Why is the bottom box grumpiest?

[Sutty]

Most of my colonies are on double or triple national brood boxes.
When I examine all the boxes the bottom is always by far the least happy. This applies whether I examine from the top or put the top boxes to the side and check the bottom first.
Admittedly it is usually the fullest (of bees) but it feels it's not just that.
Maybe because that's where most guard bees are?
Do others notice the same difference?

 

[Wilco]

I've tried a few on double brood this year and would tend to agree. I presume it's older bees so guards and ex guard.

 

[Swarm]

It's mainly the field force, your older bees which are the grumpy ones. You only go through that lot if you find cells in the top box

 

[Sutty]

It's mainly the field force, your older bees which are the grumpy ones. You only go through that lot if you find cells in the top box

Yes I don't always go through the bottom box, though today there were eggs and BIAS in the bottom box, rather scattered brood in the middle, and slabs of sealed brood in the top. They are the only colony that haven't tried to swarm yet this season!
I keep hoping I can reduce to 2 boxes!

 

[Andy]

I made a demaree for the first time and found that when I take off the top lid, the bees instantly attack in force from the top box. I thought they would be mainly nurse bees in the top. Presumably it's the field bees delivering stores to the top who then take offence? It's like there are bees waiting to get me. They aren't doing anything in particular as the lid comes off.

 

[Erichalfbee]

field bees delivering stores to the top

They don't do that. Forage is delivered to house bees just inside the entrance and is passed from bee to bee till it gets to where it's needed

 

[Andy]

They don't do that. Forage is delivered to house bees just inside the entrance and is passed from bee to bee till it gets to where it's needed

So why do I get so many launching from the top box? On a lovely day with lots of bees flying, taking the lid off requires a deep breath before proceeding. I thought the nurse bees were meant to be calmer and not flying yet.

I am in the process of getting a queen mated in the top box to replace the queen below as that colony has never been that pleasant. Fingers crossed as off course the weather isn’t brilliant for the next few weeks now she has reached sexual maturity.

 

[rolande]

So why do I get so many launching from the top box? On a lovely day with lots of bees flying, taking the lid off requires a deep breath before proceeding. I thought the nurse bees were meant to be calmer and not flying yet.

I am in the process of getting a queen mated in the top box to replace the queen below as that colony has never been that pleasant. Fingers crossed as off course the weather isn’t brilliant for the next few weeks now she has reached sexual maturity.

You've probably answered the question as well as anyone else will be able to.

 

[Antipodes]

So why do I get so many launching from the top box? On a lovely day with lots of bees flying, taking the lid off requires a deep breath before proceeding. I thought the nurse bees were meant to be calmer and not flying yet.

I am in the process of getting a queen mated in the top box to replace the queen below as that colony has never been that pleasant. Fingers crossed as off course the weather isn’t brilliant for the next few weeks now she has reached sexual maturity.

I've got a colony at the moment with a little entrance at the bottom and another little entrance at the top. The top entrance is just a cut out in the top part of a side wall (near a corner) in the uppermost box...I think it was an area of the box that had rotted a bit, so I cut a little rectangular entrance. It then enabled me to use the top box as a separate colony over a double screen (the upper colony only had the top entrance when used like that of course). I've since removed the screen and combined the colonies but left both entrances. Months later, they now seem to come and go from the top hole more than the bottom, but both are used.