Dead bees everywhere

[Mellish]

Hi,

My single hive has decreased in size over winter, to the size of nuc colony. There have been a lot of dead bees everywhere, and a lot on the floor. There is a lot of stores, and I fed them with a litre of syrup a month ago, so I don't think they're starving. The queen seems healthy, but I can't see any new brood. Treated them with Apiguard last summer and Oxalic in the winter. So I'm stumped.

Any views?

 

[scuttlefish]

How many frames of bees were there, exactly? Did you see much brood?

N.b. for future reference, winter feed should have been fondant rather than syrup (which is too watery for winter and may cause nosema [dysentery, roughly speaking]).

 

[Mellish]

No brood. I didn't have my glasses so didn't check for eggs. The winter cluster was 3 brood frames, both sides. Today there was about half a brood frame, though no doubt quite a number were out flying. Even so, the hive is vastly reduced from last summer. Sterile queen is a maybe?

 

[Luminos]

3 brood frames does not sound very much to go into winter in a National hive, if I understand correctly?

 

[Mellish]

National hive - but no choice on numbers as it is my only hive. Reading some of the other threads, it seems I'm not the only one to have hive death over winter. Ouch.

 

[itma]

Mellish, is this your first winter?
Some dead bees, and colony size reduction, is absolutely normal.
It is not clear that what you have is beyond the normal propostions.

 

[Luminos]

Mellish's introductory thread - may help:
www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=19685

 

[itma]

Mellish's introductory thread - may help:
www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=19685

Yes.
I'm going to leave this to the diplomats!

 

[Mellish]

Cheers people. I think it will survive - it's just the size of a nuc again.

 

[VEG]

If its half a frame of bees I have my doubts that it will make it,especially if it is still in a full size hive but fingers crossed for you.

 

[enrico]

Please mellish be patient, sit back and let them get on with either living or dying, either way you can't do anything about it if they have food. Your learning curve is just beginning but most of all you must learn patience.
E

 

[susbees]

N.b. for future reference, winter feed should have been fondant rather than syrup (which is too watery for winter and may cause nosema [dysentery, roughly speaking]).

Clean syrup in winter will absolutely not cause Nosema.
Dodgy feeds of all sorts may cause dysentry.

 

[Cazza]

Your learning curve is just beginning but most of all you must learn patience.
E

A golden rule of beekeeping = Patience is a virtue

Cazza

 

[drstitson]

as per some of the previous posts - sounds like the colony was weak/small going into winter. should've been put in a poly nuc in the autumn or at te very least dummied down to nuc size with kingspan and more poly above the crownboard.

 

[scuttlefish]

Clean syrup in winter will absolutely not cause Nosema.
Dodgy feeds of all sorts may cause dysentry.

Not what I was taught, thanks for correcting me.

 

[itma]

One important consideration is that, other than short term, sugar syrup doesn't tend to stay 'clean'.
Another is that you aren't doing the bees any favours by giving them extra water to deal with in mid-winter.
If the bees have to poo, but can't get out of the hive, that leads towards conditions in which "bee health" may decline.

 

[funseeker54]

I am not actually a beekeeper but I am very concerned about the declining bee numbers. I was just wondering if any of you beekeepers have heard of Chemtrails (Geo-Enginneering) I cannot put in a link to this website as I have only just signed up, just to pass on this information. If you go to thebigwakeup.co.uk and click on Chemtrails & Geo it will give you a lot of information on it. I personally believe it could have a lot to do with the vast losses of bees. I have 100% proof it is going on in Hampshire UK

 

[Polyanwood]

I have a friend who believes in Chemtrails. I love her, so I listened and looked into it, but I reached the conclusion that it is a manufactured groundless panic. I think it is more likely that we will find proof that faeries exist than confirmation of Chemtrails.