Any guesses on what has (effectively) killed my colony?

[Pope Pius IX]

Hello everyone. Happy for this post to be moved elsewhere if it's not "Honeybee Health"...

I have three colonies; I last inspected two weeks ago and two I'd bought this year were super-healthy and one that I'd got last year and had come through the winter seemed to be doing OK - no varroa, increasing numbers, queen spotted, eggs laid.

I opened up the colonies today and the first two were fine but the third...oh dear.

A huge number of dead bees in on the bottom board under the frames, presumably including the queen as she wasn't anywhere else. We're talking an inch or an inch and a half deep, in a mound. Some bees still alive both on the pile and on the frames. No signs of laying, nowhere near enough bees to keep the colony viable, and an appalling stench that I guess is the smell of rotting bees. I didn't see any deformed wings or other evidence of varroa, and no evidence of dysentery.

As my three hives are in a row and there's a healthy hive either side of this appalling situation, I blocked the entrance up, on the basis that if it's a disease in there I don't want the other two healthy hives robbing the dying one and spreading it. This means condemning the remaining bees to death, but there's no way they'd live anyway.

Due to the fact that these bees are at my workplace I've not got an incinerator, but I'll get one next week and the dead bees will go in there.

My question is, any thoughts on what killed them? A colleague who was present took photos (I'll post them when I get them) but as I say, no evidence of varroa or dysentery; the queen was green so should have been OK...I didn't see any mold or predators. Also, was I right to seal up the infected hive and condemn the survivors?

Thanks...

 

[Swarm]

What was their stores level? Sounds like starvation.
If they are still moving it's surprising how quickly they revive if sprayed with very light syrup, obviously something you would need at hand.
If they are out of stores and you hopefully find the queen in a little cluster, pop them in a nuc and give them stores and a feed.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

sounds a bit too catastrophic to be CBPV, when I read the first line of that paragraph, and seeing the time of year I thought 'sounds like starvation', how much stores did they have left?

 

[madasafish]

Robbed out is my guess

(I have been feeding all my nucs which have low stores for 3 weeks..And have had to seal off all combs with stores as weather has been bad and bees have been trying to rob anything with a sniff of honey.

Edit a Green Queen is 2019 so ANCIENT by bee standards

 

[Pope Pius IX]

Thanks for the answers so far. Hopefully it is starvation and no sort of horrible disease. There was no honey in the super but I assumed they had enough left in the brood, and as they were gathering I assumed it would generally top itself up. Clearly a reminder that I need to feed even when the bees are flying.

I will drop some syrup with them tomorrow if I can, and open them up - but we're still dealing with a huge pile of dead bees, they'll have to be burned. They may rally but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Any other suggestions also welcomed. Many thanks to both so far.

 

[Buzzo]

Could you provide some Photos ?

 

[pargyle]

Thanks for the answers so far. Hopefully it is starvation and no sort of horrible disease. There was no honey in the super but I assumed they had enough left in the brood, and as they were gathering I assumed it would generally top itself up. Clearly a reminder that I need to feed even when the bees are flying.

I will drop some syrup with them tomorrow if I can, and open them up - but we're still dealing with a huge pile of dead bees, they'll have to be burned. They may rally but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Any other suggestions also welcomed. Many thanks to both so far.

You don't really need to burn the dead bees ... just sweep them into a bin bag and put them in the rubbish bin .. It doesn't sound like disease to me ... more likely starvation so there's no risk of infection. It's astounding how fast they die when they run out of stores ... just a few days with no stores, no forage available or bad weather preventing them flying and the die off rate is dramatic (and very sad when you come across it).

There are always warnings to keep an eye on stores at this time of the year - Those people who took a spring crop should pay partiular attention if you didn't leave them with plenty of stores to see them through ...

 

[ericbeaumont]

surprising how quickly they revive if sprayed with very light syrup

I had to do this early one spring a few years ago, and it worked so well that by April or May they were strong enough to think of swarming.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

I have had exactly the same thing happen in the last couple of weeks one hive on a row of 10 all the rest fine.
They looked like they were starving with bees dying in the frames bums sticking out although there was plenty of honey in the hive.
Not CBVP I am sure I have had that before and no black bees and none shivering just dying bees.
I sealed the hive up took it away and steamed and sterilised the frames in very hot caustic soda.
No robbing going on really strange but a thick layer of dead bees on the bottom.

 

[enrico]

Thanks for the answers so far. Hopefully it is starvation and no sort of horrible disease. There was no honey in the super but I assumed they had enough left in the brood, and as they were gathering I assumed it would generally top itself up. Clearly a reminder that I need to feed even when the bees are flying.

I will drop some syrup with them tomorrow if I can, and open them up - but we're still dealing with a huge pile of dead bees, they'll have to be burned. They may rally but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Any other suggestions also welcomed. Many thanks to both so far.

Please don't feel you HAVE to feed even when the bees are flying. It is important for you to know if there is enough forage available. You don't want sugar syrup in honey but you don't want starved bees. A call you will have to make!

 

[Amari]

Hello everyone. Happy for this post to be moved elsewhere if it's not "Honeybee Health"...

I have three colonies; I last inspected two weeks ago and two I'd bought this year were super-healthy and one that I'd got last year and had come through the winter seemed to be doing OK - no varroa, increasing numbers, queen spotted, eggs laid.

I opened up the colonies today and the first two were fine but the third...oh dear.

A huge number of dead bees in on the bottom board under the frames, presumably including the queen as she wasn't anywhere else. We're talking an inch or an inch and a half deep, in a mound. Some bees still alive both on the pile and on the frames. No signs of laying, nowhere near enough bees to keep the colony viable, and an appalling stench that I guess is the smell of rotting bees. I didn't see any deformed wings or other evidence of varroa, and no evidence of dysentery.

As my three hives are in a row and there's a healthy hive either side of this appalling situation, I blocked the entrance up, on the basis that if it's a disease in there I don't want the other two healthy hives robbing the dying one and spreading it. This means condemning the remaining bees to death, but there's no way they'd live anyway.

Due to the fact that these bees are at my workplace I've not got an incinerator, but I'll get one next week and the dead bees will go in there.

My question is, any thoughts on what killed them? A colleague who was present took photos (I'll post them when I get them) but as I say, no evidence of varroa or dysentery; the queen was green so should have been OK...I didn't see any mold or predators. Also, was I right to seal up the infected hive and condemn the survivors?

Thanks...

To my mind this has all the hallmarks of chronic bee paralysis virus - see my post of six weeks ago. Apparently sudden onset, masses of dead bees and an awful smell.
Starvation surely not likely in Surrey in early June?
Are there bees 'trembling' on the landing board and atop the frames? Are there bees with black shiny bodies?
I've had CBPV twice in 20 years, only in one of several colonies - until this year when 6/8 hives affected in my main apiary. Advice on here (Thanks++) advised removing the mesh from the OMF, endorsed by bee inspector who visited.
No colony has died, all are building up rapidly.
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/chronic-bee-paralysis-overnight.52629/

 

[OldFarm]

There are two types of CBPV, check out the Kirsty Stainton YouTube presentation on ebb and aft, she covers CBPV from around the 35min mark.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Starvation surely not likely in Surrey in early June?

Unlikely; spring flow was excellent and I tasted dandelion honey for the first time.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’d put my money on CBPV I’m afraid.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

I’d put my money on CBPV I’m afraid.

I have to agree...

 

[protheroe]

Ive had the floor thick with dead bees from cbpv and seen it in many colonies over the years but never had it kill the hive, severely weaken but never wiped out the hive.

 

[Boston Bees]

Thanks for the answers so far. Hopefully it is starvation and no sort of horrible disease. There was no honey in the super but I assumed they had enough left in the brood, and as they were gathering I assumed it would generally top itself up. Clearly a reminder that I need to feed even when the bees are flying.

I will drop some syrup with them tomorrow if I can, and open them up - but we're still dealing with a huge pile of dead bees, they'll have to be burned. They may rally but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Any other suggestions also welcomed. Many thanks to both so far.

Had you opened up the entrance to the full width of the hive?

 

[OldFarm]

Ive had the floor thick with dead bees from cbpv and seen it in many colonies over the years but never had it kill the hive, severely weaken but never wiped out the hive.

There has been a sharp rise in cases of CBPV in the last few years. I think we're all going to see a lot more of it.