On 12/18/2011 3:37 PM, J. Waggle wrote:
> Mike, if the nuc was too hot, there must have
> been a number of bees clustered on the
> outside of the hive.
Of course there were, with wax being deposited on the outside of the box.
>    In these absconding nucs,
> have you noticed dancing on the surface of
> these clustered bees near the entrance prior to
> an absconding?
No, I didn't notice any dancing on the beard. Didn't look.
>
> The type of absconding you are describing where
> the bees leave the colony directly to their destination,
> best fits the absconding described previously as;
> 'prepared absconding',  which may eliminate the need
> to swarm, organize and form bivouac.
>    
I really can't say if they were flying off to their new location or they 
were just bailing out. I did catch one in mid-abscond. Grabbed the queen 
as she exited, caged her, and put her back into the hive. The bees 
eventually returned but not while I was there finishing the yard. I came 
back the next day and the cluster had come back to their nuc box.
Mike

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