June 30

When I opened the center compartment of my queen castle, I fashioned a robbing screen from 8 count screen.  It was based on a simple screen I had seen online that was designed for a traditional entrance along the bottom board.  Because the entrance on this compartment is raised and I was trying to avoid dumping the bees at the entrance to another compartment, I modified the design a little.

I opened the entrance early in the morning (about 5:30 am) and placed the robbing screen.  When I returned from work around 6:30 pm, this is what I saw:

I was uncertain if this was an indication that the bees were unable to navigate the screen back into the box or if these were robbing bees.

July 3

My answer became apparent:

It appears that the bees were unable to navigate this design.  I have removed the screen and restricted the entrance.  The cluster is gone from the bottom of the box and life appears to have returned to normal.