hi all,
i installed a nuc into a flow hive hybrid yesterday…i have 2 issues really.
first is that the bees seem to be trying to use the back of the hive as the entrance ( where the tray fits) i know they cant get into the hive this way but it means there are large amounts of bees flying around where i need to be.
second point is the hive is close to a fish pond and at the moment the bees are diving into it intent on drowning themselves.
any advice on either point?
I am not sure I know what the bottom board looks like on your hive - is there a pull out plastic tray or just corflute? Screen bottom? If there are bees on the outside of the bottom screen, you could brush them off and make sure that the tray is up close tight to the screen. The bees will figure out where the entrance is eventually and the smell of the hive coming out the screen and from any other gaps may be confusing.
They will figure this out too, eventually. Are there some rocks or a wet, but not submerged, area where they can land for a drink?
hi,
sorry should have made it clearer…its not a tray its just a sheet of corflute with the mesh screen above it. ill put it to the upper setting to stop them holding there meetings there 
as for the water, yes ive set them up a watering station that is drown proof…hopefully they figure it out soon otherwise its going to take me ages to find little life jackets for them all.