What do they do when it is rainy out?

[BlueEggFarmer]

Finally after nearly 4 months of nearly no rain we are getting a good drenching. It has been showering on and off the whole week with temps nearing 90. During the heavy rain I am guessing the girls are staying home doing chores and taking care of the kids. But if it is a light all day rain that lasts a couple of days are the girls going to get cabin fever and go out shopping in the rain?
During this drought much of the clover shriveled up, there was not much to forage on, right now we have soybeans happening but for all the other wildflowers that bees like will the rains give them extra nectar or will they be watered down?

[Scadsobees]

I've wondered that myself, they seem to keep coming and going even through the rain.  I've seen some with pollen.

I also notice that after a rain there seems to be more out gathering water.  Maybe that is just because there is more water available nearby, or because they need to eat more honey and dilute that so need more water.

Rick

[Understudy]

They sit there and complain to the queen about how bored they are and there is nothing to do.

Okay maybe not. Bees when it is wet outside have a couple of issues.
Bees caught outside in the rain must find shelter or the rain drops will hurt them. Also the cold rain water paralyzes them. So they must sit there until the storm is over and they warm up.

Bees in the hive must make sure the hive is protected. All that propolis is there for a reason, one of them is to prevent leaks. If the hive is dry the bees will seal the entrance with their bodies. The hive inside continues as normal. If there are leaks or some idiot was going to do a bee presentation and a sudden sun shower caught him with four mediums open to the world, but I digress. The bees will ball up to protect the queen and one another. The bees on the outside of the ball are cold and slow moving the bees inside the ball are hot dry and mad. Break up the ball and the bees will for the short time they have make someone's life miserable.

Once the storm is over bees that were safe warm up and go home or repair damage to the home.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[sean]

"If there are leaks or some idiot was going to do a bee presentation and a sudden sun shower caught him with four mediums open to the world, but I digress."

"Sniff, Sniff" thats smells like a story.  :-D

[Cindi]

Bees are sensitive to barometric pressure, if they sense a storm (in enough time), they won't venture out of the hive.  They have wonderful abilities that I bet we don't understand.

They stay home, clean house and perform the many varied tasks of their lives.

When we were in one of our beekeeping courses, one of our instructors told us that an observation of his was:  if there were three days when the bees could not leave the hive due to adverse weather, (we are talking about the swarming season), surely the bees will commence swarm cells.  They have been overcrowded for some time, and this is what is the major cause of swarming, overcrowded colonies, too many nurse bees with not much to do, etc.  Food for thought.  Have a wonderful day, great life, Cindi