Hi, i have 2 flow hives one painted and one made out of cedar just stained.
Both hives are healthy with lots of brood just the hive made out of cedar the bees are always outside boarding no matter what the temperature is.
Could this be robber’s if so how do i fix?
Welcome to the forum, Bill.
First, it unlikely robbing where bees from elsewhere are frantically searching for any way in and there’s fighting as your bees defend their home.
Bearding is calm. It often happens when it’s hot inside and extra bees hang outside so the ones inside can better ventilate. They’ll also beard if things are deteriorating inside, such as small hive beetle overwhelming them. In this case, it’s a precursor to absconding as soon as the queen has lost enough weight to fly. They’ll beard if they’re short on room too. I recently added supers to my traditional hives (haven’t had time to harvest) and they all got back to work.
In your case, It sounds like heat. Light coloured paint definitely helps lower internal temperature. Dark colours, like stained wood absorbs more heat raising internal temperature. You can help compensate by painting the roof white, adding reflective insulation in the roof or protecting the hive from the sun during the hottest hours. Put up some shade cloth or move them under a tree. If it’s not possible to do these things and it’s definitely not one of the other issues, don’t worry. They’re dealing with it. It only becomes serious if temperatures get to mid to high 40s. The wax starts to soften and sag.
Cheers,
Mike
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