Swarm half in and half out!

[GrumpyBunny]

Yesterday's swarm resolutely refused to go into the hive so in the evening I took the decision to shake them into the hive and all seemed to go well.

There was a lot of activity in today's sunshine and there are bees leaving and entering the hive. Most of the bees are in the hive but there is a big cluster underneath the OMF.

Do I have a problem or am I being over anxious?

 

[Swarm]

Move the brood box onto another floor and shake the one they are on into the box. Swarms don't seem too keen on OMF.

 

[itma]

I don't understand why they were not 'hived' yesterday.

The hive stand needs a 'skirt' of some sort (even a cardboard temporary one) so that bees missing the entrance don't fly under the hive and think there really ought to be an entrance there because they can smell the colony.
This time of the evening, you could do as 'Swarm' suggests (if you have the spare kit), or you might consider sweeping them from under the floor into a box and from there into the top of the hive (even just onto the crown board - assuming yours has open holes in it). IMHO they'd be better with any attempt at getting them inside than trying to survive underneath overnight. But others might differ.

 

[MJBee]

with both Swarm and Itma

However you do it all the bees need to be in the hive. It is also possible that the queen is under the OMF. If she is (and they survive your weather) the following could result

 

[user 6228]

Unfortunately Seeley didnt research the difference in swarm preference between OMF and solid floors, but given he did use solid floors, and tree nests have solid floors, give the swarm a solid floor until you can confirm establishment in the new hive. This could just be a simple device to exclude light entering via the OMF.

 

[GrumpyBunny]

Thank you for the advice everybody.

I didn't tuck them into bed last night, but when I left them most were in the hive and there were a number flying round. Whether those flying around were the guilty parties or the hive didn't quite live up to expectations and some moved out I don't know. All I know is that there were a few hundred underneath the hive early this morning and I'm sure a few more joined them during the day.

Lesson learned regarding the OMF it probably didn't help with pheremones drifting through it and having more light in the hive.

So ... I moved the BB onto a new base with a floor inserted and shook the recalcitrant bees and they all zipped in apart from a couple who wanted to see me off the property.

There was a lot of noise which eventually quietened to a dull roar but they are all inside now.

 

[Swarm]

Nice one.

 

[beeno]

Hi GrumpyBunny,
I have had the problem with the 'skirt' and swarm bees not wanting to follow the majority. My thoughts on the latter is that there may be more than one queen. Next time it happens with a swarm, I shall look for the queen on the smaller part and keep them separate and see what happens in both 'colonies'. Just a thought.

 

[Chris Luck]

I never ever have problems with swarms and OMF.

Chris

 

[GrumpyBunny]

My thoughts on the latter is that there may be more than one queen.

I couldn't even spot one fecund queen when I hived them let alone two

There was a "contented" murmur coming from the hive and they were taking light syrup so they should be drawing out the comb and with luck some evidence of the queens presence in a few days.

Chris maybe the OMF wasn't an issue, but for the time being I'm not taking any chances.

 

[itma]

...
Lesson learned regarding the OMF it probably didn't help with pheremones drifting through it and having more light in the hive.

So ... I moved the BB onto a new base with a floor inserted ...

The problem isn't with the OMF itself.
It is with it being too easy to miss the entrance and 'undershoot' the hive - which is how they get to the OMF.

The answer is an 'alighting board', although a 'closed top front' on the hive stand does largely avert the problem.

Remember that new workers are going to be 'born' daily - and all of them will need to learn where the entrance is (and isn't).
Hence sorting out the entrance arrangement is necessary for the long-term avoidance of bees clustering under the OMF.