I've seen pictures of it where it happened before poking around on the internet, I think it was in Florida. They (the Robinsons) are south enough to possibly survive a mild winter but here in TN they wouldnt make it.

 

Not common but I probably find about one or two a year like that. Often late in the season, which makes no sense to me, since the exposed hive/bees would surely die during winter. Last fall, probably late August or early September I found a very large exposed hive on the side of a garage. It had approximately 8-10 combs about a ft wide and 1.5' in length. Cut the comb and placed them in empty frames and captured the majority of bees. Must have captured the queen because all stragglers eventually flew to the hive. Gave it to a friend and haven't heard how it overwintered.

 

If you've ever been on a TV shoot and then watch the show, you'll learn the directors have an "unwritten script" set up and film the events. Then the producers cut the tape to make whatever storyline or type of show they want. They could film a show about killer whales, and air a show on TV about WW2. It is literally that drastic of a difference.

The shots with different amounts of bees could have been 6 hours different with the field force in then out, they could have been tightly clustered then speed out, or could have been filmed on a completely different day or week altogether.

The open hive looks like a swarm that built out on their limb. The most impressive open hives look to be tropical.

 

There is a man in Louisianna named JP that does swarm removals and cutouts all the time and posts videos to youtube under JPtheBeeman and he has done a couple where the honeybee nest was exterior on a tree. Here's a link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh7ZX0Ry0XI

 

That type of hive is not uncommon but it is not the norm or avg.

I believe that it starts where a swarm lands during questionable weather or issue over the home they want.
As soon as they land bees that have been tanked up on honey start wax build-up. And they start building comb. If they delay finding or moving to a final place then the queens starts laying. When they get so much brood the bees are fixed and will not leave it.

 

There was one about 35 feet up on a maple tree branch at my dad's house in Northeast Ohio. We didn't know it was there until a wind storm last October when a couple of the combs fell to the ground. The bees were all dead at that point.

 

We removed one in October of last year right here in Northeast Ohio. It was only about five comb sections and we were able to cut the limb and place the entire thing into a five frame deep nuc box and bring it home.
It was a fickle swarm we had chased since late August and all through September. We kept getting calls for them and we would just get them shook into the box and then they would take off. We had given up and got the call in October and we believe this was the same bees.

http://honeyonmymind.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-illusive-swarm.html

 

Picked this one up two summers ago. It was in a small bush 3 feet off the ground and was only there for about two months per the homeowner.
This was 3/4 of the way through the removal process.

 

Found one last spring about 30 feet off the ground in a tree that died out over winter. It was a pretty big colony. Looked like they had been there more than 1 season. I needed 3 or 4 buckets to carry all the comb. This was almost right in downtown Pittsburgh.

 

yes , i harvested a huge hive like this on the bottom of a tractor loader , about 2 ft off the ground .

 

We had one last year in a live oak tree in a cemetary. The caretaker said it had been there through 1 winter, but that winter was mild, even for us. I couldn't get to it due to the grave placements. It blew down in a winter storm and sat out busted to pieces in cold rain all night. All I was able to save was the comb, it filled 2 7gallon buckets.

 

Seen a couple of these in west Alabama. Had one near my hives last year that my wife found in the fall. It didn't make it through the winter. I've read that if the scouts can't find a suitable home and the swarm has started building comb they are stuck. This comb was in a leafy spot on an oak limb about 30 feet off the ground. It was composed of eight combs and larger than a basketball.

 

They are becoming quite common in SW Florida. I took four down last summer and have a friend that claims there are 10 to 12 in the 85 acres behind his place. I know of two that are on the side of a stone wall in the local rock quarry.

 

The one I found was on a limb about 3 inches in diameter but the top was built in such a way like a sloping roof of wax and propolis to shed the water. All the combs sorta all connected at the top. The parent colony is in an old oak tree 50 feet away.

 

I usually see two or so a year here in NW FLorida.

Here is a link to one that had about 5 combs built on the soffit at the entrance to our old airport:

Then this one was an open air colony in a lagustrum bush:

 

I thought the most amazing thing about the episode was they enjoyed alot of honey at the end of the show. That was what I called B.S. on.