Why are my bees bearding?
Honey bees beard when it is hot in the hive, or when there is not enough room for them to comfortably fit inside the hive. This is generally both good news and minorly bad news. (And the good news about the bad news is it’s completed fixable!)
What bearding looks like
Bearding is one of the easiest bee behaviors to identify. When there are a cluster of bees on the outside of the hive at the entrance, your bees are bearding. This “beard” can range in size from an enlongated golf ball, to a small watermelon or bigger.
The bees will just be sitting on one another, surrounding the entrance, and may be gently flapping their wings (called fanning.)
Bearding is vastly different from swarming. When a hive is about to swarm, bees will leave the hive en mass, and fly around in circles around the hive. When bees beard, they crawl out of the hive, or fly in and land on the cluster of bees. Bearding bees are sitting still; swarming bees are flying around.
The most common causes
Bees beard because it is hot inside the hive, and it is uncomfortable, or because there is not enough room in the hive for them to comfortably fit.
Heat and ventilation issues
Since Langstroth hives aren’t insulated, they can get quite hot inside. They also may not have good ventilation. A screened bottom board and a ventilated inner cover both help by giving the bees better ventilation.
High population during nectar flow
The bees naturally build up in the late spring and summer to be able to have more of a working force bringing in nectar and pollen. Because of this, they need room to physically fit in the hive. If there is not enough room, the bees may hang out on the porch or hang from the hive, especially at night since there’s not room for them inside.
Humidity inside the hive
Honeybees need a specific humidity inside the hive. For larvae to not dry out and not mold there’s a narrow window that the bees regulate the humidity in the hive to be. Curing nectar also makes for a humid environment. The bees may go outside the hive to draw humid air out of the hive by fanning their wings.
Evening cooling behavior
In the evening the bees sometimes bears to cool down, and cool the hive down.
When bearding is normal
On very hot days, or when curing nectar, it’s perfectly normal for bees to beard. Bearding is also more common when it is afternoon, or evening, and when the hives are in direct sunlight.
When bearding signals a problem
Bearding can occur because of overcrowding, poor ventilation, or be a swarm risk indicator.
How to reduce bearding
Are you using a screened bottom board? If not, consider switching to give the bees better ventilation. Add a super if seven out of ten frames is full of bees, brood, or honey. Consider adjusting hive placement if the bees are in the direct sun, but leave them in partial sun. Avoid unnecessary inspections, as these disrupt the temperature the bees work hard to maintain in the hive.