Latvian beekeeper spots unusual bee swarm building honeycombs outside the hive frames
A Latvian beekeeper preparing his hives for winter found a large bee swarm that had independently built honeycombs outside the usual frames under the hive lid. He shared the unusual footage online, sparking widespread interest and discussion.
A beekeeper from the company “Strazdiņu medus” has shared a video on Facebook showing an unusual sight he says he has never encountered before in his many years of beekeeping.
In early September, while preparing his bees for winter and lifting the top part of the hive, the beekeeper discovered a large swarm of bees beneath the hive lid and on its structures. This swarm had independently built honeycombs filled with honey outside the standard frames — an area where such construction does not normally occur.
Uncertainty over the colony's origin
The beekeeper openly expressed his surprise at the discovery, stating he had never seen anything like it in his practice. He questions whether the colony found is the same one that normally lives in the hive, or whether a separate, stray swarm had joined it, pointing to the extensive honeycomb structures built outside the frames as a possible sign of this.
Commenters offer their own theories
The video sparked lively discussion online. Several commenters suggested the find indicates a separate, new bee colony that would need its own hive. Others proposed a practical solution — cutting out the discovered honeycombs and placing them in an empty hive to see whether the bees would settle in as an independent colony. Some comments were more lighthearted, joking that the bees were hiding their honey from potential thieves.
