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New hive/colony clustering outside

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Gypsi 
#1 ·
Plant community Land lot Plant Grass Groundcover
We are in NE Missouri and new to beekeeping. We picked up our bees on April 12. After installing the bees into the new hive, the bees did great the first night. On April 13, we noticed that most of the bees were outside the hive in two large clusters on the ground. One cluster was around the sugar water can that we left just outside the hive and had been in their transportation box. The other cluster was a few feet away. We consulted some beekeeping friends and smoked them and scooped them up and put them back into the hive, as it was going to get fairly cold and rainy. We put a mesh screen over the entrance to keep them in for a few days. Yesterday we saw many of the bees had managed to get out through a gap in the side. They were clustered on the screen and down the front of the hive. Can anyone tell us what they think is going on? What should we do? Our inclination is to leave them alone and let them sort it out, but we’re also worried because the temps here are still near freezing.
 
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#2 ·
first, get rid of any sugar water containers close to the hive as this will bring robber bees in and a good chance of killing off the hive, second, whats inside that hive? any chemicals that might be disturbing the bees? did you paint the inside of the hive? what kind of frames are you using?
 
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