Advice please

[markus.kaps]

I have 4 hives in close proximity to each other, can anyone advise why the higher one has bees accumulating at entrance whilst others don't.

I am novice, my theory is bees from other hives confused which hive to go back to and being prevented entry by guards.

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[For want of a better word]

Check mouse guard is not blocked + it is not unusual to have one colony more active than others

yeghes da

 

[pargyle]

Time of day ? Hives that 'see' the sun (bees can see the sun even when it's cloudy) earlier tend to get out of the hive earlier than those that get the sun later ...

But, as has been said - all colonies behave differently, I have one colony that will fly at just about any opportunity at present (even when it's cold and showery) and another than only really get going when it is really fine and dry ...

All in all nothing much to worry about - as long as they can get in and out of the hive should not be an issue - you've got mouse guards on so unlikely to be any interference in the hive.

PS: That's not close proximity ... even when hives are only inches away from each other the pheremones in the colony will draw them back to the right box ... you could have one box on top of another and they would go to the right one,

 

[mbc]

Those hives look easy to topple and too high to stack many supers on to me.

 

[pargyle]

Those hives look easy to topple and too high to stack many supers on to me.

It's a bit off topic MBC but I'd agree and how on earth are inspections going to be done ?

 

[markus.kaps]

Time of day ? Hives that 'see' the sun (bees can see the sun even when it's cloudy) earlier tend to get out of the hive earlier than those that get the sun later ...

But, as has been said - all colonies behave differently, I have one colony that will fly at just about any opportunity at present (even when it's cold and showery) and another than only really get going when it is really fine and dry ...

All in all nothing much to worry about - as long as they can get in and out of the hive should not be an issue - you've got mouse guards on so unlikely to be any interference in the hive.

PS: That's not close proximity ... even when hives are only inches away from each other the pheremones in the colony will draw them back to the right box ... you could have one box on top of another and they would go to the right one,

Thanks appreciate the response

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[Poly Hive]

Going to be honest here and add my pennyworth which is they are downright dangerous both for the colonies and you.

PH

 

[enrico]

Maybe I am stupid but we haven't got leaves on our trees at the moment. I expect this is taken in summer. Having had hives fall over like a pack of cards and been stung hundreds of times trying to put them back together I would DEFINITELY alter the way your hives are sited. Please..... Learn from my mistakes.
E

 

[irishguy]

I have 4 hives in close proximity to each other, can anyone advise why the higher one has bees accumulating at entrance whilst others don't.

I am novice, my theory is bees from other hives confused which hive to go back to and being prevented entry by guards.

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They look like a stand on top of a stand with hives on top. Unless you are 8 ft tall, Get that saw out and cut the middle part stand out. What was the thinking behind having them so high and so tucked into the hedge? I wouldnt like to be tending to them if they ended up with full supers on top and also tending to them from behind looks like a challange.

 

[Millet]

Maybe I am stupid but we haven't got leaves on our trees at the moment.
E

Not stupid quite the opposite and spot on with what you say, when i first seen the picture i thought he was in another country.

 

[Swarm]

Would be far more stable if the hives were sitting on the part the blocks are on but the whole arrangement looks fraught with difficulties and safety issues.

Are the queen excluders off now? They are on in those pics.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Those hives look easy to topple and too high to stack many supers on to me.

First thing that came to my mind as well - looks unstable enough with just one super on.

Going to be honest here and add my pennyworth which is they are downright dangerous both for the colonies and you.

PH

Obviously not now as there are leaves on the trees which bwgs the question that nobody else seems to want to ask.

Why mouseguards at that time of year?​

May go some way in explaining the traffic jam at the entrance.

 

[oxnatbees]

Bees can differentiate between left, right and centre (effectively count up to three) so 3 hives in a row is not usually a problem. I've heard of bees drifting to one end of a long row of hives, so the hives at one end end up significantly lighter than those at the other, but not with just 3 or 4. Is there a strong prevailing wind tending to blow bees to the right hand hive?

Bear in mind that all these hives are going to smell more or less the same to the bees, because I'm assuming the queens are all related, and they are all gathering similar forage (or using sugar you fed them). So the guards will probably smell neighbours as being one of them and not stop them.

Of course maybe the other hives are simply robbing the end one, but then you'd see fighting.

It's a long shot but, to help them return to the correct hive you can add a colour code - colour the stands below the entrance. Bees can't see red (it looks like black to them) but they can distinguish yellow, green and blue. Don't use paint, the fumes could kill an occupied hive: find some coloured plastic and attach a decal below the entrances, say with drawing pins.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Of course maybe the other hives are simply robbing the end one, but then you'd see fighting.

Quite often there is no fighting at all when a hive or nuc is being robbed out.

 

[jeff33]

It's a bit off topic MBC but I'd agree and how on earth are inspections going to be done ?

He may have them set the cold way?
Otherwise there is nothing like having a bunch of angry bees piling up on your back because you are blocking the entrance while doing the inspection.

 

[john t]

i would discount confused bees, if you were to remove the hive whilst they were flying , the flying bees would return to that exact location, hive or no hive

some more information would be useful weather conditions over the last week, time of day, temperature, is this a strong colony,age of queen, there are so many factors,but as has been said nothing to worry about

what i would be concerned with is the position and the height of the stands, is there a reason for this , could you not find a safer location ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Quite often there is no fighting at all when a hive or nuc is being robbed out.

Yes I’ve seen that. I had a nuc attacked 2 years ago. I shut the whole lot in and took them away robbers and all. The robbing bees bolstered the nuc nicely thank you.

 

[Blacky50]

And the hives would be quickly engulfed by new growth of the hedge without constantly chopping it back.
And I wonder who might be under the canopy over the fence. Should be fine but might be interesting when they swarm.