One brood box only? Honey super? Depending on how much room they have, they may not fill out all frames/sides. Are you testing for mites?
Assuming your hive is queenright and she is laying and releasing her pheromones. If not, they will lose a lot of momentum.my bees are pretty much in the shade all day, I thought about moving the hive where they were in the sun some of the day. Is this normal?