Does anyone else's bees dance???

[PLAN-B]

Went to look at a swarm I caught last month and have already grown from a 5 frame Nuc to two 8frame medium boxes. I don't use an entrance reducer being they're such a strong colony. When I reached them they had the whole entrance covered from one side to the other... Looked in last week and did not see any swarm cells... But they kept moving two steps forward and two steps back like a dance...??

[Finski]

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Today it was 9C and in the evening it gove som snow from sky.
Today I saw first blooming willow on my yard.

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[PLAN-B]

Sorry some how half my post got cut off... They seem to be moving two steps forward and then two steps back... Like a they were in a trance ... Or like they were trying to look like one big animal to warn a predator... Has anyone seen this? Do they do this before they swarm? They were not fanning like they were trying to cool off the hive or anything...

[Moots]

I'm pretty sure that dance is called the two step!  :-D :lau:

Anyway, Plan-B had sent me this video of the dance in question...

THE DANCE!

[Bees In Miami]

The two step... that's funny!!!   :lau:

My bees do that 'dance', too.  I always assumed they were the floor cleaners, keeping the 'front porch' clean.   ;)   :idunno:

[PLAN-B]

Thanks for posting the video for me Moots... Looks like trick photography when I watch it... Lol Like someone hits the rewind button and then the play button... Lol... Beesinmiami that might be just what they are doing ... Cleaning the entrance that is... Not sure though

[Moots]

Thanks for posting the video for me Moots... Looks like trick photography when I watch it... Lol Like someone hits the rewind button and then the play button... Lol... Beesinmiami that might be just what they are doing ... Cleaning the entrance that is... Not sure though

B,
Funny you should say that, I was thinking the exact same thing!   :)
It looks like about a one second video clip that's been reversed and put on a repeated loop.  :laugh:

[hardwood]

It's called washboarding.

Scott

[PLAN-B]

And by wash boarding --- does that mean they are just cleaning up the entrance... ¿ :?  Thanks for the response Scott...

[hardwood]

Nobody really knows why they do it (not that I've heard anyway) but it does seem as if they are cleaning up a bit. They will eventually wear the paint off of the woodenware. I've seen washboarding around the entrances of feral colonies as well. I haven't witnessed it inside the hives.

Scott

[L Daxon]

Scott is right.  Washboarding.  Goggle "washboarding bees" and you will find lots of videos and info about it.  It is kind of fun to watch, like a chorus line going back and forth, back and forth, back and.......

[PLAN-B]

Thanks for the info l. Daxon and Scott... Was starting to think my bees were taking drugs...this is your bees  :bee: .... This is your bees on drugs--- buzzzzzzed...  :-D

[Michael Bush]

It's a line dance...

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

[PLAN-B]

It's a line dance...

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

Thanks for the info Michael... Do have one more question if you will humor me... How long will they typically do this for? It seems I've been watching them do this for almost a week now and well past the time they would typically stop foraging or flying.... Thanks again

[Michael Bush]

> How long will they typically do this for?

Until they are done... it varies.  There is no point worrying about it...