Help - Possible Pest Identification Needed

[Intheswamp]

I'm not sure of the behaviour that is being spoken about...seems like going and coming of bees to me, not heavy traffic but still activity.  Jim, in the second video I see a bee or two returning with pollen and other bees appear to land "heavy".

Jim, back to the trimmed comb...so the bees basically abandon the shallow cells?

Ed

[BeeMaster2]

I'm not sure of the behaviour that is being spoken about...seems like going and coming of bees to me, not heavy traffic but still activity.  Jim, in the second video I see a bee or two returning with pollen and other bees appear to land "heavy".

Jim, back to the trimmed comb...so the bees basically abandon the shallow cells?

Ed

Ed, that is correct. Not sure if this is the norm but it is what they did.
I often times see comb capped in honey suppers with shorter comb than this one had so I am not sure why they did not use it. The short comb that I have seen had a fat comb next to it. They maintained bee space.

In the video, there was very little coming and going. If this is a full hive, not many bees were working that day. Sue said it was a nuc that she had already added a second box to. It may bee that due to the amount of work that needed to bee done, very few bees are going out to the field. If it were my hive, I would wait and see. I'm betting that in a few days it will bee back to normal.
Jim

[SueCT]

I keep seeing this behavior regardless of the weather or time of day.  Most of the bottom board is busy with bees coming and going, but there is a little group that are hanging out off to the side and they seem kind of lethargic.  They're just sort of milling around, appear to be grooming, sticking their abdomen's in the air.  I don't know what, if anything to make of it.  It doesn't seem dependent on sun or lack thereof.  It has been warm here - mid 80's with moderate humidity. Not seeing any fanning.  I sat next to the hive again tonight and there were about 10-12 of these bees just sort of hanging out on the front porch.  I think of bees as being, well, busy!  I think of them having a job to do.  So I find it odd that they're just kind of lollygagging out in front of the hive.

[SueCT]

I will add that I have been questioning the end of the main flow here in Connecticut - not seeing nearly as much pollen coming in the front door as I was 2 weeks ago.  Now, I suppose they may be laden down with nectar, but not nearly so many full pollen baskets here. 

[BeeMaster2]

I keep seeing this behavior regardless of the weather or time of day.  Most of the bottom board is busy with bees coming and going, but there is a little group that are hanging out off to the side and they seem kind of lethargic.  They're just sort of milling around, appear to be grooming, sticking their abdomen's in the air.  I don't know what, if anything to make of it.  It doesn't seem dependent on sun or lack thereof.  It has been warm here - mid 80's with moderate humidity. Not seeing any fanning.  I sat next to the hive again tonight and there were about 10-12 of these bees just sort of hanging out on the front porch.  I think of bees as being, well, busy!  I think of them having a job to do.  So I find it odd that they're just kind of lollygagging out in front of the hive.

I suspect what you are seeing is house bees that are not ready for field work and there are too many bee in the hive. Sometimes I see them in the obersavation hive do this when there is lots of room in the hive.
Jim