Help please - All my bees have gone

[Headnavigator]

Really sorry, just what I dread. No comfort to you but I do hope with some light on the cause I (and others) can learn something from it, and I thank you for telling us of your awful misfortune, Luminos. Better luck next time round.

 

[sandysman]

Asian Hornet?

Are you by any chance in an area where the Asian Hornet has been observed?

This was my first thought. I have friends in that area and I know you do have Asian Hornets. I know from speaking with my friends prior to Christmas that it has been warm in your area. perhaps the bees and the hornets were still active?

 

[bobster]

Re Asian Hornets.

Starting to panic. Removed crownboard. Just a handful, literally, of dead bees on one frame. That was it.
No bees on the OMF, or in the entrance - dead or alive.
No queen.
A few eggs, a few larvae, a few dead bees half in/half out of the cells.

Had hornets been the issue I would expect to have some kind of evidence of this. ie dismembered bees on the ground, in the hive or no bees at all as the colony had been consumed. From the description this does not seem to be the case.

Bobster

 

[Chris B]

The OMF on my hive slides out, in a similar fashion to the monitoring board.

Might be worth checking your dead bees, as I found DWV in mine, although they were in front of the hive, not on the OMF

I'm using Varroa Gard weekly now, along with icing sugar dusting when the temperature favours, as my bees are showing symptoms of DWV.

I've being topping up with Varroa Gard every 6 or 7 days for the past few weeks,and have gone from a few mites on the varroa monitoring board, to somewhere between 50 and 100 every 1- 2 days

So, it's either coincidence, or, the Varroa Gard and/or icing sugar is having some effect, at least until the temperature drops enough for me to use OA.

Unfortunately, the bee drop is marginally higher than the varroa mite drop and it seems very likely I will have no bees left on which to apply OA...

Two weeks ago, 20 degrees, I opened the hive to have a quick look - all OK.
Two days ago, small bees stumbling about on the board in front of the hive entrance, some with shrivelled wings.
I waited for the temperature to reach 17 degrees, opened up, dusted with icing sugar. I spread Varroa-Gard across the inside of the hive entrance floor.
I have Oxalic Acid ready for winter treatment.
One of two things will happen: they will survive, or they won't. I can do no more except wait.

It seems I've had a very dull first season compared with everybody else - no disease, varroa, swarms, thieves, bees behaving badly, or swindling suppliers.
Started with a WBC; have also recently bought another, this time with 14 x 12. So I have some spare equipment.

I have a feeling that my second season will be very different...
Very grateful for the forum.

Just a theory - you didn't treat for varroa until too late, because you thought your bees didn't have it?

 

[Greatbigchicken]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I have a feeling that one of mine may also be empty, but weather not good enough to have a look just in case. Don't give up, I enjoy reading your posts and your avatar always makes me smile.

 

[Luminos]

Thank you all for your kind comments and advice - feel a bit more chipper today, (maybe also because I took PolyHive's advice about "the wee dram"...)

I had another look in the hive yesterday, and took some photos as it was sunny.
I found the queen, she'd dropped out of the brood box onto the super below - dead, of course; at least I can stop searching for an imaginary swarm of bees now

- PolyHive, what do I do about the dead brood etc in the cells, will the Acetic Acid deal with them?
- Hivemaker, I have Fumidil-B but did not want to treat "routinely" so I did not use it. Wish I had...the next colony will have every treatment known to man thrown at them, believe me...Thymol crystals and Oxalic Acid still sitting forlornly in the cupboard
- johnfly, that's a really interesting post, I wondered if that had happened here until I found the queen
- Chris58, I think there would be much ruminating and oh-la-la's over my frozen frame at the SLAA, but not much as regards "positive outcome" - sorry, but this has been my experience of French beekeepers so far...
- Asian hornets are indeed here, but I haven't seen one since Sept.

Varroa count was nil up until a few weeks after feeding with sugar syrup, then I noticed a few bees with DWV and (I think) K-wings.
I treated with Varroa Gard, checking it every few days, and dusted with icing sugar each time the temperature was high enough.
The varroa drop as a result was considerable after this - >50 most days, I guess due to Varroa Gard, as I'd used icing sugar and not seen any varroa drop.

By 10th December there were only 5 varroa, but still dead bees, but with few signs of the DWV.
(I understand that it's normal to see dead bees at this time of year, so did not assume the worst).

The last time I saw live bees was 12th December - it was just about warm enough to dust with icing sugar.

So: those of you who think the colony was too small to get through, I think this must be the case, and I underestimated the colony size to begin with.

When I saw fewer dead bees/varroa, I really hoped they'd make it (not the varroa...) but as someone said on another post about DWV, "the prognosis is not good."

Anyway, I'll post the photos, and hope that perhaps the experience will help someone else.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Personally (I'm no expert but as a beginner, so no issues here) I would be tempted. no, I think determined seeing as there are no bees left to 'muddle through' I'd ditch the lot (apart from the actual hive which I would disinfect, scorch and carry on) and start next season with fresh frames etc. 'just in case' I really feel for you so the opinion is in no way light hearted.

 

[Luminos]

Sorry guys I seem to have 2 threads going on this subject now - could not see how to add the photos to this original thread - probably plain as day but my heads a bit bonkers at the moment

 

[Torq]

Not having seen varroa or it's consequences. I've a couple of questions. Where have all the bees gone? Would the bottom of the hive not be full of bee corpses and dead mites? Or do they fly out to die?

 

[gavin]

- could not see how to add the photos to this original thread - probably plain as day but my heads a bit bonkers at the moment

I think that you have to find a home or them elsewhere (Flickr, Photobucket ... ) and then use the Photo icon above the box I'm typing in to 'Insert Image'.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Sorry guys I seem to have 2 threads going on this subject now - could not see how to add the photos to this original thread - probably plain as day but my heads a bit bonkers at the moment

If they are in JPG or similar form (and not too large) click on the paperclip icon when composing a mail, and upload them. They will appear at the end of the post

 

[gavin]

If Varroa is your main problem you should see the white spotting of Varroa faeces in the back top corner of the most recently vacated cells. A collapsing colony isn't in a mood to clean out the cells as the workers emerge. Go for the centre of the brood nest and look for cells with slightly ragged edges - these are the ones from which workers emerged but didn't clean up afterwards.

 

[Luminos]

Not having seen varroa or it's consequences. I've a couple of questions. Where have all the bees gone? Would the bottom of the hive not be full of bee corpses and dead mites? Or do they fly out to die?

For some weeks there had been corpses and dying bees on the entrance landing board, some with deformed wing virus.
I calculated the number of dead over the period of time, and it seemed to me that it would make a dent in the numbers left, but considering the hive contains thousands of bees, I was optimistic that they'd pull through.

But I must have overestimated the number of bees in the hive to begin with, because when at last there were no more dead bees, and less than 5 varroa mites, I mistakenly thought I was over the worst and they were on the up.

 

[Luminos]

I think that you have to find a home or them elsewhere (Flickr, Photobucket ... ) and then use the Photo icon above the box I'm typing in to 'Insert Image'.

Doh! That'll be the photo icon I though was something to do with fonts, then...

 

[Luminos]

If they are in JPG or similar form (and not too large) click on the paperclip icon when composing a mail, and upload them. They will appear at the end of the post

Paperclip? What paperclip? I don't see a paperclip - this is either because there's no Specsavers here, or I'm completely thick.
Probably a bit of both

 

[Luminos]

...possibly why I was given a magnifying glass for Christmas...

 

[Luminos]

If Varroa is your main problem you should see the white spotting of Varroa faeces in the back top corner of the most recently vacated cells. A collapsing colony isn't in a mood to clean out the cells as the workers emerge. Go for the centre of the brood nest and look for cells with slightly ragged edges - these are the ones from which workers emerged but didn't clean up afterwards.

You've got me going now Gavin - I'm going to bring some frames in and have a look.
One day, I shall have all this knowledge and be wisely passing it on...probably not just yet, though

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Paperclip? What paperclip? I don't see a paperclip - this is either because there's no Specsavers here, or I'm completely thick.
Probably a bit of both

Here .....

 

[gavin]

Paperclip? What paperclip? I don't see a paperclip - this is either because there's no Specsavers here, or I'm completely thick.
Probably a bit of both

Don't worry - I hadn't spotted that either and I actually run a vBulletin forum ....

 

[drstitson]

The paperclip is about the size of an adult varroa mite. That might be part of your problem!!!!