Bees under OMF

[megadyptes]

Hiya folks,

I preface this by pointing out that this is the first full season I've started having only overwintered a swarm i got last year. So...

The last few days of warm weather have seen the hive come alive with activity and the ladies are piling on and out of the entrance. As things have calmed down this evening, i noticed a load of bees hanging on the underside of the OMF (picture below).

I did an inspection on Wednesday and there were 5 frames of sealed brood, a couple of frames of larvae and eggs, and the queen was walking around. The super has about 6 frames with nectar in them but very few capped cells. There were a handful of play cups on the periphery of a couple of frames, but nothing with eggs in, nor anything that looked to be enlongated.

Is this normal and just the result of overcrowding at the hive entrance, or something else?

 

[BeeJayBee]

Sometimes they'll undershoot the entrance, so it might be worth checking there isn't a gap for them to go through.

Your picture hasn't uploaded, it might be worth adding it to your own photo album here on the forum so we can see what you've described.

 

[megadyptes]

Thanks for the reply, guess i'll leave them to it - there isn't a gap between the entrance and the stand.
Picture shows up fine when I look at the message, and it's linked to my photo album rather than an image hosting site elsewhere.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Thanks for the reply, guess i'll leave them to it - there isn't a gap between the entrance and the stand.
Picture shows up fine when I look at the message, and it's linked to my photo album rather than an image hosting site elsewhere.

Can't see a link to any pictures either, but some returning foragers will under shoot the entrance and cluster under the open mesh floors at times, if not blanked off enough.

 

[ratty4moley]

Hiya folks,

I preface this by pointing out that this is the first full season I've started having only overwintered a swarm i got last year. So...

The last few days of warm weather have seen the hive come alive with activity and the ladies are piling on and out of the entrance. As things have calmed down this evening, i noticed a load of bees hanging on the underside of the OMF (picture below).

I did an inspection on Wednesday and there were 5 frames of sealed brood, a couple of frames of larvae and eggs, and the queen was walking around. The super has about 6 frames with nectar in them but very few capped cells. There were a handful of play cups on the periphery of a couple of frames, but nothing with eggs in, nor anything that looked to be enlongated.

Is this normal and just the result of overcrowding at the hive entrance, or something else?

I have a similar situation with about half the OMF covered (on the outside) about 2 to 3 bees deep. 'Gently' knocked them off to see if they had under shoot the landing board and wanted to re-enter corectly...they fell to the ground and are now back as they were on the outside of the OMF about the same depth of bees.... is this some kind of confused swarming?? any ideas??

 

[YorkshireBees]

I have a similar situation with about half the OMF covered (on the outside) about 2 to 3 bees deep. 'Gently' knocked them off to see if they had under shoot the landing board and wanted to re-enter corectly...they fell to the ground and are now back as they were on the outside of the OMF about the same depth of bees.... is this some kind of confused swarming?? any ideas??

In your case I would knock them off onto something you can then lean on a slope to the hive entrance and insert the inspection tray after you knocked them off to discourage them just going back under the omf.

Only time I have really had any amount of bees under the OMF was a Queen that missed the entrance on her way back from a mating flight!

A few weeks later I had lovely drawn comb under the OMF and a different queen in the hive!

 

[Millet]

I have a board fastened to the legs underneath the landing strip so they hit that if they get blown down, the only way they can get underneath is from the back and sides but up to now i have had no issues with my board in place.

 

[ratty4moley]

I have a similar situation with about half the OMF covered (on the outside) about 2 to 3 bees deep. 'Gently' knocked them off to see if they had under shoot the landing board and wanted to re-enter corectly...they fell to the ground and are now back as they were on the outside of the OMF about the same depth of bees.... is this some kind of confused swarming?? any ideas??

Got kitted up, armed with smoker and had a better look. Removed as many bees as poss into box then emptied onto ramp and landing board, only to reveal comb being built under OMF. Then opened hive , super fitted 8 days ago with just foundation now virtually all frames fully drawn and all being worked on. Deeper into hive the brood box still not showing any QCs. now colony getting a bit agitated so reassembled swiftly and hopefully with some style. I assume that I need to fit a second super...if so do should it be above or below the existing one??

 

[REDWOOD]

put the new one on top of the QE and the old one on top of the new box.

about the comb under the open mesh floor, did you see any eggs in it, my guess is somehow the queen got under the OMF hence no eggs in the BB. I would have said it was a clipped queen but seeing you found no QC's it is impossible. but what is possible is she fell or flew off the comb when inspecting and ended up under the OMF

 

[Swarm]

Check what's in that comb.

 

[ratty4moley]

put the new one on top of the QE and the old one on top of the new box.

about the comb under the open mesh floor, did you see any eggs in it, my guess is somehow the queen got under the OMF hence no eggs in the BB. I would have said it was a clipped queen but seeing you found no QC's it is impossible. but what is possible is she fell or flew off the comb when inspecting and ended up under the OMF

The comb was clean, some nectar and no eggs. My queen is marked and not clipped and was present 8 days ago with eggs in cells in the BB. I have managed to collect most of the 'confused' bees and tipped them into the new super which is now above the QE and under the older super. I have removed the comb that was below the OMF and slid the tray in to restrict external access to the OMF. I will inspect the hive and try to locate Queen Bess in a few days, hopefully they will have calmed down by then and will not prusue me not only to the house but inside as well. Thanks for advice.

 

[Millet]

What about changing the floor also for a clean one to get rid of any smells, i would but i'm clueless.

 

[ratty4moley]

What about changing the floor also for a clean one to get rid of any smells, i would but i'm clueless.

I was considering that, I think I have one, I might do that when I next 'invade' their bee space.