What to do if bees are sitting on the landing board and doing nothing

The hive landing board is not only an essential part of the beekeeping home, but the insects' behavior in this area can reveal a lot and serve as a signal for urgent action by the beekeeper.

If bees sit on the landing board and do nothing, this may be a sign of the beginning of honey flow, a harbinger of swarming, or an indication of bee illness.

Active honey flow

If a large number of buzzing insects gather on the landing board, each trying to get into the hive, pushing against each other, it means the bee colony is strong and actively collecting honey. The bees move slowly due to their full abdomens and are unable to quickly deliver nectar.

Swarming

In addition, additional status indicators are as follows:

• the hive's owner sharply reduces productivity, and egg laying practically ceases;
• no new honeycombs are created in the hive;
• in the evening, the “queen song” can be heard in the bee house, preceding the fight between the current and young queens;
• The silence inside the hive early in the morning. The insects, as if in anticipation, are stamping their feet on the landing board.

Most likely, as soon as the sun rises above the horizon and the air warms up, the swarm will leave the apiary.

Diseases

Sometimes, field workers begin to crawl aimlessly along the board with their wings spread. Even if they try to fly, they immediately fall down. Numerous dead larvae and adult bees are easily seen around the hive. This is a clear sign that the colony is suffering from illness. The problem may be due to improper care or dampness inside the hive, a parasite infestation, or an infection.

A harbinger of rain

Sometimes, early on a sunny morning, a buzzing colony suddenly changes its habits: the bees sit on the landing board and do nothing. There are no visible changes; the hive is bustling with activity, and no one is rushing to the field for nectar. Most often, this behavior indicates that clouds and rain are approaching. Beekeepers explain that in such cases, due to the high humidity, the nectar in the flowers has cooled and become swollen with moisture, and the bees do not take it.

On the other hand, bees may linger on the landing board in the evenings. By vigorously flapping their wings, they remove accumulated moisture from the hive. This "ventilation" heralds warm weather in the coming days.

Loss of the uterus

If the bees don't leave the landing board and are crawling around outside the hive, the queen may be missing. Worker bees are diligently "ventilating" the streets, buzzing loudly and steadily. Angry, tense, and active, they crowd the board and don't rush out into the field. They don't congregate in the brood nest, but are evenly distributed inside and outside the hive.

Therefore, the strange behavior of bees on the landing board is not random. By paying attention to the nuances of such a sudden collective outing, you can prevent major problems in the bee colony.