How do I save a small hive?

[bschaser]

It's mid March and one of my hives has what seems like just enough bees in it to cover the brood only. There is still some honey in the hive although on the outside edges. Also there is brood on two sides of two frames about six inches in diameter. Its still cool out- between 30-50 degrees F. I feel like I'm losing this hive. Any suggestions?

 

[pargyle]

It's mid March and one of my hives has what seems like just enough bees in it to cover the brood only. There is still some honey in the hive although on the outside edges. Also there is brood on two sides of two frames about six inches in diameter. Its still cool out- between 30-50 degrees F. I feel like I'm losing this hive. Any suggestions?

Better off leaving them alone .. at this time of the year you really should not be poking around looking at frames - disturbing them is going to do them more harm than good. They will be low numbers as they come out of winter so the brood they have in there will be the start of the new seasons bees.

The only thing I would do is make sure the top of the hive is sealed (no holes in the crown board) and put some insulation on top of the crownboard and under the roof to try and keep them as warm as possible - they need to keep the temp up to look after the brood so anything you can do to assist that will help. You could also dummy the hive down to just the frames of brood and the frames you found with honey on them and then fill the rest of the hive outside of the dummy board with insulation.

Then - leave them to get on with it - it's surprising how small colonies can survive with little interference (although it's a bit late for little interference as you've already interfered).

 

[Plenty of honey]

It's mid March and one of my hives has what seems like just enough bees in it to cover the brood only. There is still some honey in the hive although on the outside edges. Also there is brood on two sides of two frames about six inches in diameter. Its still cool out- between 30-50 degrees F. I feel like I'm losing this hive. Any suggestions?

Pargyle is right and echoes my writing we obviously posted at the same time lol but you could try a couple of other things.
You could try transferring the colony to a very small nuc or mini nuc, or smaller if you have a nuc that will take your standard sized frames. This should help with heating the colony , thats one possible thing that might help. Check for stores and feed accordingly. don't give too much if you feed sirop, however this should be ok as long as the bees fly regularly. If its really cold where you are then feed fondant.
If you can find a very small frame of brood from another colony, that has lots of nurse bees on, you can give this to the very weak colony. spray any frames your combining with some other scented syrup, this should mask any problem if your mixing bees, Some would say you wouldn't need to do that at all! Make sure the queen stays in the colony the frame came from, otherwise its disaster.

Sometimes this happens. I have a couple that are small and weak but i personally wouldn't bother adding brood unless i felt it was a safe bet. The receiver colony must have enough spare bees to cover their brood and the brood you are adding.,but if your desperate to save this colony then thats about all you can do. If you have another hive that dies out, and no brood you could add the spare frame and if its got pollen in it, you should make sure the pollen side is next to the small cluster of bees you have left. There will probably be plenty of sugar or stores in the colony, its pollen they might be short of in this situation and its costly for old bees to forage for its this time of year. if they have some pollen close the queen may decide too lay a bit more and the colony should recover. Pargyle is right that sometimes if you just leave them alone, you will be surprised just how they bounce back.
Thats about all you can do.
Best of luck!!

 

[pargyle]

Yep Richard agree with the additional bits... Just about puts the lid on this one I think.

It's really hard for beginners at this time of the year - I know my fingers used to start itching for the hive tool once we got a few fine days but the longer you keep bees the more you realise that patience and generally leaving them to get on with it until it really is warm enough and for long enough to start poking around - and even then, my first inspection of the year is a very fast look see .. usually only as far as the first frame of brood and then back together.

 

[Plenty of honey]

and even then, my first inspection of the year is a very fast look see .. usually only as far as the first frame of brood and then back together.

thats the best advice i reckon!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's mid March and one of my hives has what seems like just enough bees in it to cover the brood only. There is still some honey in the hive although on the outside edges. Also there is brood on two sides of two frames about six inches in diameter. Its still cool out- between 30-50 degrees F. I feel like I'm losing this hive. Any suggestions?

Right. You've obviously looked in and know where everything is. I would very quickly move those two frames with brood plus one other with some stores into a poly nuc box dummied down with insulation and put on some candy.

 

[Poly Hive]

BSChaser?

Umm Mini nuc with brood on the frames? I think not.

Make two frames up to fit your brood and into each frame put insulation material. If the bees chew it us so be it the main thing is to give them warmth.

Put one warm dummy frame next to the hive wall, then move the occupied frames over then put in the other warm dummy and a nice chunk of fondant over head.

At this time moving bees from one box to another is a killer. To the bees that is, what they want what they always want is warmth and strength.

PH

 

[REDWOOD]

Also if you use OMF's put the inspection board in nearly all the way in.

 

[Into the lions den]

First comes a question. Why is it small? Was it always small or has it become small recently?

If it is small for an underlying reason....poor queen or heavy mite load for example.....then it might struggle.

There is not a lot you can do for it at this time of year in your location, where icy winds from the north can still happen.

If pushed for advice I would say to leave it completely alone for several weeks. Its still VERY early for examinations, probably too early. However, two bars each with 6" patches of brood (and I'm sure there will be eggs outwith that) is small but not necessarily a disaster. Leave it well alone with no headspace and reduce the entrance down to only a couple of bee widths (protects against robbing by more powerful neighbours). As long as you see pollen coming in every warm day it will be fine, and will take off later on in spring.

IF you decide the queen is a good one, AND you want bee power early, then there is a tactic commonly used in mainland Europe (less so in the UK) of adding a booster package. The season for these being supplied from the southern states into Ohio is nearly upon you, and adding a queenless package gives small colonies an enormous boost. There will be local traders bringing them into your area for sure.

However my first instinct is still to leave well alone and see how it goes. Would estimate it (on the basis of the info provided) to have at least a 70% chance of making it though the time to get up to full strength might be quite long.

 

[bschaser]

thanks

 

[bschaser]

Thank you

 

[enrico]

Very simply.....leave them. They will increase in their own time. My best most productive hive barely covers one frame at the end of winter, but it builds quickest, produces most honey and is as calm as anything. Each hive has different characteristics. If the queen is laying then the hive is on its way t o increasing already.
E