Clustering at entrance

[melias]

I'm getting large clusters of bees at the entrance to one of my hive in the mid afternoon. About the size of a large grapefruit. Most of the bees are carrying pollen, so I'm thinking it's not a swarm in preparation. Any ideas what else would cause this?

 

[MuswellMetro]

could be congestion, i expect they have just a short journey to a large field of Oil Seed Rape

have you tried taking the entrance block out?

 

[melias]

Yes, it's out.

Am I right in thinking that if they were preparing to swarm, they wouldn't all be carrying pollen?

I haven't inspected in a few weeks, but I fear that I see queen cells ( or maybe odd drone cells) at the base of a couple of frames when I peek in the entrance..

 

[Silly Bee]

Possibly a shortage of house bees to process the pollen.

 

[Finman]

.
Hive is full. Give more room.

It has nothig to do with swarming.
But if you have not looked into hives during"few weeks" , do it quickly.

During swarming time it is better to look inside every week.

If you meet queen cells, make a false swarm at once.

 

[melias]

So better to take the risk of chilling the brood (it's 11 degrees here) than risk a swarm, right?

 

[VEG]

If the bees are flying it is warm enough to have a quick look or you risk loosing the bees in a swarm

 

[tonybloke]

If the bees are flying it is warm enough to have a quick look or you risk loosing the bees in a swarm

 

[Finman]

So better to take the risk of chilling the brood (it's 11 degrees here) than risk a swarm, right?

brood will not chill when you lift a frame and put it back. You need 1/10 second to see if there are queen cells.
Take sidemost frame off and go quickly through the frames.
Give first a new box that bees are not like porriage between frames.

Wind is bad to brood.

If the hive is really full, I use give two new box, one up and another under the brood box.
.