Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: rober on August 02, 2020, 04:16:43 pm

Title: and for something completely different
Post by: rober on August 02, 2020, 04:16:43 pm: i was down by my hives at the house & spotted what looked to be a swarm hanging from the bottom of the hive. when i started retrieving the "swarm" i found that the bees had left hive hive & built comb under the bottom board. i broke down the hive & shook the bees into a box, rubber banded the brood into empty frames, put a different box on a different bottom board, reinstalled the bees, & put the hive back together. i'll check it in a couple days. there were very few beetles & no signs of moths so i have no idea why they did this. it looks like they were using the hive to store honey as it was fairly full.
(https://i.ibb.co/3ychhKk/outside-hive.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3ychhKk)

(https://i.ibb.co/kyptN4W/outside-hive-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kyptN4W)

(https://i.ibb.co/cDYV2xc/outside-hive-4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cDYV2xc)
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: RAST on August 02, 2020, 04:43:11 pm: Without knowing history of the hive I would presume a queen returning from a mating flight did not find her way back in and she and her entourage took up residence there.
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: Bakersdozen on August 02, 2020, 06:24:58 pm: Look at the brood! That's interesting pictures. I think RAST is right. Is there any signs of a queen inside the brood boxes?
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: Jen on August 03, 2020, 12:53:37 am: Wow! Gorgeous, and an interesting story.
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: iddee on August 03, 2020, 05:56:13 am: I agree with RAST. I have seen this often with screen bottoms. I have never seen it on a solid bottom. Just my thoughts, but it may be an odor thing. The queen flies under the box because the screen allows a stronger smell than the entrance. No science, but another reason I quit using screen bottoms.
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: rober on August 03, 2020, 06:47:42 am: this is/was a strong hive. i pulled 3 supers off it about 10 days ago. now that they're back in the hive i'll check them in a few days to see whether i got the queen sorted.
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: rober on August 22, 2020, 06:36:03 am: https://www.beeculture.com/screened-bottom-boards/
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: Bakersdozen on August 22, 2020, 09:21:45 am: Quote from: rober on August 03, 2020, 06:47:42 am
this is/was a strong hive. i pulled 3 supers off it about 10 days ago. now that they're back in the hive i'll check them in a few days to see whether i got the queen sorted.
I'm still curious, rober? Was the queen on the comb underneath the screened bottom board?
Title: Re: and for something completely different
Post by: rober on August 22, 2020, 07:31:56 pm: never saw her. when i checked the hive 2 days later it had been robbed into oblivion. 2 cups of bees & no queen. i shook them out in the apiary hoping the girls might beg their way into other hives.