[whalers]

Yesterday I installed a three pound package into a new hive at about 4:30PM or so. The queen was healthy and all seemed to go as normal. late last night I checked on the bees and there is a large mass formed on the front of the hive. It remains that way this morning. Since it overlaps the where the top feeder and bottom box meet I pulled the feeder back just a bit this AM to allow a top entrance to the hive. Watched for a while and they still did not seem to want to go in. I've installed a lot of packages over the last few years but have never seen this kind of behavior. Any thoughts on whats going on????

 

[Graperunner]

Yesterday I installed a three pound package into a new hive at about 4:30PM or so. The queen was healthy and all seemed to go as normal. late last night I checked on the bees and there is a large mass formed on the front of the hive. It remains that way this morning. Since it overlaps the where the top feeder and bottom box meet I pulled the feeder back just a bit this AM to allow a top entrance to the hive. Watched for a while and they still did not seem to want to go in. I've installed a lot of packages over the last few years but have never seen this kind of behavior. Any thoughts on whats going on????

I saw this last year . the package come with two queens. I would hive the bees, that are on the outside in there own hive.

Paul

 

[Michael Bush]

I have some that didn't seem to like the smell of a new box with new frames and no wax (foundationless). Four drops of lemongrass oil in the hive straightened it out...

I suppose another queen, as Paul said, is another possibility. I haven't seen that result. I've had a queen loose in the package but usually they killed the queen in the cage.