A total solar eclipse across the United States hasn't happened in almost 100 years. Having lived through various partial solar eclipses during my life, I have heard the stories about how animals behave very erratically (almost as erratically as their human counterparts) during an astrological event like this.

According to one study, some spiders have been known to take down their webs in preparation for nightfall and rebuilding them once the sun is back in view. Chimpanzees in captivity have been observed displaying confused behavior as the day quickly turns to night. Dolphins and whales have been seen "arching in and out of the water in complete silence."

So.. the obvious question? What do bees do during a partial solar eclipse? I have done some preliminary reading that they simply behave as though it is near dusk. They make their way back to the hive to complete their daily activities and get ready for night. I have also read that their activity increases. Do they realize their "day" only lasted a few hours? Will they "wake up" again as soon as the eclipse is complete?

I decided to check it out for myself. 

The Evidence

I took a video of each hive about an hour before the eclipse began. The caveat is that the sun is not completely on both hives at this point during a normal day, so, while the activity level is normal for that time of day, it's not the same as a normal sunny day at, say 1:30 PM when the sun covers both hives.

Next, I took a video at varying intervals. (You can see the full set of raw video here.)  Below show the activity for both hives approximately 5 minutes before the max eclipse.

And finally I took a 1 minute video of each hive at the max eclipse time, 2:45 PM EST.

The Findings

You can certainly see an increase in the bees returning to the hive without pollen versus any other similar day. Though I don't know that I would say the change was significant, the bees did in fact seem to know that something was different. The temperature changed ever so slightly, the breeze was cool, and the light changed to that great light just before the sunset starts.

Below you can see all the raw footage put together in one continuous video for each hive. Take a look at each hive and let me know what you think in the comments!

All in all, it was a great experiment. I was so glad I was able to watch them during this interesting astrological event.  I can't wait until April 2024, when the next total solar eclipse will occur over the East coast and the path of totality will be just miles north of Portland, Maine!

~The Beekeeper's Wife