Help! hive fallen over.

[Rachelw]

I had a call today from the farmer where I keep my hive to say my hive had fallen over. I went straight along to investigate. The weather today was lousy - wet windy and cold! The hive was indeed on its side. The frames were all still in the brood box and the crown board was still in place but the lid was off. There was a small pile of dead bees but looking through the hole in the crown there seemed to be activity - but i tried not to disturb them any more than necessary, I just reassembled the hive as quickly as possible and gave them some candy.

Do you think they will be OK? Do I need to do anything else? I am a newbee - I got my bees towards the end of last season and am desperately trying to do everything right.

Thank you for any advice in advance.

Rachel

 

[MuswellMetro]

I had a call today from the farmer where I keep my hive to say my hive had fallen over. I went straight along to investigate. The weather today was lousy - wet windy and cold! The hive was indeed on its side. The frames were all still in the brood box and the crown board was still in place but the lid was off. There was a small pile of dead bees but looking through the hole in the crown there seemed to be activity - but i tried not to disturb them any more than necessary, I just reassembled the hive as quickly as possible and gave them some candy.

Do you think they will be OK? Do I need to do anything else? I am a newbee - I got my bees towards the end of last season and am desperately trying to do everything right.

Thank you for any advice in advance.

Rachel

you have done all you can for now

for the future polystryrene or 4" kingspan460x460 on the roof would keep a colony warm especially if small and strap it down to two stakes or under a paving slab base (

just got to wait until late march and see

 

[Mike a]

Time will tell, you have done all you can for them for now.
Other than making sure the hive can't topple over again and leave them alone for a few weeks.

fingers crossed for you and them...

 

[biggles]

Hi
Have you got a strap around it for the winter or a large brick on the roof?

Pete

 

[RoofTops]

Last week I helped right someone else's hive which had fallen over and had probably been on its side for several weeks. The floor was open and bees were going in and out from there. We put it all back together and things looked fine from the outside but the main issue is whether the queen was damaged when it fell over. She might have been crushed between two frames as the frames were horizontal after the fall - this being a Langstroth which fell sideways. Time will tell.

 

[drstitson]

my 2 dadants were knocked over by deer/boar one night in mid nov. both ended up upside down on a slope with roofs off. this was on day that i was planning to put winter straps on!!!!! luckily o/n temps in the hives had only dropped to 6 degrees that night.

righted them quickly and put roofs on then smocked up and relocated to stands and took time to reposition frames. lots of squashed bees on the frames but both have got through the winter well and now gathering pollen by the bucketload so presumably both HMs survived.

both hives now surrounded by a fence (they are only 4m from living room door and sited in a partial enclosure in a grass bank anyway!).

 

[jameskilty]

It is very disconcerting to find a hive on its side or upended. Well done for getting it back. Bees are remarkably hardy and adaptavble. I have had them knocked over by vandals, rained on for a couple of weeks and they all survived. Just make sure the frames are spaced properly and hopefully all should be well. If the queen was damaged there will be no brood in 3 weeks time and you'll need a new one. Have a look in a few days if the temperature gets to say 12C. If you find eggs or young larvae you'll be fine. Sometimes they are nervous for a while.

 

[Vergilius]

A large brick does the trick for most locations...


Ben P

 

[Somerford]

I'd also investigate WHY they tipped over ...Animals ? Wind ? Legs Collapsed ? Unstable Ground ? Vandalism ?

And put in the plan to address it.

As soon as possible (ie March) check the colony and ensure there are eggs/brood as the queen might have been damaged/lost. I'd look to replace her just in case, although the bees might supercede her anyway if she fails as a result of a knock to the abdomen.

regards

S

 

[Rachelw]

Thank you everyone for your replies - it's good to have good advice at the click of a mouse!

I went to have a look today. All seemed well, it was a nice sunny day and the bees were coming and going quite happily. Will leave them alone for a couple of weeks and then have a look properly.

I think it was probably the wind that blew it over - although a couple of weeks ago it was VERY windy and it was OK. One day last week was windy - maybe it was from a different direction. Will have to think about how to anchor it down.

Rachel

 

[drstitson]

try spiral ground anchors that you can they fix your ratchet straps to.

 

[victor meldrew]

try spiral ground anchors that you can they fix your ratchet straps to.

A goat tether is a good strong version of a spiral ground anchor

John Wilkinson

 

[Hombre]

Is there a convention in the UK regarding the use of clockwise or anti-clockwise goat tethers?

I had never really thought about the problems with left handed goats before

 

[drstitson]

i'm more concerned about sourcing organic bunting, lord mayor's tricorn hats and ladies bloomers to supplement their diet as per tradition.

 

[victor meldrew]

Is there a convention in the UK regarding the use of clockwise or anti-clockwise goat tethers?

I had never really thought about the problems with left handed goats before

Clockwise; Anticlockwise are reserved for the Antipodes !!Thought every body knew that

John Wilkinson

 

[Hombre]

I still check my bathwater for anomalies though.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I still check my bathwater for anomalies though.

A light disinfectant solution will get rid of them

 

[RoofTops]

Will have to think about how to anchor it down.

Rachel

If the ground is unsuitable for tethering goats you can put a large paving slab down and either run a hive strap under the slab and then over the hive roof or fashion a bit of strong wire about 3 feet long with loops at either end. Put this under the slab and turn the ends of the wires with the loops upwards. Either hook your hive strap into the loops, if it is the type of strap with hooks on the end or just tie the hive down with a bit of thinnish rope. A Trucker's Hitch (http://www.netknots.com/html/truckers_hitch.html) would be a good knot for ensuring the rope is tight.