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> From: Les H Vaughn <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: here we go gang!
> Date: Monday, September 01, 1997 10:23 PM
>
> Ok ladies and gentlemen, here is your chance to help out a
> beginner with some really good advice gleaned form all your
> years of experience.  (buttered up yet?)
> Here goes.
> I started 5 hives this year, 3 from package bees and 2 from
> swarms I caught.  The packages came around the 1st of May,
> and caught the swarms around the same time.  One of the
> colonies with bought bees seemed to outgrow the single hive
> body rather quickly, started hanging out on the outside of
> the hive most of the time.  Once I saw that this was not an
> isolated occurrence, I quickly added another hive body.
> I checked the frames in the original body, and all but the
> outside ones were drawn out with plenty of activity.  After
> the addition of the 2nd body, the number of bees on the
> outside diminished somewhat, but there have always been
> several on the outside, day and night.  Now it is getting to
> the point that the entire front and sides of the 2 bodies are
> covered with bees at night, several inches thick in places.  I did not
> put on any supers this year, intending for the bees to keep
> plenty of stores for winter.
 
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>
> Les Vaughn
> [log in to unmask]
 
This is a common occurrence this time of year.  The hive is full of brood
or stores and becomes very warm. Many of the bees move outside during the
night where it is cooler.  If you have that many bees,  add a queen
excluder on top and super.  You might get some honey for your self or your
other bees.  In any case it will give them space and something to do.  You
might also consider restricting the queen to the lower chamber.  This will
reduce the size of the colony somewhat but they would have the entire upper
chamber to store honey for the winter instead of using up valuable stores
to raise more brood than they need at this time of year.  Just remember to
remove the excluder before winter sets in for good.  otherwise the queen
can't move up with the cluster.
 
Frank & Phronsie Humphrey
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