I turned a hive 180 degrees one evening just after dark. I thought all the foragers had made it back. I placed branches in front of the hive entrance thinking they would all re-orient as they left the next morning. When I got home that evening, the branch had fallen off on the ground. I'm not sure how long the branch was in place before it fell off.
Three days later, I have a swarm of bees every day at the back of the hive where the old entrance used to be. They enter the slot where the IPM board goes and, at night, hang out underneath the SBB. From what I can tell, they aren't making the connection that the new entrance location is 180 degrees from where it used to be, despite bees fanning at the entrance. I have the entrance reducer on with the small opening and a hive stand with a slanted landing board which adds additional distance between them and the opening.
There are probably 75 bees that are confused so, in the grand scheme of things, it's a small number relative to the colony. However, I hate to see them just hang out every day confused especially since they are only inches from the entrance. I guess they smell the hive through the SBB and the slanted landing board on the hive stand shields them from the opening. Kind of like what happens with a cone trapout. Any suggestions on what could be done to entice them to the entrance? I could brush them but that seems extreme. It doesn't seem worth breaking the hive down to the SBB and shaking them off. Thanks.
Three days later, I have a swarm of bees every day at the back of the hive where the old entrance used to be. They enter the slot where the IPM board goes and, at night, hang out underneath the SBB. From what I can tell, they aren't making the connection that the new entrance location is 180 degrees from where it used to be, despite bees fanning at the entrance. I have the entrance reducer on with the small opening and a hive stand with a slanted landing board which adds additional distance between them and the opening.
There are probably 75 bees that are confused so, in the grand scheme of things, it's a small number relative to the colony. However, I hate to see them just hang out every day confused especially since they are only inches from the entrance. I guess they smell the hive through the SBB and the slanted landing board on the hive stand shields them from the opening. Kind of like what happens with a cone trapout. Any suggestions on what could be done to entice them to the entrance? I could brush them but that seems extreme. It doesn't seem worth breaking the hive down to the SBB and shaking them off. Thanks.
