Bee haviour

[BEE C]

I have been getting my hives ready for winter slowly, taking off suppers and extracting, reducing entrances to a few inches wide.  The other day I took a super off of my smaller hive, reducing it to two deep brood boxes.  I was going to look farther down, but came across frames of brood in the second box.  I took the super back to let them clean it and found LOTS of bees at the entrance.  Hovering as if they were traffic jammed to get in. I thought it might be robbing, so I took a closer look, but saw no fighting, and A LOT (15) of bees with butts in the air spreading nasanov scent.  LOTS of the bees were bringing in pollen.  I added the extracted super and left them as I have to get to work.  Any ideas about what this all about?

[John Quixote]

If you are removing supers, I have been told that "bearding" (bees hanging around the entrance, looks like a beard on the hive) is a common occurance as the population is driven into a smaller space.

[Michael Bush]

Any disruption of a hive sets off nasanoving.  It's just the bees response to regroup.

[qa33010]

Orientation flights of your latest over-winter bees?

David