Colony failing to make it through the winter

[Yettiman]

One of my hives has blown over in the storms. I got to it within a few days, but the colony is very small (cluster no more than a few hundred bees left alive).

What can I do to give them their best chance of making it?

Food?

Move the hive to a warmer, sheltered spot?

Any advice?

Thank you

 

[Tom Bick]

Drastically reduce the size the bees have to keep warm with insulation. Perhaps try giving them a small amount of a weak syrup pore some into an empty frame. And finally if they do hang on and you have a viable queen bolster their numbers with a frame of emerging bees once you can inspect your other hives and importantly if you have one that can spare the frame.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes. Beg borrow or steal a poly nuc and dummy that down to just the one frame. Best of luck

 

[oliver90owner]

If you want to retain the queen, do as Tom suggests, except the adding a frame of emerging brood would be a frame with a small patch of emerging brood, followed later by more emeging brood.

Alternatively, unite. Making up the lost colony will be far easier later in the season. That way you would only be losing the life of the queen and the others would usefully assist expansion elsewhere, for the rest of their short lives.

RAB

 

[user 6228]

One of my hives has blown over in the storms. I got to it within a few days, but the colony is very small (cluster no more than a few hundred bees left alive).

What can I do to give them their best chance of making it?

Food?

Move the hive to a warmer, sheltered spot?

Any advice?

Thank you

Roguedrone successfully did some thing by having a 14x12 frame folded in 3 parts.
surrounded by a 100mm of kingspan gaffer taped together witha 100mm foam on top. You end up with a box 300x300x400 high with ~100x100x 300 mm internal dimensions . The small group of bees adjusts its height in the cavity to get the temperature they want.

 

[itma]

A hundred bees?

If Q is there, get them into the smallest space you can with drawn comb and plenty stores (which probably rules out an Apidea).
A poly nuc would be good.
Having seen how a mini-colony wants to be between combs, I'd suggest two frames as a minimum. Dummied/divided down with Kingspan. Moving a short distance not advised.

If Q isn't there, sadly, I'm not sure that uniting is going to do much for either group. The 100 will be winter bees, in any case approaching the end of their natural lifespan.

 

[Erichalfbee]

A hundred bees?


Having seen how a mini-colony wants to be between combs, I'd suggest two frames as a minimum. Dummied/divided down with Kingspan. Moving a short distance not advised.

Yes...that's better than my suggestion. They'll snuggle down between the frames

 

[Yettiman]

Huge huge thanks, for the informative and very fast replys

I don't keep for commercial reasons so saving the colony is the most important thing for me.

I will follow your advice and let you know how I get on.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Beesand]

Good luck, I hope it works out for you