Bees on one side of hive

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jeff4051

House Bee
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
144
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0
Location
swansea
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2 plus 3 communities
One of the hives very busy, have left alone, the other a lot quieter had a quick look under crown board, all the bees are at one end of hive. I don't want to disturb them, any idea, there is plenty of fondant left, they have hardly touched it?
 
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At least colony is small. It would be better if you move them into smaller box.
No mesh floor, good insulation etc.

When colony is small, cluster is not perhaps high. It is difficult then estimate the size of colony.

It has best future in an insulated nuc box.
 
Hi, could you give a little bit more info?

Is the colony on the last frame, right up against the wall of the hive?

Did you notice how many seams of bees there are?

Can they access the fondant? - is it on the top bars, or in a container above the cover/crown board? (If they can't reach it, that may be why there's plenty left!)

What is the weight of the hive like, compared to the weight at the start of winter? (ie, did you put fondant because they needed it or "just in case"?)

Any there signs of brood rearing or other activity, eg pollen going in, discarded larvae/pupae, cappings being removed? - you can often see debris under the hive, at the entrance, or on the varroa insert (that's if you leave it in over winter, as I do).

Aha, Finman, you got to that bit before me!
 
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The fondant was more central, moved it over the side of bees. looking at the rest of the frames they were empty of stores. Hopefully with moving the fondant it will save it. Don't really want to move them fingers crossed. They are on last 3 frames. No debris to be seen.
 
The only thing I would add is; if they have moved away from any frames still containing food, perhaps move a frame of food to the other side of the cluster (against the cluster...so they aren't isolated)

Some bees are just plain stupid
 
No a wooden National. I think they will be alright quite a few out foraging, sun out, lucky they are in a small fenced in garden. Will keep an eye on them, thanks for replies. Hopefully just fondant in wrong place?????
 
One of the hives very busy, have left alone, the other a lot quieter had a quick look under crown board, all the bees are at one end of hive. I don't want to disturb them, any idea, there is plenty of fondant left, they have hardly touched it?

Warmer area?

Mine move to the back of the hive which is quite close to a brick wall.
 
I'd go with B+, as long as there are still stores in the hive - hence my query about the overall weight of the hive now.

As Dishmop, bees often cluster/start to brood to the warmer side of a hive, but with the weather being unpredictable and generally cold again, you don't want the bees to run out of food against the wall...

If things are looking dodgy, I prefer that they have stores on both sides of the cluster but, to ensure that, you would have to pick a day and open them up quickly to shuffle the frames . Don't pull any out, except those with stores that you want to move, then slide the frames with the cluster over (if propolis/castellations allow...), and put the stores between the cluster and the wall, (and next to the cluster on the other side, if necessary).

Course, if there are no stores in the hive, this won't be possible. If you're not sure about this by hefting, do you have any spare frames of stores in storage(!) that you could have to hand, just in case?

I've not used it, at this time of year, but I have been told that Ambrosia or similar can be used all year round. They would be able to take that down from a contact feeder over the frames (during warm spells, anyway), but I would be a bit concerned about syrup being forced out of the feeder with contraction/expansion as the temperature varies. I am sure that someone else here will be more knowledgeable and be able to recommend yay or nay on this point.

If they are isolated - or just plain starving - it's better to do something now, rather than wait till it's warm enough to inspect a colony of dead bees....
 
As Dishmop, bees often cluster/start to brood to the warmer side of a hive, but with the weather being unpredictable and generally cold again, you don't want the bees to run out of food against the wall...

They were eating their way across the box.
 
I've not used it, at this time of year, but I have been told that Ambrosia or similar can be used all year round.

If they are isolated - or just plain starving - it's better to do something now, rather than wait till it's warm enough to inspect a colony of dead bees....

I think its still a bit cold to be giving liquid feed (which encourages them to fly). If there are no stores at all, its probably best to insert a dummy frame to confine the space (which I think Finman suggested) and give them fondant (slightly off centre from being directly ontop of the cluster...sometimes it can drip down ontop of them and kill the cluster just as the weather is about to improve)

This is the weakness of the National. A single is too small and bees can consume all their stores even in a relatively mild winter.
 
:confused: I frequently overwinter on a single national, without problems and rarely feed in the spring...perhaps my bees are more "thrifty"?
 
:confused: I frequently overwinter on a single national, without problems and rarely feed in the spring...perhaps my bees are more "thrifty"?

Makes you wonder if the more you leave for them the more they eat thinking that theres a never ending supply.
 
Just worked out what you meant when you said they were working their way across the hive, Dishmop, thanks. I'm very sorry jeff4051, I somehow missed your post #4...
 
Last winter I had the frames the cold way and the bees worked from right to left across the brood box. Finished against the side wall.
This year they are mainly at the front as frames are the warm way now due to no other reason than it makes it easier to inspect them with the layout of my apiary.

This explains it a little some agree some don't but that's beekeeping :).
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cwww.html
 
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Last winter I had the frames the cold way and the bees worked from right to left across the brood box. Finished against the side wall.
This year they are mainly at the front as frames are the warm way now due to no other reason than it makes it easier to inspect them with the layout of my apiary.

This explains it a little some agree some don't but that's beekeeping :).
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cwww.html
I have three hives with warm way arrangements, for the same reason you have. One wooden National with a nadired super (cluster was in front part most of the winter), and two 12x14 polys . One of them had the cluster right at the back and is now rapidly expanding towards the front. The other clustered right in the middle and is now expanding both ways.

Although I just did this because of hive position, I am starting to prefer it, and the bees seem to do quite well that way. As brood emerge at the back I move the comb to the front, and it seemed last summer she just kept working her way forward all the time.
 
No a wooden National. I think they will be alright quite a few out foraging, sun out, lucky they are in a small fenced in garden. Will keep an eye on them, thanks for replies. Hopefully just fondant in wrong place?????

if worried: fold correx around the hive.and secure with gaffer tape or string. tuck top of correx under neath roof eaves
keeps the wind and wet off the hive and so achieves a significant thermal benefit with least disturbance

correx ~£5 a 2.4m by 1.2m sheet from jewsons
 
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No a wooden National. I think they will be alright quite a few out foraging, sun out, lucky they are in a small fenced in garden. Will keep an eye on them, thanks for replies. Hopefully just fondant in wrong place?????

Rather than risk them not finding the fondant, why not put it in a bigger bag & roll it out with a rolling pin so it covers more of the frames? Remembering to cut slits in the bottom. I'm only a beginner but this is what i did with my nucs & hives so wherever they are there is fondant above them.
 

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