Puzzled?

[Jonnyl]

Can you good people help me. My hives seem to be ok, both q+ and bees seem healthy, bringing in lots of pollen and finished feeding them up. Closed the hives up. However the last couple of times I've noticed that they seem to be using only the front half of the hives. There's a few patrolling the frames to the rear but the vast bulk are towards the front, in both hives. Why would this be? Should I take out the rear frames and dummy up? Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

 

[Ian123]

By the sound of it you have the frames warm way, not that that matters but bees/colony are not filling the box. I would suggest you would find the brood closer to the entrance/front and most the bees are there keeping it warm. Nothing to worry about and perfectly normal.

 

[Jonnyl]

Thank you for reassuring me Ian. Yes the brood is all to the front and thought it odd that they're not utilising the box evenly. Would have expected it to be central or to the rear away from the front, and yes, warm way. Thanks again.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wintertime
Brood by the entrance
Stores behind where they are more readily defended

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Wintertime
Brood by the entrance
Stores behind where they are more readily defended

And it doesn't matter whether the frames are warm or cold way (although most fail to get their head around that it makes no difference) it's the way that bees arrange the nest, no point having the workforce/defenders in the back of the nest with the stores open to robbing at the entrance

 

[Jonnyl]

Wintertime
Brood by the entrance
Stores behind where they are more readily defended

Ahhhh! Valid point.

 

[bobba]

I have a similar situation with one of my hives. Except its cold way and the bees are mainly on one side of the hive.

I did have a robbing problem with this hive, attacking bees were entering the hive on the empty side of the entrance then crawling up the side to assess the feeder on top. There were bees fighting in the feeder.

However this was quickly fixed by an entrance reducer, with the entrance hole placed on the occupied side.

But what has puzzled me is the swarm this hive was started from have always insisted on clumping to one side of the hive. I even tried taking frames from the empty end and placing them at the full end to move the brood closer to the middle, but over the next three weeks they just went back to their preferred end.

I am no bee expert but I think if the hive is q+ and they have good stores then as the pros have already said its nothing to worry about.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bobba
If there are a few empty frames then remove them and dummy down with kingspan?
Because they won’t have a brood box worth of stores you’ll have to keep fondant on them.

 

[Ian123]

I have a similar situation with one of my hives. Except its cold way and the bees are mainly on one side of the hive.

I did have a robbing problem with this hive, attacking bees were entering the hive on the empty side of the entrance then crawling up the side to assess the feeder on top. There were bees fighting in the feeder.

However this was quickly fixed by an entrance reducer, with the entrance hole placed on the occupied side.

But what has puzzled me is the swarm this hive was started from have always insisted on clumping to one side of the hive. I even tried taking frames from the empty end and placing them at the full end to move the brood closer to the middle, but over the next three weeks they just went back to their preferred end.

I am no bee expert but I think if the hive is q+ and they have good stores then as the pros have already said its nothing to worry about.

Just move the frames across as you have been. Is that side of the hive that gets the sun? It’s not uncommon.