# Move the cluster? Or trust the bees?



## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

I have deep and a medium, and it looks like the bees are just warming up here in Los Angeles. I have bees covering 4-5 frames in the bottom, with capped and uncapped brood, and I think they're starting to gather new nectar in the 3-4 frames directly above. They're gathering lots of pollen these days.

But this is all against one side of the hive. The "left" half of the hive is completely empty, with no activity.

Is there any benefit to moving all the "active" frames into the center so they can expand out in both directions? Or should I just trust them to know what's best?


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

I actually moved two of mine to the center a few frames as they were all in one side of the box. I also reversed two others who were on the second box and the bottom box was free of brood. Right or wrong, who knows.


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## Matt F (Oct 7, 2014)

I'm guessing they're on the South side of the box, which gets more sunlight and it thereby warmer throughout the day? You can move them but I suspect they'll move right back as soon as the brood hatches.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The are trying to stay warm by hugging the sunny side of the street...


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Michael Bush said:


> The are trying to stay warm by hugging the sunny side of the street...


Ah, that does explain things. We were "cold" here in LA last week, with temperatures dipping below 50 on occasion. This week, however . . . :


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Is there any benefit to moving all the "active" frames into the center so they can expand out in both directions? Or should I just trust them to know what's best?


I would not move these frames.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

I have a hive of bees that survived the winter. What can I do to kill them?


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## rmcpb (Aug 15, 2012)

They know what they need to do. Leave them.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Tenbears said:


> I have a hive of bees that survived the winter. What can I do to kill them?


LOL. A kindred spirit.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

"By far the most difficult thing to do in beekeeping is “nothing”. "

it has taken me awhile to learn this lesson michael, but i do find myself doing a lot more of it now than when i first started.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

NewbeeInNH said:


> Voltaire: “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”


not in every case but that can be more truth than poetry. i've seen it in practice.

squarepeg: "the art of beekeeping is making your manipulations in such a way as to facilitate what the bees are trying to accomplish on their own. it is sometimes a fine line between achieving a desired goal and getting recklessly in the way only to set them back further than had you left them alone".


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

as to the op, and once it has warmed up and we have started a good flow, i would center up the frames.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

squarepeg said:


> as to the op, and once it has warmed up and we have started a good flow, i would center up the frames.


Gradually, just moving the outer left frame to the outer right? That's what I would think.



> squarepeg: "the art of beekeeping is making your manipulations in such a way as to facilitate what the bees are trying to accomplish on their own. it is sometimes a fine line between achieving a desired goal and getting recklessly in the way only to set them back further than had you left them alone".


The goal is to become a bee artist. Part luck, part talent, part skill, at least at my level. Which is more on the green belt end than the black belt, but hopefully always making progress.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

The frames could be honeybound. They won't cluster on capped honey. They adhere to the open cells.
Notice the difference in the cluster's location between the over wintered insulated deep and the uninsulated ones. Uninsulated are clustered towards the eastern & southern exposures.

































































Below, lightly insulated box is more centered. Southern exposure is at the top of the photo. I see this in over wintered Single deeps, not so much in stacked box's.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Lauri said:


> The frames could be honeybound. They won't cluster on capped honey. They adhere to the open cells.


Aha. That might partially explain why, when I checked the tops of the hives on a warm day, the southern end of the honey comb was empty, while the northern end was capped. I figured they were clustered in the front of the hive for warmth and ate all that honey out, and were now at danger of starving if they had to go to the northern end of the hive for the rest of the honey. For that reason, I flipped the comb around so they would have access to the honey end for the rest of the winter. Hope I didn't ruin their empty cell cluster space. They'll probably figure it out tho.


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## IAmTheWaterbug (Jun 4, 2014)

Tenbears said:


> I have a hive of bees that survived the winter. What can I do to kill them?


Hah! I am duly chastised. I'll leave them bee.


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## westtnbeekeeper (Oct 26, 2015)

IAmTheWaterbug said:


> Hah! I am duly chastised. I'll leave them bee.


I find myself in a similar situation. 

Leaning more towards the do nothing philosophy... At least until they have a good flow to sustain them if I screw it up for them. :scratch:


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