Hive eruptions

[MerryDance]

Hi
Twice now our hive has "erupted". There is an increase in buzzing then bees spill out on the landing board of a conventional hive. Over a few minutes this gradually escalates until the air is full of bees and it appears that the hive is spewing out bees . The hive seems to posset on a grassy patch below the hive resulting in a dinner plate puddle of bees. This particular hive has swarmed twice already and seems to be a bit hyper at times compared to the new hive nearby .
Over about 30 minutes the situation calms ,the flying bees return and the puddle of bees on the floor has crawled up a leg of the hive towards bees fanning at the entrance.
Couldn't find any swarms in neighbours garden or hedge.
Quite a dramatic and puzzling sight. Can anyone advise what is going on? This is our first year of beekeeping
Many thanks

 

[melormynydd]

sounds to me like a virgin queen going out on mating flights and the bees trying to follow.

 

[thurrock bees]

if there is no Q cells and the current queen is mated. i would say that they are leaving the hive so it can cool down.

ive seen a whole hive leave the nest and fly around in the air for 30 min before returning to the hive.It was a bee cut out i were called to situated above a college kitchen.

 

[Midland Beek]

I guess you know that with bee colonies you do not get just one (prime) swarm. You can also get a series of second swarms, or casts. Sometimes these are not particularly big.

If the phenomenom you have witnessed is not in the 'swarming' category, and as per a previous post, it might be related to a virgin queen going on her mating flights. The bees can get anxious everytime the queen leaves and there can be a great deal of running around and fanning at the entrance to help guide her back home.

 

[richardbees]

Merrydance

"The hive seems to posset on a grassy patch below..."

You are are a welcome poster to this bb with such Shakespearean prose!

It looks to me that they have it in mind to swarm, I'd suggest you go through the BB and check for Q cells.

Also, I'd suggest you find the queen and mark her.

richard