Just remind me if you will...

[RoseCottage]

We checked our 6 hives today, having last checked them 3 weeks ago. 5 are doing ok but one is dead. Plenty of stores and fondant. The dead colony was the largest by far going into the winter. All hives are WBC and all colonies are in 14x12 brood boxes with OMF and plenty of top insulation. They also have a slab of fondant (the 2nd they have had since Christmas).

They were a Buckfast cross from Greece that we got earlier in the year as a Nuc from a local supplier. They were first year bees.

But it looks like they may have starved...or died from the cold...There is no sign of Nosema.

However, they also went in with 3 queens in the colony in late October (They lost their queen and had three hatch and make their way into the colony before we could catch them). So they were probably queened with a non mated queen although not certain on this as there were still plenty of drones and mild weather.

They are on OMF and have good insulation under the crown board, no signs of damp in the hive or external interference.

There was no varroa on the OMF tray and they had good winter preparation for varroa - September treatment, thymol in their sugar syrup winter feed, and OA in January (with a good drop of varroa - 200 ish in a fortnight)?

There were about 20 dead bees on the landing board of a neighbouring hive...one which is doing well and showing no current signs of distress. Could these be bees looking to be accepted as their own colony failed?

So if you will give me your views:

1. Was the failure probable before the end of winter if they didn't have a mated queen?

2. Was it just likely that they got separated from the food source at some point - The only spoiler on this is that they were found high up - just under the fondant which they had been eating?

3. What is the best way to tidy up after them - Just chuck the foundation and scorch the BB?

Any thoughts are welcome. Taking on board a comment by PolyHive the other day we are approaching this as unfortunate and just one of those things...not being cold hearted...but not going to be overly distressed. If there is something to learn from this them that is a good thing.

All the best,
Sam

 

[Black Comb]

Sorry to hear of this.

Just to be clear, did they have a mated queen?

 

[RoseCottage]

Peter,
I cannot be sure...6 queen cells hatched in minutes and 2 got in the hive and we think one was already in there as we found a hinged qc when we opened the hive.
Then there were plenty of drones and there was mild weather October through November.

So unsure,
All the best,
Sam

 

[Poly Hive]

I am poss sticking my neck out here but AFAIK no colony can survive with an unmated queen over winter.

Why?

In Spring there is a x over point at which the death rate of the winter bees is surpassed by the hatch rate.

If an over wintering colony is stuck with a virgin then the x over point is unachievable and they are doomed. She is stale and no matter how many lads are on the wing she is past it.

However your lot were not at that point and nature has deemed they were not fit for survival and gently chilled them to death.

There are worse fates, and I now see it as right.

PH

 

[oliver90owner]

1. They can easily survive the winter with an unmated queen. What needs to then happens in spring is a unite with another colony, so that is no definite reason for the failure. She will become a drone layer and an early unite is best.

2. Doubtful.

3. Fumigate the frames with ethanoic or formalin. It seems that whatever these bees had (if anything) was not too serious (sure of no nosema - could be the cerana version?) and carry on.

To me, it seems like you lost a late lost swarm and just not big enough actually going into winter. Late October would not be a good time to get mated - not warm enough.

Unfortunate but as you say, it happens, and there is nothing you would have done differently.

Regards, RAB

 

[BeeJayBee]

We checked our 6 hives today, having last checked them 3 weeks ago. 5 are doing ok but one is dead. {snip}

3. What is the best way to tidy up after them - Just chuck the foundation and scorch the BB?

I thought colony losses were meant to be reported to the RBI, and the hive sealed until they have inspected them.

 

[mbc]

I thought colony losses were meant to be reported to the RBI, and the hive sealed until they have inspected them.

I'm sure RBI's have better things to do than examine every deadout from colonies with dubious queens.
Queenless colonies tend to lose bees at a steady trickle ( most probably drifting into neighbouring queenright hives) so they quite often succumb early in the winter. One consequence of this can be a domino effect if these drifting bees take ailments to their neighbours and infect them, but conversely, this can be seen as any infections being apiary wide and so there's not much point discarding useful combs from deadouts of this nature if you're reasonably sure the cause of they're demise is nothing more sinister than a duff queen.

 

[RoseCottage]

The apiary was examined and all colonies given the all clear in September by the regional bee inspector. There had been a local breakout of EFB within 5km so out he came.

So pretty happy about the likely circumstances.

All the best,
Sam