Why are the bees on the front of my hive? Bearding?

Bearding is when bees make space inside the hive by dangling themselves off the outside of the hive, well, kind of like a beard. You may see anything from several dozen bees, to what may seem like your entire colony hanging off the hive.

This activity is normal, and is a colony’s way of regulating the temperature and humidity inside the hive – you may see your colony doing this when it is especially hot or humid.

If it seems that there are an excessive number of bees, you might like to conduct a brood inspection, as the colony may be very strong in numbers and need to be split.