# How Does the Cluster Move?



## Thomas Frazier (Aug 25, 2015)

So, I'll be building my first TBH, after using Langs for the past 4 years. Yep, branching out.

It's easy for me to visualize a cluster moving up through the vertical frames of a Langstroth hive during winter. But it seems that the horizontal arrangement would create an impediment to the motion of the bees. They would have to break cluster to move to the next comb. But what do I know - I'm not a bee. Mainly I'm just curious. Can anyone paint a picture for me?

Thanks,


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Bees have trouble moving only when it's extremely cold and then they have trouble whatever the direction. They don't break cluster to move. The cluster moves. They do break cluster to rearrange stores on a warm day...


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

There's a old paper called "The Thermology of Wintering Honey Bee Colonies", USDA Technical Bulletin 1420. The BeeSource ref library has the text but not the figures. The original paper may be found here:

https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=CAT72345678&content=PDF

This study was done by putting hundreds of thermocouples inside of hives and meticulously recording how the warm areas changed with outside conditions. 

The results are either mind-numbing or fascinating, depending on your interest. They show what Michael Bush just said. When things are warm enough, the cluster can move around like an amoeba, changing shape to gain access to stores. It can be very compact when brood is not present, or spread out when there is brood. And they'll definitely break cluster on warm days ... you can see that yourself by opening the hive on warm days.

The simple version is that the cluster bores straight up thru its stores, but that's rarely completely accurate, as the thermocouple study revealed.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

Bees in topbar hives usually leave some "communication" holes in the comb so they can move through to the next one. Mine can also be seen moving along the sides and bottom since the comb doesn't touch the floor, but I have such mild winters in this part of VA, they frequently break cluster to roam all over the honey stores as well as fly out to collect fresh nectar. Very different scenario than Illinois winters, I'd imagine. The best part is when the cluster forms against the window glass and I can watch them close up to see how they are moving about. Some days the outside layer has frost on their wings inside the hive.


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## Thomas Frazier (Aug 25, 2015)

Thanks Ruth, communication holes make sense, and of course we often see them in Langstroth frames so that helps me understand.

Winters here in northern Illinois have been highly variable lately - or maybe, that's just me paying attention. Last year we had a long stretch of bitter cold; yesterday it was 50. 

Cheers!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Gradually.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Phoebee said:


> There's a old paper called "The Thermology of Wintering Honey Bee Colonies", USDA Technical Bulletin 1420. [HIGHLIGHT]The BeeSource ref library has the text but not the figures.[/HIGHLIGHT] The original paper may be found here:
> 
> https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=CAT72345678&content=PDF


Actually, the graphs/figures _are_ available on Beesource, but they are in a separate file(s).  See:
http://beesource.com/resources/usda...intering-honey-bee-colonies-support-material/
http://beesource.com/resources/usda...honey-bee-colonies-support-material/figure-4/


Note that there is one other USDA paper that has its graphs in a separate file. The easiest way to recognize/navigate this is by scrolling through the complete USDA listing, here:
http://beesource.com/resources/usda/


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## trishbookworm (Jun 25, 2016)

I don't know if this will work: I tried to attach a pic of the cluster as seen through the narrow (end) of my top bar hive. If it didn't attach I'll try again. It's been a month, and I can still see them in the same location (implying they are not going through more than a bar a month). I can't see much of the shape/size because if I look for too long, they either send out a guard, or crawl to the snake camera I have! They are bunched more like a swarm and less like they are on the comb, but it is not empty in there! And I just saw them flying during our warm spell, and saw the cluster tonite, so I know they ain't dead yet!


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

My couple of attempts to use a snake camera in a hive have resulted in good views of the undersides of agitated guard bees, but you may have better luck when they are clustered.


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