What is this crackling sound coming from this super?

BeeMaster2 · July 27, 2011, 08:55:18 PM

I was checking this hive out and heard a crackling sound coming from the middle super of this hive. This is my strongest hive that I created 4 other nucs this past spring and also pulled a couple of gallons of honey from last month. In one week it filled up half of the deep super that is below the crackling medium super. I don't think it is piping but I.m not sure. There is an excluder above the brood box but it is possible that the queen moved above the excluder during the inspection by the bee inspector last Wednesday. Lots of eggs and brood in the brood box at that time. Seems too soon for it to be piping. Let me know what you think.

Turn you volume up to max to hera the crackling.

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/Vu5lTKnsIMo"

luvin honey · July 27, 2011, 08:56:58 PM

Eggs hatching? Sorry, couldn't resist. 8-)

wadehump · July 27, 2011, 09:15:52 PM

chewing wood

BlueBee · July 27, 2011, 09:26:01 PM

+1 on chewing wood

rbinhood · July 27, 2011, 09:40:16 PM

Maby someone pured a box of Rice Chrispis or a pack of popcorn in the super..... :lau: :pop:

AllenF · July 27, 2011, 09:59:46 PM

Termites?
I would crack it open and see what the bees are doing in there.

JP · July 27, 2011, 10:28:20 PM

I couldn't hear anything.

...JP

Michael Bush · July 28, 2011, 12:06:43 AM

I've heard that sound. I've always assumed they are chewing. I don't know really, but it doesn't seem to bode anything bad.

CapnChkn · July 28, 2011, 12:14:39 AM

I had this problem in May. I don't know what your bees may be doing, but mine seem to have been trying to get out. I had them closed up pretty tight. I've heard that sound later on a hive that had plenty of egress, I added a super and the sound stopped, but they still haven't even drawn comb on it.

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,32687.0.html

JP · July 28, 2011, 12:18:14 AM

Just listened again and could barely hear a rice crispy sound, interesting.

...JP

Shanevrr · July 28, 2011, 01:02:57 AM

ya my hives sound like that when its quite. sounds cool

bee-nuts · July 28, 2011, 02:54:55 AM

I have one hive that is always making that sound. I was trying to figure out if it was just off balance at the right spot to make a weird crackle sound but it just kept doing it every time I stopped there. It had to get heavy enough to settle, I could not notice any chewing. I am baffled but there has to be an explanation for it.

Shanevrr · July 28, 2011, 08:43:48 AM

i thought maybe it was them rubbing against each other as they have hard bodies

Scadsobees · July 28, 2011, 09:36:46 AM

I hear it too in my hives, usually when there is a small gap between boxes. I've assumed they were chewing too, but like Michael said, nothing bad ever came of it.

windfall · July 28, 2011, 11:27:20 AM

I heard it often early this year, but only on the top of the hive. I was curious to see what the expeienced folks said. It sounds a heck of a lot like what you hear from an exceited carpenter ant nest.
I have seen no obvious signs of wood chewing; but might have looked right at it and not recognized.
My first thought was that perhaps it was the bees adding propolis along the joints in the inner cover, and the thin cover acting as a resonator to make the little pops of sticky louder....just a thought.

JackM · September 15, 2012, 10:24:37 AM

Rekindling this one. Never had noticed the sound until I started feeding one hive. Have a feeder on the inner cover and an empty box and cover above that. The sound is up at the feeder, the top is packed with bees. I change the feeder and it stops and I get the startled bee buzz