I found a small hive under a larger hive's screened bottom board.r

This was a strange one, I found a small hive on the bottom of the screen board of a very large hive. I have never seen this before and I'm curious if anybody has had this happen, I later found the queen on the ground below the smaller hive. Please Subscribe and Like my channel it helps a lot, Thank you......

[@stevejackson5062]

New subscriber here. Stumbled on you and your beetle barrier. Currently looking at all your videos related to this. Fascinating! A couple of years ago I had a neglected hive that was so crowded it should have swarmed but instead they moved out on the underside of the screened bottom board and started drawing comb. By the time I noticed it there were 6 large combs with stores and brood: the queen was leaving the hive and laying out side the box. Of course I forgot to take any photos.

[@jeffwillard2417]

Hi Steve, Thanks for Subscribing. I hope my videos help you in your beekeeping adventures, I have more planned so stay tuned....

[@Tonnsfabrication]

I've had little swarms tuck up under the hive's gable lid overhang so possibly the same scenario. Swarm had planted there for a week or so, she laid it up, a good portion of them found a new home took her with them and left that behind. Very interesting find.

[@jeffwillard2417]

The upper hive has a huge population, so that one is queen right and I later found the queen to the lower hive on the ground in a walnut sized cluster of bees. Just when you think you've got bee behavior figured out, they throw you a curve ball. Whats that old saying, you've got to be smarter than a bee to understand them, I guess I'm not there yet...

[@jeffsuydam6018]

my bees love the under side of the screen bottom

[@jeffwillard2417]

Hi Jeff, Mine do the same, I guess its the hive protection and house cleaning instinct. The bees never built comb like this before on the bottom..

[@ruthannjones5873]

I've seen other videos of a hive under the bottom board. In those cases a newly mated queen settled in under the bottom board.

[@jeffwillard2417]

Hi Ruthann, I have had that happen also, one of my queens missed the entrance and they cluster on the screened bottom board. I shook the cluster into a bucket and then dumped them into their hive, she wasn't happy with that so they swarmed and clustered about 30' high. I got out the ladder and the bee vac and returned the swarm with the stubborn queen back to the original hive, this time with a queen excluder on the entrance, that ended her adventure's and she got down to laying eggs.

[@reneebrown5598]

Well at least in the cooler months the larger hive above will help keep the tiny hive warm. Lol

[@jeffwillard2417]

See that, there is a silver lining to every cloud. Thanks Renee...

[@charrison2005]

Jeff, I was checking on my hive tonight and noticed a lot of activity on the outside of the hive. When I shinned my flashlight under the hive the screened bottom board had a cluster of bees attached. I just found your channel. Did you figure out why this happened to your hive? I'll do a hive inspection tomorrow. Do you have any advice?

[@jeffwillard2417]

Hi Carla, The only thing that makes sense on why this happened is an older queen was superseded and kicked out of the hive, so she moved to the basement with some bees still loyal to her. The comb and brood pattern was small and spotty, with no queen in the lower comb, I believe she passed on before I spotted it and made the video. Nature is amazing..

[@charrison2005]

@@jeffwillard2417 Jeff, this morning I got a plastic bin and scooped the cluster in it. I did not see a Queen. I put the plastic slide out back in.