New Beekeeper - Question about my bees being happy or angry

[skeggley]

Sounds like bearding Jonty.

This is bearding... right?

So 1 of my 2 hives is doing this today. The 2nd hive in the background has a little more ventilation between the 1st and 2nd brood boxes. This hive however only has the 3-4 inch opening. Its 90 outside today so I hope this is just bearding, and not a swarm getting ready to leave??? [Bees_bearding_side][Bees_bearding_front] Thoughts please! Tim

What is bearding?

Bees bearding at the front of the hive is completely normal and a sign of a strong colony. The bees are essentially working towards maintaining a steady temperature inside the hive as outside temperatures are rising and the colony numbers are high. You may find the bees fanning their wings at the entrance of the hive as they work towards maintaining the hive and honey at the right temperature. When your hive is bearding, you may like to ask yourself two questions. Is there enough room in the …