed the next time I come out here! Quit sitting around and get to reproducing.

That's a starter list. I'll add to it as I think of more things.


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

Easy. Netflix...


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

The field force sleeps and rests, the house bees get caught up on the house cleaning chores.


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## Royal (May 4, 2015)

AR Beekeeper said:


> The field force sleeps and rests, the house bees get caught up on the house cleaning chores.


Pfft yeah right. Do you think we're stupid or something?


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## Kamon A. Reynolds (Apr 15, 2012)

The worker force sleeps some of the time. The nurse bees keep doing there thing. The worker force when not resting just chills at the entrance a lot.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

jcolon said:


> Easy. Netflix...


That's probably why I saw a cable cord running from the hives into my basement...

Looks like they've been binge watching the whole series episodes of Dr. Who...

I do hope that the nectar sources are seriously recharging with this welcome rain. It was dry as dust out there, that can't be good for nectar supplies.


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## phyber (Apr 14, 2015)

The bees get on BeeSource and figure out new ways to completely do 100% what we don't want them to.


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

Mine are an older crowd....they break out the Uno cards.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Tim KS said:


> Mine are an older crowd....they break out the Uno cards.


 I love Uno!


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## lowhog (May 5, 2015)

If its not a heavy rain mine are out gathering. Bees are tuff in Minnesota. Our saying goes, If you don't like the weather wait a hour it will change.opcorn:


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

lowhog said:


> If its not a heavy rain mine are out gathering. Bees are tuff in Minnesota. Our saying goes, If you don't like the weather wait a hour it will change.opcorn:


Are all your bees above average?


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

Swarm prep.


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## mri1 (Feb 9, 2015)

Why they break out the fermented sugar water and line dance


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

beedeetee said:


> Swarm prep.


This, if they are on the verge of wanting to swarm and get couped up for a few days, that next first nice day is when the swarm will issue


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

They rest.


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

They're eating some of the stores.


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

NewbeeInNH said:


> Are all your bees above average?


You got it. 

On a rainy day, they tune their right antennae to broadcasts of A Prairie Hive Companion to hear stories of Lake WoBeeGon, where the workers are strong, the drones are good-looking and all the larvae are above average.

Wayne


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## irishmick (Mar 10, 2015)

waynesgarden said:


> You got it.
> 
> On a rainy day, they tune their right antennae to broadcasts of A Prairie Hive Companion to hear stories of Lake WoBeeGon, where the workers are strong, the drones are good-looking and all the larvae are above average.
> 
> Wayne


Well as long as you don't get to close to North Dakota... Fargo doncha know...


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

NewbeeInNH said:


> Isn't the rain great? After suffering thru a moderate drought pattern, who cares if it's raining for 3 days straight...


Should have come yesterday to do my grafting and tomorrow to set up my 4 cell builders. You might change your tune.


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## bbruff22 (Dec 24, 2013)

DanielD said:


> They're eating some of the stores.


Ditto...some beeks in my area are feeding right now. It rained all but 3 or 4 days last month. Stores got consumed and the sweet clover is just getting started, later than usual.


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## Matt F (Oct 7, 2014)

NewbeeInNH said:


> Are all your bees above average?


:thumbsup:


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## Baldursson (Nov 22, 2011)

They sit and Brood.


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## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

lowhog said:


> If its not a heavy rain mine are out gathering. Bees are tuff in Minnesota. Our saying goes, If you don't like the weather wait a hour it will change.opcorn:


Interesting! Here in Indiana we have that very same phrase. Must be a midwest thing. I'll second the tough bees. Mine are at the edge of forest so even in hard rain, they are somewhat sheltered from the downpour. I see them flying in about any weather, except cold... then they sit in on or around the hive, taking up any sun or waiting on a break in the weather. I wonder how productive this is though. We have flowers in the woods all over here, so I assume they forage there in rain... I couldn't see them leaving this relative cover to forage an open field of clover in a downpour. Maybe they're all sitting at the other edge of the woods watching it rain on their clover patch.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

They get on humansource and talk about the strange things their humans are doing.


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

DrJeseuss said:


> Interesting! Here in Indiana we have that very same phrase. Must be a midwest thing.


Its not just the midwest. We say the same saying here in the west. We also have another saying, 'there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.' So... if your bees aren't out, invest in better outdoor gear for them.


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## lemmje (Feb 23, 2015)

FlowerPlanter said:


> They get on humansource and talk about the strange things their humans are doing.


Awesome! You have the URL?


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## Cloverdale (Mar 26, 2012)

Two of my hives were washboarding with this weather, two days in a row.


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## Frgrasso (Dec 18, 2014)

Mine were cleaning house and tossing 
Dead Bodies out the front door & 
Hopefully drawing out comb !


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Mine sit around and ponder whether to bee or not to bee.


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## lemmje (Feb 23, 2015)

Brad Bee said:


> Mine sit around and ponder whether to bee or not to bee.


That is the question


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## Royal (May 4, 2015)

They make wax candles to keep the hive well lit, and to be able to read to-do lists.


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## Nichols747 (May 21, 2010)

beedeetee said:


> Swarm prep.


Hah! I'm just up the Gorge from you, and I was just looking out the window thinking about the 90's predicted this weekend. Probably going to be lots of calls!


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## Westhill (Jul 26, 2012)

I love this thread! Thank you all for the laughs.


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## julieandwadeshelton (Oct 10, 2014)

Cloverdale said:


> Two of my hives were washboarding with this weather, two days in a row.



I witnessed one of mine doing this as well for the first time. We've had a few days of on and off storms and downpours.

Also, Proverbs 16:24 was the verse I read the morning after seeing a bee bearded man at a local museum. After which I dove into learning as much as I could, and now have 2.5 hives


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

They get cranky and sting you in the face because you didn't wear a veil when adding another box. Most just go about their business but every hive has a few bad asses to ruin your day.


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## Cloverdale (Mar 26, 2012)

julieandwadeshelton said:


> I witnessed one of mine doing this as well for the first time. We've had a few days of on and off storms and downpours.
> 
> Also, Proverbs 16:24 was the verse I read the morning after seeing a bee bearded man at a local museum. After which I dove into learning as much as I could, and now have 2.5 hives


:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

They seem to eat a lot of honey. It rained for most of 3 weeks and my hives lost weight. I am feeding


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## Bees2be (May 20, 2018)

Westhill said:


> Today is the first all-day rain/cloudy/cold day we've had a in a while.
> 
> All of the foragers are in the hive. No one's going out.
> 
> ...


I Have the same question. I added my last brood box on both hives Now we have a week of rain. it'd be nice to know that they all got to work drawing out comb. But it sounds like they are unionized and just stick to their assigned jobs. 
Yes I know this was an old thread and the Netflix jokes were cute but it is a serious question.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Bees2be said:


> I Have the same question. I added my last brood box on both hives Now we have a week of rain. * it'd be nice to know that they all got to work drawing out comb.* But it sounds like they are unionized and just stick to their assigned jobs.
> Yes I know this was an old thread and the Netflix jokes were cute but it is a serious question.


It is not foragers' job to draw combs.
So they will not do it.
They just rest and eat until they can forage again.

PS: the fresh swarm foragers are different - they will do any job that needs done, to be sure.


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

NewbeeInNH said:


> Are all your bees above average?


Not only are they all above average, I'll bet they're good looking too.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

Bees2be said:


> I Have the same question. I added my last brood box on both hives Now we have a week of rain. it'd be nice to know that they all got to work drawing out comb. But it sounds like they are unionized and just stick to their assigned jobs.
> Yes I know this was an old thread and the Netflix jokes were cute but it is a serious question.


my opinion and educated guess.
brood nest and all its members , same thing each day rain or shine.
foragers resting, which since they wear out their wings give them a longer lifespan.
nectar is evaporated and stored so some space is opened for new hauls in the future.
some pollen is consumed as none is coming in and brood is still being raised.

this can be a danger time for swarming, as not many bees dyeing and same births each day so the population builds.
if crowed 3 days of rain is not helping.

long term 5th or so day of rain, brood break maybe, as no nectar for several days, and more crowding unless the hive has plenty of space.

GG


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