[mr0be]

Both hive started from nucs in May. One hive has the bees hanging out in the front all the time Thought they were hot so I installed ventilated covers without inner top cover.
The one with the bees hanging out in the front has a lot of bees in the upper ventilated cover the other hive has no bees in upper cover.
They both consume a gallon of 1:1 sugar syrup every three days.
Should I be worried about the hive with the clustering in the front

 

[mathesonequip]

how many bees are in the hive? if not many in the weaker one panic, you will likely not have a no/bad queen situation. I had a line from packages once that had a scary small amount of action in one hive after about 5 weeks, I opened up the 10 frame deep and it was full of young bees, I added another deep, the others were not ready for theirs for a couple of more weeks. it looks like you have a problem but look inside. I hope you have bees that are so into work that they just do not hang around much. the odd hive that I had they flew in and out without landing, there were more bees than it looked like.

 

[mr0be]

They both have a lot of bees inside,and consume a lot of syrup,drawing out combs but one hive just has a lot of young bee hanging out in front and the top of the inside venting box

 

[tanksbees]

I'm guessing they may have swarmed at some point, especially if they haven't moved up to the top.

I don't like those entrance excluders. If they decide to supersede their queen, the new queen and drones can't get out and mate and your hive will go hopelessly queenless.

 

[mathesonequip]

if they both have lots of bees and brood things are perfect. watch that they have space enough, as you go later into the season way too much space is not a good plan.

 

[mr0be]

I put the the excluder this morning because there was so much activity at the entrance I thought there was robbing going on

 

[mr0be]

both the top and bottom box have bees in them

 

[mathesonequip]

add space when the hive has about 80 percent of the comb in use, and a lot of bees [filled right up]. during a good honey flow things can change in a strong hive fast [days], add aggressively. later as winter preparation is on the doorstep let the bees fill what they have.

 

[DanielD]

They both consume a gallon of 1:1 sugar syrup every three days.

That sounds like a lot of sugar since May. If you are still feeding them, has the one run out of room and swarmed?

 

[Troutsqueezer]

No two hives behave exactly the same.
i wouldn't worry.
There will be no mistaking it when robbing is occurring. There will be fierce battles to the death going on all over the outside of the hive. It will alarm you.

jim Fischer used to say that removing the covers of all the hives in the vicinity will put the bees into defensive mode and the robbing will stop. I tried it and it does work.

 

[mr0be]

Inspected hives today,The busy hive had over twenty queen cells,I was unable to find the old queen or any larva or eggs.
I did find a young queen,made two nucs with queen cells.I wish I could have saved all the queen cells I found