May have destroyed my hive :(

[Etton]

Newcomer this year still learning despite being on theory and practical bbka courses. Fearing robbing I narrowed my entrance to one bee space yesterday. Tonight I noticed on my varroa board and below the mesh floor hundreds of bees. I thought they were my bees not managed to get back into the hive due to my narrow entrance. So I took the roof off smoked the super and dumped them all into the hive and replaced the cover board and roof. Now I'm thinking maybe they were all robber bees, at the time I thought any robber bees by then would have returned to their own hive, it was 7pm and darkish. Do robber bees stay around after dark or maybe they were mine and all ok... But I'm thinking if mine they would have found the single bee space entrance. Thoughts anyone?

 

[B+.]

Thoughts anyone?

How strong is your colony? If its a normal colony with a laying queen, they should be capable of taking care of themselves...perhaps you've been a little over enthusiastic with the single space.
Are there any other gaps or holes anywhere in the hive?

 

[Etton]

A swarm from July so not a big colony. If robbers are around would you normally see fighting or dead bees, not seen either. Is it normal for large nos of robber bees to stay around until dark or even stay overnight, still worried I have tipped hundreds of robbers into the hive, but hopefully not and they were mine after all . If they were robbers maybe I'll find lots of dead bees in the hive?

 

[B+.]

Is it normal for large nos of robber bees to stay around until dark or even stay overnight, still worried I have tipped hundreds of robbers into the hive, but hopefully not and they were mine after all . If they were robbers maybe I'll find lots of dead bees in the hive?

Robber bees will usually return unless the colony is totally overwhelmed and offers no resistence. wasps will usually take over if thats the case.
If you suspect robbing, look at the comb. If there are ragged chunks taken out of the cappings, then, robbing is probably the cause.

 

[pargyle]

Newcomer this year still learning despite being on theory and practical bbka courses. Fearing robbing I narrowed my entrance to one bee space yesterday. Tonight I noticed on my varroa board and below the mesh floor hundreds of bees. /QUOTE]

Are you sure the entrance is not blocked inside the hive ? Can happen if there's a pile up of dead bees and the undertakers can't get the bodies out. Might be worth checking ...

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Newcomer this year still learning despite being on theory and practical bbka courses. Fearing robbing I narrowed my entrance to one bee space yesterday. Tonight I noticed on my varroa board and below the mesh floor hundreds of bees. I thought they were my bees not managed to get back into the hive due to my narrow entrance. So I took the roof off smoked the super and dumped them all into the hive and replaced the cover board and roof. Now I'm thinking maybe they were all robber bees, at the time I thought any robber bees by then would have returned to their own hive, it was 7pm and darkish. Do robber bees stay around after dark or maybe they were mine and all ok... But I'm thinking if mine they would have found the single bee space entrance. Thoughts anyone?

First of all welcome to the asylum.
You mention theory and practical training. Can you expand on when, how long and where this was please? If it was run by an association I would have expected you to have been offered some form of mentoring or guidance. Especially as you are asking in another post about removing Apiguard trays.
Making a stab in the dark does your forum name suggest you are located in the vicinity of the village of Etton? If so you are within reach of Beverley BKA or York BKA and I do know there are some highly competent beeks in both.
Maybe you really need a local mentor to guide you along the road to experience

 

[Etton]

Thanks for your reply, yes I have had great support from Beverley bbka both theory & practical and attended the meetings at Cottingham, iwill be going to next weeks. My post was made following discovery of this site last night in panic at what I had done. Having searched the web I find it's not uncommon, so now think def my bees not robbers...phew. Why there, maybe my contact feeder dripped, but I'm so careful, the Apiguard smell, hive overheating, no space... latter two unlikely. May ask for advice at next week Cottingham meeting from the experienced bee keepers.

This morning I inspected the bottom board and all normal and shook off the underneath bees to hive entrance but after hive reassembled loads have returned to below hive on the outside of the mesh floor. Read that the absence of a landing board may be a cause, perhaps I should fit one. Quite a few dead bees beneath the hive this morning presumably killed by the cold. Not sure what more I can do and just hope when weather gets colder they remain in the hive.

 

[Etton]

Forgot to add training at Gilberdyke village hall last winter and have reenrolled for this year too and practical at Beverley apiary from April to July, really good training recommend it to any starter

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Forgot to add training at Gilberdyke village hall last winter and have reenrolled for this year too and practical at Beverley apiary from April to July, really good training recommend it to any starter

despite living not far from Gilberdyke War Memorial Hall, I wasn't aware of any beekeeping training being run there or I would have looked in. Sure you weren't thinking of somewhere else such as Cottingham church hall which is where I understand beverley BKA meet.

 

[Etton]

Sorry not Gilberdyke its woodmansey village hall

 

[enrico]

Have you got the space between the entrance and the ground at the front of the hive blocked? My guess is that the bees are returning from flying, missing the small bee entrance, going under the hive. Clustering on the OMF, they think they are in the hive but can't get through the mesh. At night they are getting cold and dropping off or just clinging together to get warm. Block the bit between the ground and the entrance and all this will stop. It happens SO often and you can lose hundreds of bees to these cold nights so do it now!
E

 

[Arfermo]

Newcomer this year still learning despite being on theory and practical bbka courses. Fearing robbing I narrowed my entrance to one bee space yesterday. Tonight I noticed on my varroa board and below the mesh floor hundreds of bees. I thought they were my bees not managed to get back into the hive due to my narrow entrance. So I took the roof off smoked the super and dumped them all into the hive and replaced the cover board and roof. Now I'm thinking maybe they were all robber bees, at the time I thought any robber bees by then would have returned to their own hive, it was 7pm and darkish. Do robber bees stay around after dark or maybe they were mine and all ok... But I'm thinking if mine they would have found the single bee space entrance. Thoughts anyone?

I suspect that you may have inserted the varroa board and pushed in right to the front of the hive and left the gap at the back of the hive above the board. That allows bees to enter the gap from the back and been unable to find their way out and round to the normal entrance before nightfall and died in the cold well below any cluster warmth. I always stuff the gap with foam precisely to avoid that problem based on experience from yesteryear. Just a thought. Now see Enrico beat me to it.

 

[Etton]

Thanks Enrico and Afermo really helpful. Have blocked all sides of hive stand so no way bees can get under the mesh floor and blocked space at rear just above varroa board. Used 1" insulation. Hope doesn't stop hive ventilation also moved super below BB. Thanks again for helpful replies.

 

[ForageFlight]

Newcomer this year still learning despite being on theory and practical bbka courses. Fearing robbing I narrowed my entrance to one bee space yesterday. Tonight I noticed on my varroa board and below the mesh floor hundreds of bees. I thought they were my bees not managed to get back into the hive due to my narrow entrance. So I took the roof off smoked the super and dumped them all into the hive and replaced the cover board and roof. Now I'm thinking maybe they were all robber bees, at the time I thought any robber bees by then would have returned to their own hive, it was 7pm and darkish. Do robber bees stay around after dark or maybe they were mine and all ok... But I'm thinking if mine they would have found the single bee space entrance. Thoughts anyone?

Welcome to Etton bee-keeing If your bees have got burr comb down from the base of the frame to the mesh and there is a gap at the front of the base board then some of the bees can miss the entrance and find their way under the mess and think I am home. There are lots of problems that can be had removing bottom boards and not replacing them properly. A virgin returnig from mateing flight can very often go down there and develop her colony It happened to me on more than one ocation.
I wish you years of Happy Bee Keeping ForageFlight