Cluster under SBB?

[HomeBru]

We installed our first-ever bees last Saturday and then the weather went south. This afternoon, we've had some sun, so I went to watch the girls coming and going and noticed on one hive that bees were coming and going from underneath the hive. Crouched down and there was about 1/3-1/2 of the hive clustered tightly under the center of the SBB.

The other hive, about 6' away seems to be fine and there were a few bees coming with pollen on their legs. It's been rainy and nasty for the last five days. They're both on syrup in hive-top feeders but not much seems to be disappearing, maybe 1/2 gal over the week in both...

Thoughts? I'm hoping for enough sun tomorrow to get in and see if the queens have been released.

Jay

[MustbeeNuts]

I wouldn't worry about that too much, mine did that at first too, but they figure out how to get back in to  the hive. I suppose you could just brush them off, I tried that and they flew everywere, but eventually went in. or just take the bottom off and dump them backin. Or better still just laugh and wait. they'll figure it out.

[HAB]

Noticed the same thing a week ago on one of our hives.  Yesterday found they have built a fair amount of comb under the SBB.  Six pieces about 12" wide by 6" deep. They have a drawn deep 3/4 full of brood, a medium 3/4 full of honey, and a medium of wax foundation above that.  Yet they are building comb outside.  Whats Up?

[Brian D. Bray]

Noticed the same thing a week ago on one of our hives.  Yesterday found they have built a fair amount of comb under the SBB.  Six pieces about 12" wide by 6" deep. They have a drawn deep 3/4 full of brood, a medium 3/4 full of honey, and a medium of wax foundation above that.  Yet they are building comb outside.  Whats Up?

They had harvest and no place to store it so they created space.  To the bees the screen of the bottom board is just a minor separation from the room next door (the area under the hive) so they used it.

In a honey flow bees can draw and fill a medium super in a week.  Part of the problem is that not all of that full is honey much of it is nectar in various stages of being dehydrated into honey.  I've seen a strong hive of bees completely fill 4 deep supers of combs in a week or two.  Then when the flow is over the bees continue to condense the nectar and the beekeeper ends up with 1 1/2 supers of capped honey from 4 supers of nectar.

[Dane Bramage]

Has the queen been released yet?  Make sure she has and that her cage did not drop down between the frames and end up laying face down on the screen.  That can cause the bees to cluster there. 

[deknow]

the bees below the screen don't know they are not in the colony...a single layer of screen allows the bees to communicate directly...so they are getting queen pheremones from the colony and are happy.  if you can shoo the bees off bottom of the screen and either put a solid bottom or a double screen (2 layers of screen separated by about 1/4"...the other layer could be window screening) temporarily, the bees will realize that this is not part of the hive, and will find their way inside.  once the bees are not clustering on the bottom, you can revert back to the screen bottom.

deknow