Deserting bees.

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SteeveeTee

New Bee
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
40
Reaction score
0
Location
Sheffield
Hive Type
WBC
Number of Hives
1.5
I would be interested in views - am I right about what has happened, and is there anything now I can do?

I have two hives, my neighbour has one. One hive is an AS from this year and has appeared healthy all year, the other hive had a two year old queen and in July was not building up well, they had nosema (I did some microscopy).

In September I thought my hives were being robbed as on one particular day there were bees zig zagging round the garden and some fighting, I stopped this apparent robbing but later found out that all my neighbours bees had left his hive and his queen had been found dead on the lawn. He seemed to think that his very high varroa count had caused the bees to abscond, we thought maybe they had gone into my healthy hive!(Is this possible)

I have fed both my hives during the end of september, looked at them yesterday (for the first time in two weeks) - the healthy hive seems fine. The unhealthy hive has no bees at all. There are about 100 dead bees on the floor. Stores (fed sugar mainly), space for laying, no brood, 3 sealed small queen cells. No bees.
Could they have swarmed, leaving behind too small a population to keep itself warm (it is a WBC so a bit insulated).
I had finished putting apiguard on the healthy hive, I dusted them as well in September in case neighbours bees had entered and brought more varroa with them. I am planning to use the approved oxalic acid treatment in december time with them. Is there much else I can do?
 
I'd seal up your dead out hive in case your healthy bees rob it out & pick up Nosema spores from it. Burn or sterilise the frames & comb depending on your choice & sterilise the hive boxes. I think your winter Oxalic is a good idea.

Why did you think neighbour's bees had such a high Varroa load? Did he not treat or use something that didn't work adequately?
 
Thanks, already sealed up.

He had a high varroa count and felt he had put apiguard on too late to bring this down quickly.
 
looks like your colony lost its queen, failed to rear a new one, dwindled and died out.
As for your neighbour - weak diseased colony robbed out or something similar
 

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