Hi, I’m a newbie and would like some guidance please!
I received a large swarm that was put straight into my hive at the beginning of this week and I am feeding a 1:1 syrup solution from a hive top feeder. The next day a large group of bees bearded up the front of the hive, they have not gone back into the hive but have stayed clumped under the base of the hive, keeping out of the rain. There seems to be a lot of activity from the bees still in the hive – coming and going, but today (day 3) I have noticed small flakes of white stuff appearing on the ground under the clumped bees, is this wax? I haven’t done my first inspection yet as I only got them on Tuesday lunchtime so was going to wait 7 days!
My question is, should I just leave the clump of bees under the hive or try and move them into the hive when I inspect it next week?
Hi Melissa and welcome! Nice suitable name for a beek
Please post a pic if you can, but wax flakes being dropped in the process of comb building would be very likely. Sounds like the bees are starting to build under the hive though?
I agree with Eva that they would be wax flakes on the ground, also welcome to the forum.
There might be some reason why the colony doesn’t want to stay inside the box. Maybe oil, or fresh paint, however a good trick is to smear 2 drops of lemongrass oil inside the hive.
Another good trick is to acquire a full frame of open brood from another beekeeper. Rest that frame adjacent, & touching the bees. Once the frame gets covered in bees, you simply put the frame inside the hive. The rest should follow.
Hi Eva & JeffH, thank you for the welcome and the friendly replies
I am going to do my very first inspection tomorrow afternoon and try and move the bees that are under the hive into it, hopefully it will be a positive outcome @Eva perhaps it was always meant to bee
As per my knowledge, I think you’re dealing with a classic swarm settling into a new hive. The white flakes you’re seeing are likely wax, which could be a sign that the bees are starting to build comb outside the hive. As for the clump of bees, it is generally best to avoid disturbing them too much right now. Since they have only been in the hive for a few days, they may still be settling in. When you do your inspection next week, you can check if they have started to move inside on their own. If not, gently moving them into the hive during your inspection might be necessary.
Update - I checked the group that were clustered under the hive again on Saturday evening and because it was raining torrentially, they had flattened to cover the whole of the underside of the hive sheltering out of it, which revealed that they had indeed been building honeycomb!!!
So on Sunday I collected the swarm, opened the hive and placed them in it! They seem to have reset their coordinates to the entrance of the hive and I’ve seen them returning with lots of pollen. Big learning curve, but loving it
