Bees under the screen bottom board

[charles]

I have screen mesh bottom boards and noticed that about 15-20 bees like to go under there. It looks like they are cleaning, but I can't imagine why.

Anybody know?

[Brian D. Bray]

they are foragers who, instead of entering the hive are transfering their load, nectar, through the screen to the bees inside the hive.  It is possible that those same bees may cluster there at night also.  Check the bottom of the hive near sunset and see if bees are cluster underneath the hive, if so close up the SBB for a couple of weeks until all the forager bees are retrained to using only the entrance.

[charles]

Thanks, Brian. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes. I'll wait for the next cool spell, though. We're having record highs down here (yesterday got up to abt 94F).

[HAB]

Had the same scene week and a half ago.  Left on vacation, returned seven days later to find seven pieces of comb from the SBB to within an inch of the ground (6") and hundreds of Bees working it.  Put the hive on another SBB and took the SBB with the Comb and Bees to make new hive (Split?) with a Queen I had banked. It seems to Bee doing well.