Strange Cluster

[LimeStone]

Sorry all for what is probably quite normal..but why have I got a quite a large cluster under me hive in October!? It's like a mini swarm

 

[Etton]

I had exactly the same. If you read my thread on 'have I killed my bees' you will see the excellent support/advice I received

 

[enrico]

Yep,they are flying underneath. They think they are in the hive but cannot get through the OMF. They will die on cold nights. Block the gap between the entrance and the ground to stop them 'undershooting' the entrance. You can lose hundreds of bees this way. Common fault!
E

 

[LimeStone]

Thanks Enrico, is it that the entrance is too small? I closed it up to the 'pre-made' 15x10mm as there was some robbing last month. They have all been struggling to get it in, big queue etc. Great advice though thank you

 

[enrico]

No. It is that they just miss the landing board if you have one. They are not clever enough to realise that the OMF is any different to a QE so they just keep trying to get through to their mates inside! Once they have undershot they often don't come back to the entrance to try again. You have to block up the front space to stop it happening. Some keep their hives on breeze blocks, just put the breeze blocks from side to side rather than front to back. Or....give them a wapping big landing board. The entrance size has no real bearing.
E

 

[For want of a better word]

Stuff the underside of the hive with straw... well it worked for mine!

Yeghes da

 

[oliver90owner]

The above is the most likely scenario but failing that don't discard the possibiity of a supercedure queen under there. So care required, when shifting them inside.

 

[LimeStone]

Thanks all for the advice, much appreciated
nice warm day yesterday, so I opened the hive up and went down through it frame by frame. New colony this spring. Brood and half, QE then 1 super with honey.
On inspection honey is a reduced amount since last inspection. Removed QE. Nectar, honey and pollen in the shallow brood box. Nectar honey, eggs and larvae and capped brood. Didn't find queenie, she is clearly marked but she has evaded me before so not over worried
Carefully checked through all the dropped bees on the ground - no queen
Shook all that I could back into the reassembled hive, added a feeder and ambrosia
Opened the entrance up to the 'large size' and left them to it
Within and hour or two everybody was back in the hive
Think you are all correct when you saw they were 'under shooting'

 

[rockdoc]

Could get around this problem with a Dartington floor as the entrance is never altered. All mine are now on this floor type and second season in I have no mice issues or robbing.