Strange behaviour. What are they doing?

[Herbalist]

I have a hive that was over-populated. I did a walk-away split and all was going well. The hive that retained the queen had about four frames of bees/brood/eggs and all appeared fine.
Yesterday when I walked outside I was enveloped in a swarm-cloud of bees that settled all around the hive and then made their way inside. I then had two colonies and presumably two queens in the same hive. I assumed that one of the queens would get killed and the colony would carry on. A couple of hours later a big swarm came out and formed into a large coherent flying-ball like a flock of birds - moving in tight formation. The swirling ball rose higher and higher until it was above the roof-tops. They then came down in a column - straight to the front of the hive and all marched back inside. It was not the other half of the split returning home - (they are fine and busy making queen-cells). What is going on? Any observations would be gratefully received (except suggestions that they are doing the Hokey-Kokey)

 

[enrico]

No idea, sometimes nature does odd things not by the book!

 

[megadyptes]

I saw a similar thing last year, maybe this offers some suggestions: https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=39645

 

[Millet]

Are you sure it was not a orientation flight.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a hive that was over-populated. I did a walk-away split and all was going well. The hive that retained the queen had about four frames of bees/brood/eggs and all appeared fine.
Yesterday when I walked outside I was enveloped in a swarm-cloud of bees that settled all around the hive and then made their way inside. I then had two colonies and presumably two queens in the same hive. I assumed that one of the queens would get killed and the colony would carry on. A couple of hours later a big swarm came out and formed into a large coherent flying-ball like a flock of birds - moving in tight formation. The swirling ball rose higher and higher until it was above the roof-tops. They then came down in a column - straight to the front of the hive and all marched back inside. It was not the other half of the split returning home - (they are fine and busy making queen-cells). What is going on? Any observations would be gratefully received (except suggestions that they are doing the Hokey-Kokey)

Sounds like a mating swarm - witnessed it a few times when I've been nlucky enough to be near the apiary when it happens. Bees get a bit excited when the queen and her escorts go off on her mating flight and follow them out, realise their mistake pretty quickly, mill around for a while, then sheepishly return to the hive

 

[Herbalist]

There is an update to this since my OP. The large swarm left the hive the following morning. They decamped into a neighbors hedge. They were duly collected by me and installed in a hive 30 miles away. The hive that they overnighted in seems to be functioneing as normal. No damage seems to have been done and they are foraging as normal. I have yet to inspect and check that the queen is still alive - but their behaviour does not indicate anything is amiss.

 

[beeno]

I would see that as an aborted swarm attempt due to the virgin queen not going with them, so they have to return to the hive. The following day they swarmed proper. Go into hive looking for QC as there may be more swarming to come!