Should I be concerned?
I have a new package that I hived this past monday. I notice that throughout most of the morning and in the evenings that the hive seems pretty peaceful and quiet. Anywhere from eleven to four it seems to get much busier and almost frantic like, with a bigger crowd gathering at the entrance. The sound of the hive seems to become alittle agitated as well. I notice that somewhat larger bees with darker abdomens, that obviously sound louder in flight start showing up around this time. I'm told that these are drones and not robber bees, yet for some reason I am able to convince myself that they are not part of the hive. Maybe because they seem dumber for the reason they can't find the entrance as easy as the workers? They are let right in though and I can't find any evidence of a fight taking place at the entrance. There are no dead bees laying outside of the hive either. The couple times I have opened the hive there is what I think is wax in the bottom, underneath the three combs they have built. Not chunks that I have seen as a result of robber bees on the internet, more like dandruff if you know what I mean. Should I be concerned?
Posted May 29, 2016, 8:07 PM UTC