Weird Bee Beehavior question

[ziffabeek]

Hello all!

My Mississippi Queen hive is doing something strange.  We moved them out of Bud's woodenware last weekend (just gotta figure out how to ship it back now Bud!) and put them into a deep and medium that I had painted last fall.  I painted the whole bottom board, including the landing board.  (we had the deep on top of Bud's deep and inner cover to hopefully make it smell and feel like their hive before we moved them.)

The bees are now covering the landing boarding and 'vacuuming'.  The are standing in place, moving their bodies forward and backward with their mouths running across the board.  All of them!  They aren't fanning.  most definitely looks like they are trying to clean it.  Foragers are still coming and going, but literally it is covered with vacuuming bees.  Does anybody know what this is or why they are doing it?  Should I have not painted it? 

The other hive is not exhibiting the same behavior. 

Thanks for any insight!

love,
ziffa

[hardwood]

That's called "washboarding" and is common. Nobody really understands why they do it!

Scott

[FRAMEshift]

Yes it's washboarding and is very common.   Recently there was research showing that the bees are laying down a scent on the landing area as a marker to returning bees.  It's a welcome home message.  They have their tongues out and are sort of scrubbing the surface of the wood.  They will wear it down may remove stain or paint.  You don't need to do anything.  Just sit back and enjoy watching.

[ziffabeek]

Ahhh! Cool!  Thanks Frameshift!

love,
ziffa

[jmblakeney]

It is neat to watch.  As its been said no one knows why it is done, but if you look very closely at this behavior they use their front two legs in a sweeping motion toward the center of their body.  Almost like they are sweeping whatever into a row and then using their mouth to "vacuum" up what they've just swept.

James

[AllenF]

I had one hive eat the paint off the front of the hive once.  Weird.   But with washboarding, bees could be line dancing bee style.  They are very social insects. 
But they are laying scent for some reason.

[AR Beekeeper]

I never see washboarding here until the nectar flow is ending in June.  I have often wondered why they only do it at that particular time of the year.

[ziffabeek]

There are less today than yesterday, yesterday the whole thing was covered with bees going back and forth, today only about a handful.  I'd read about washboarding but never saw it before.  Hive Number One didn't do it, but they came in their hive, so maybe they'd already done it.

Hardwood - I totally missed your post yesterday!  That was weird!  Thank you to you too! :)

Learning, learning more everyday!

love,
liz/ziffa

[Michael Bush]

http://bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#washboarding