I see very heavy traffic in and out of my two hives but almost never see any pollen being brought in. Pollen is literally hanging in the air and everything is in bloom. Two weeks ago more bees than not came into the hive with pollen. It’s like they just do things to keep me confused.
Grab a chair, protect your self if needs be and sit and watch the hive during a warm period - see the to-ing and fro-ing - you will learn a great deal about your bees
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Chet,
Strange ! Been watching mine. My Nuc’s were even pollen back to the open Nuc before I housed them. All this week on sunny days they’ve been hauling it in locally … Maybe they don’t like what’s blooming ! You’ll be able to check on pollen inside the hive next time you inspect. I am guessing there’s no panic here. Give some time n slack. Guessing bees are just being 
’s. Like Vilii says, pull up a chair or stool n watch some more. Just do the Obs different times. We can watch our at about 40 feet from our bedroom window but I prefer a front row seat. I often shot small movies on my I-phone … Some in slow-motion to study. Kind of COOL if you have a camera or phone that will do that. Then I download so my crappy eyes can see better in the larger computer screen. Us old guys need all the help we can get ! 
Give it a try,
Gerald.
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I came out the other morning moving a little too quickly and without a proper “good morning ladies” and got a sting on the cheek for my trouble. Scrapped the stinger out and hurt for 5 mins and all was well. But I went and got my flow veil and said a proper good morning before I sat back down.
BTW not that it helps you any @Chet_Calhoun but my ladies are hauling the pollen in by the metric ton it seems. They are probably bringing more nectar or water in right now if that is what they have more need for.
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I had the same concern: bees were coming in with pollen, but a lot of them were coming back what seemed to be empty handed. Then I read that bees can return with nectar (or water) only, which you don’t see from the outside.
So, I think your bees might be bringing in lots of nectar!
But I also read that they bring pollen especially for the new brood. My (newbee) question would be: is there not much egg laying going on in your hive at the moment, or do they have enough stored pollen?
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Yes I open my curtains in the morning and see what the girls are up to.
I often stand or sit by the entrance and just watch. Sometimes I forget if I have dark clothing on and they will investigate and an over zealous guard bee will sometimes show me more interest than I want - I got 2 on the eyebrow the other day, forgot about it until next morning my eye was sore and a bit swollen - soft loose skin tends to swell more especially in delicate places.
I also find they make a bee line for my eyes as my glasses darken in the sunshine - they go for dark colours. So I must try to remember to wear pale colours when I go to sit/stand by them
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Hi Villi
I’ve been lucky so far. Only my #1 hive has bumped me couple times in warning. The closer two seem gentler at the moment. But bad idea getting totally comfortable as things change as the colony grows. I do enjoy parked near by the hives n studying.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday n weekend. 10:00 here so guessing about 18:00 there. Take care,
Gerald
Can I just Say Gerald my name is VALLI
Yah … Hit the wrong key.Valli … Thanks for the correction …
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Binoculars are really useful
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Dee.
True ! And my long lens/telephoto lens really useful too. Don’t usually get bumped using those from way back ! Hope all is well in your bee yard too Dee. Thanks for chiming in also ! TaTa Gerald.
I sat today for around an hour about 2 feet from the landing and watched. We had 3 different colours of pollen coming in and maybe 6% of the bees had pollen so I guess the rest had water or nectar. Today was their first day in the hive so they are just settling in. Lots of pheromone fanning and I could see a fair bit of dancing just inside the entrance. It’s a smallish swarm, but young and active and already had capped brood and larvae so they should get established pretty swiftly.
It made me so happy to watch them ; -D
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