drowning

[doug]

 :?     I'm new at this  my first year of beekeeping  everything has been going fine until....  it's been raining for 3 days now, some of my Italian bees will not go inside the hive  they are hanging out front  and drowning!   there is plenty of room inside  I added a shallow super so there is no reason for them to be out,   I see no signs of pest, disease, bugs , etc.
my carnolian bees are fine they are all inside, any advice would be appreciated.

[John Schwartz]

It's normal for a few stragglers that are at their life's end to not make it in the cold and wet and go belly up in those conditions.

[Bee Happy]

I've noticed this with bees,not the drowning, but that the occasional dimwitted ones have no evolutionary effect on the apian species unless the whole hive is stupid. - the queen still can pass her genes with the "once in a while an idiot will come from an egg" tag.

[Rex]

When it rains here for any period of time, I can usually count on a handful of drowned bees on the doorstep of the hives.  Not sure why they don't make it inside.

[indypartridge]

When it rains here for any period of time, I can usually count on a handful of drowned bees on the doorstep of the hives.  Not sure why they don't make it inside.

Are they really drowned, or are they just dead bees that weren't taken away from the hive since it was raining? I've sometimes watched "undertaker" bees fly off with dead bees and drop them away from the hive. If it was raining, they might have just pushed them out on the porch.

[Kathyp]

don't assume they are dead just because they a wet and clumpy.  you can get a nasty surprise that way!

[Bee Happy]

When it rains here for any period of time, I can usually count on a handful of drowned bees on the doorstep of the hives.  Not sure why they don't make it inside.

Are they really drowned, or are they just dead bees that weren't taken away from the hive since it was raining? I've sometimes watched "undertaker" bees fly off with dead bees and drop them away from the hive. If it was raining, they might have just pushed them out on the porch.

forgot all about the morticians just kind of rolling them out the door to be removed later. looks like one of those roadhouses you just don't want to stop at.

[Keith13]

When it rains here for any period of time, I can usually count on a handful of drowned bees on the doorstep of the hives.  Not sure why they don't make it inside.

Are they really drowned, or are they just dead bees that weren't taken away from the hive since it was raining? I've sometimes watched "undertaker" bees fly off with dead bees and drop them away from the hive. If it was raining, they might have just pushed them out on the porch.

forgot all about the morticians just kind of rolling them out the door to be removed later. looks like one of those roadhouses you just don't want to stop at.

Shoot what are you talkin about? thoses are normally the best roadhouses to have a good time at :-D

Keith

[Bee Whisper82]

I think it is fascinating that the bees just roll them out and take care of them later when the weather is fine.  I also like to watch a worker try to drag a dead bee and kind of want to help.

[doug]

they are drowned  all lined up head to tail in front of the hive   just hanging above the door. ?   well I made them a porch , expanded the top so it reaches over all sides  ,     thanks  for the replies   ,  I guess it's normal, 

[tlynn]

Maybe natural selection in progress! 

I feel your pain...we're wondering how much more rain can we get, and just last week we were wondering if it ever would rain!