Chris,

First of all, where do you live? Your physical lcation goes a long way
towards answering questions you have.

What do you mean about several queens? Did you re-queen, or was there
a swarm(s) with a new queen hatching out in the hive? Often, a noisy hive
indicates a quenless condition, as well as some cranky behavior. Also, the
excess honey can be a sign of queenless conditions, or internal disease, like
foulbrood? Do both hives smell the same?

Some bees just don't like queen excluders and will not go up if there
is room for storage below. YOu could pull the excluder to see what happens.

WJPowers
Waxhaw, NC



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