[coondogger]

I have three hives. I've been feeding them since late March. There seems to be very little activity lately in front of the hives. And one has barely any at all. I checked inside and there are colonies in each. They just don't seem to be getting outside much. What's going on?

 

[SwedeBee1970]

I've got one hive doing just that. I'm thinking that pollen/nectar supplies are adequate enough for brood rearing. Looked inside my hive in question and seen nothing unusual or abnormal. Lots of bees feeding larva. My other hive is more active to the outdoors and pollens. Guessing that a buildup of sources is probably best to start up brood. Waiting for the 2nd hive to slow down like the first.

 

[mike haney]

new packages experience a die-off of older(worker)bees about 3 weeks in and the rest may be tending brood. this is why you feed them-less foraging(because of the feeder)=more bees to tend brood,draw comb. good luck,mike

 

[coondogger]

These aren't newly installed colonies. I'm stumped. I removed the feeder pail from the one with no activity. Perhaps it'll force them to get out and forage.

 

[mike haney]

do a mite count- that may be it. good luck,mike

 

[SledDog]

What's the weather?

In my new hive, I've seen radically different results when it's 50 vs 65, cloudy vs sunny. When it's nice there's a ton of activity around the entrance (and I think my dog has finally learned that snapping them out of the air is a bad idea). But mostly i go check the sugar syrup in the evening when it's cooler, and I might see 1 or 2 bees coming out, or none at all

 

[coondogger]

I don't think it's mites. The weather has been unstable. Mostly in the mid-sixties to low seventies then all of a sudden it'll shoot up to 80. Rains every other day. Very windy lately. I suppose it could be a factor. i saw one or two bees returning to the non-active hive today. Hope springs eternal.

 

[kilnrat]

Had a similiar situation with my weak hive vs my strong or normal hive. I have waited about six weeks (installed 3-27 3# pkg) with little results. Seems now with imput from another beek that I have a weak queen. She seems to have as many drones as female workers. Not good ... going to requeen ASAP. I didn't have a good brood pattern and probably should not have waited. If I hadn't had two hives I might not have known until too late there was a problem. Good Luck.

 

[Countryboy]

What has your weather been like? And why do you want them out flying around? Do you have a strong nectar flow.

If I see a hive with minimal outside activity this time of year, I am happy as long as there is a growing colony inside the box. I want my bees to be spending their energy building up and raising brood and preparing for the main nectar flow, rather than to have the bees out flying around now wasting their energy searching for minimal nectar.

Do they have adequate food for raising brood? If not, give them a feeder with sugar syrup. Do they have plenty of pollen? If not, feed them some pollen patties. Even if you think they have enough pollen, given them a patty for good measure. Is your queen laying a nice pattern, and laying eggs in as many frames as the cluster can cover?

At this time of year, what is happening inside the box is much more important than activity you see outside the box.