# Photos of laden vs. unladen bees?



## jonsl (Jul 16, 2016)

Is that a rubber band I see them pulling out of the hive? Nice looking bees.


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

Just visited the webcam.........the bees appear to be trying to remove a rubber band from the hive. Did you band some comb into the hive lately?


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

They got-r-done! (rubber band removal @ 12:54 pm ...KS time) :thumbsup:


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

It's gone now!!

I think one of the supers I put on had its comb break away from the frame, so I rubber-banded it in when I put it on. That was about 2 weeks ago, so it's taken them awhile to pull it out.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

Really neat bee cam. I didn't see any foragers returning with what I would consider a full belly of nectar, but that doesn't mean they didn't have some nectar. The ones I see that are just bustin' at the seams full have almost transparent abdomens they are so fully distended.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

ruthiesbees said:


> Really neat bee cam. I didn't see any foragers returning with what I would consider a full belly of nectar, but that doesn't mean they didn't have some nectar. The ones I see that are just bustin' at the seams full have almost transparent abdomens they are so fully distended.


That's exactly what I'm looking for. Does anyone have photos of this type of fully-laden bee?


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Returning forager catching a glimpse of herself in the lens' reflection: "Oh snap, does this nectar make my butt look big?"

I think what you're hoping to see would be clearer if your camera was at a higher angle relative to the landing board.

Do you work for Verizon? Because with that feed to look at I'll be blowing through my 3 gig data plan in a few days. Pure late-winter, beekeeper crack!

Enj.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I couldn't get it to work...


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## Hops Brewster (Jun 17, 2014)

Hey Enj, it's early spring now. Your recent Nor'easter proves it. :gh:


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Brad Bee said:


> I couldn't get it to work...


The youtube stream comes and goes, and I'm not entirely sure why.

My private stream is still up, and the bees are very active right now, so the YT stream _should_ be working.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

enjambres said:


> I think what you're hoping to see would be clearer if your camera was at a higher angle relative to the landing board.


I'll have to come up with a mount that allows me to do that. Right now the BeeCam is just velcroed onto a pair of 2 x 4s. I'll need to make a pivot mount.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> The youtube stream comes and goes, and I'm not entirely sure why.
> 
> My private stream is still up, and the bees are very active right now, so the YT stream _should_ be working.


And now it's working again.


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

That settles it. I'm not getting one. I wouldn't get anything done. That's for posting that. J


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Looks like a lot of them are crashing into the brood box, falling onto the landing board, then crawling in!


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## R_V (Aug 20, 2016)

I hear music, are you sitting nearby playing guitar?


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

They're hauling in the pollen by the wazoo load most of the day....... :applause:

Looks like a good strong hive. :thumbsup:


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

snl said:


> Looks like a lot of them are crashing into the brood box, falling onto the landing board, then crawling in!


Does poor flying skill correlate with high nectar loads? Or just with fermented nectar loads?



R_V said:


> I hear music, are you sitting nearby playing guitar?


Actually it's a harp. See the YouTube notes for a link to purchase the album.



Tim KS said:


> They're hauling in the pollen by the wazoo load most of the day....... :applause:
> 
> Looks like a good strong hive. :thumbsup:


Yeah, they bring in tons of pollen. But, as I've been told, pollen doesn't necessarily imply nectar.

Yes, this was my booming, hostile hive that I split 3 ways last weekend in preparations for requeening. I strongly suspect that this stack has the queen, but I was too busy getting stung on the eyebrow (again) to look for her.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> I'll have to come up with a mount that allows me to do that. Right now the BeeCam is just velcroed onto a pair of 2 x 4s. I'll need to make a pivot mount.


So now I have a pivot mount, and a higher angle. 

Do they look like they're bringing in nectar?

https://www.youtube.com/user/IAmTheWaterbug/live


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## Biermann (May 31, 2015)

Hello Waterbug,

very nicely setup now. No idea how the bees look if they are nectar laden, but, if you check you should see if they place nectar in the comb and you will know.

I have one hive with this dark abdomen, they produced like crazy last year and I have two hives with light brown abdomen and they are more holiday bees (I think).

About this stinging business, I do most my checks without suit, just quick and without much work and only got stung a couple of times, but I have had twice one bee kamikaze around my face and I bad each time this bee looked at me thoroughly and then went for my eyebrow and nailed me. Good thing does idiots die.

I wished my bees would be doing this now, but we are in deep winter again, around 0F and no sign of spring.

Cheers, Joerg


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## DG2015 (Mar 4, 2015)

What is the average airspeed velocity of an unladen bee? 

African or European? 

:lpf:


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

opcorn:


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## DG2015 (Mar 4, 2015)

To Clarify.....The title caught my attention and reminded me of Monty Python. The discussion had gone quiet and no derailment or disrespect was intended. As an edit 

"Africanized or European"


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I think most of us got it. I thought it was a funny and appropriate bit of humor. But then again, I am not the sanest person in the asylum.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Ok. Is this what I've been looking for?










The ones circled in green look fatter than the ones circled in red. Or am I fooling myself because I can tell by their direction whether they're coming or going? Or is it the camera angle?


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

No, I think your interpretation is correct. After only seeing winter bees for six months of the year, on the first really good nectar day I am always startled by how big my bees suddenly appear. I know it's going happen, but it always surprises me to see it. Any month now, it will surely happen. It's snowing again today here.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

Thanks for resurrecting the thread. Just got this shot today. I can always tell a fully loaded bee by the "see-through" appearance of their abdomen.


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