Living Landing Boards
I have yet to add landing boards to the hive stands in the new apiary. Incoming bees must currently land on the smooth, vertical hive fronts. The incoming bees are generally foragers returning from the field, weary and/or laden down. Sometimes they lose their grip and slip. I will add landing boards soon, but in the meantime I think the bees have improvised their own solution.
See here:
Incoming forager, dusted white with himalayan balsam pollen, lands on the bee mini-beard and walks in.
Bees are clustered just under the doorway. Those bees stay put while incoming bees land on their fuzzy backs then walk on them up to the door.
Have my clever bees invented living landing boards?