# Comb under entrance



## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I see no comb. Are they in full sun? If so they could be hot and bearding (clustering outside the box to keep cool). The bottom board looks new. Are the bees new (package/nuc)? Nucs or packages are not prone to swarming their first year. With that being said, weirder things have happened. There could be a queen in the middle of that cluster. I'd gently smoke them to see what's at the center of the pile you might have gotten two in you package. If it's a swarm that would be the smallest swarm I've ever seen. But, again weirder things have happened. That's one of the great things about beekeeping there are lots of answers to questions. It's up to you to try to figure it out.


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## erak (Jan 31, 2009)

*Bees under entrance*

I see no comb either. I got the package of bees in March. There have been bees clustering on the front of the hive for a couple weeks. Today, there is the ball of bees underneath. I just finished building my second hive. Tho't maybe they would find the new hive if it is a swarm. I will go smoke them and see what I can find. 
Thanks for the reply.


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## erak (Jan 31, 2009)

*Ball of bees,*

I smoked them. They all fell in a ball. I saw no queen. They are now going back up to congregate on the bottom of the hive. I'll wait til morning and see what is happening by then.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Put you hand under the ball. Get your hive tool and gently move them into your hand. Dump them into the top of the hive. They will be fine...just a little lost.


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

erak said:


> I smoked them. They all fell in a ball. I saw no queen. They are now going back up to congregate on the bottom of the hive. I'll wait til morning and see what is happening by then.


Did you prod the ball with a stick to be sure there was no queen in there? You are in AHB territory and sometimes small, AHB usurpation swarms will take up residence on the underside of the hive, the workers will gradually infiltrate the hive and kill the EHB queen and then the AHB queen will move in from underneath. I would be sure that you can identify your EHB queen and that there is not a strange queen in that ball of bees.


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## gmcharlie (May 9, 2009)

spray the inside of your hive with sugar water, a cheap sprayer from wal mart......


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## erak (Jan 31, 2009)

It rained after all my prodding of the bees. They went back in the hive and all looks okay, so far. Thanks for all the advice.


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