Scrubbing Bees

[BlueEggFarmer]

This is our first year with bees and we have 3 hives. Hives 1 and 2 have the usual, bees going in, bees going out. Hive 3 has bees across the whole front porch of the hive and about 2.5 inches up the front. They all appear to be scooting back and forth ( scrubbing?) They have been doing this for about 3 days now. Are they just more tidy than the other 2 hives or did somthing happen?
Thank you.
:)

[Kirk-o]

Its called wash boarding
bees like doing that
kirko

[Brian D. Bray]

Washboarding is like aerobics for bees.  There is some speculation that it could be excersies for the bees prior to begining their foraging flights.  "All right now! Time to Build up those wings.  And uh 1, and uh 2, and uh..."

[Moonshae]

I have a mulberry tree with some branches over my hives. Needless to say, the birds who feast on the ripe berries don't care that beehives are below, and they just let out their waste during their feasting. It's neat to watch how quickly the bees will clear it off the bottom board, just scrubbing it away.

[skullring]

I was watching my bees last weekend and they seemed to be taking turns 5 or 6 would be scrubbing the landing board for a few minutes and then 5 or 6 would come out and nasonov for a while.  I didn't know they were excercising I thought they were just cleaning up maybe its both my bottom board is shiny from being scrubbed.

[doak]

Spring Cleaning
doak