The Bees’ Evening Ritual–June 20, 2013

For the last couple of weeks, a group of bees have been gathered at the entrances of the hive in the evening performing what looks like a cleaning or marking ritual. This behavior is known as washboarding, and the purpose behind it is still unknown in the beekeeping community.

In the video, you see the top entrance first, where the bees move at a much faster pace. At the bottom entrance, they sway back and forth slower but in the same rhythmic way as at the top entrance.