Lost a colony

[Zante]

One of my two colonies I just found dead. They were still alive in mid December when I hefted the hive, I could hear them buzzing.

The one right next to them was just fine with the fondant untouched. Since it's a fairly warm day today I decided to open up very quickly and check.

The live colony is active and seems to be going well, at least from what I could see from the bees crawling on the top bars. I closed up and was happy with that.

The dead one was still clustered. They were right next to stores both on the same frames and the next ones, so it wasn't starvation. The cluster did seem a bit small though, maybe the size of a tennis ball.

Where should I look to see what might have killed them?
Shall I split the live colony into that hive when the time comes, or melt the wax and sterilise the wood and start over?

 

[Beefriendly]

The cluster did seem a bit small though, maybe the size of a tennis ball.

Where should I look to see what might have killed them?

The sentence above one the where you ask what might have killed them.
I suspect there simply weren't enough bees to generate enough heat.

 

[Jafer2]

Intresting. Saying that i have seen a guy on youtube and he suspected the bees dead as it was small and couldnt generate enough heat but he left it open with the bees exposed to sunlight and and tapped a frame on the floor. they started to wake up from suspended animation half hour later.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And then they died - as they would anyway.
From where has all this suspended animation mullarkey suddenly appeared? someone been reading too many comics I think (or been on the BBKA forum - same thing)

 

[madasafish]

And then they died - as they would anyway.
From where has all this suspended animation mullarkey suddenly appeared? someone been reading too many comics I think (or been on the BBKA forum - same thing)[/QUOTE]


Don't be unkind. Even idiots who are going to save the bees by breeding a varroa resistant bee - despite knowing nothing about bee mating or genetics and despite having read nothing about bee breeding - need an outlet.

Edit: it grows rather boring reading the same rubbish year after year.. no doubt that explains the intolerance shown by long standing beekeepers..

 

[Jafer2]

As i said it was on a video of a guy who i follow in spring inspects a hive that he didnt think would make it. On each frame they look dead. Even took out queen thinking she was dead but half hour later they came bk to life. If i find the vid i will post it

 

[birdsandbees]

As i said it was on a video of a guy who i follow in spring inspects a hive that he didnt think would make it. On each frame they look dead. Even took out queen thinking she was dead but half hour later they came bk to life. If i find the vid i will post it

Isn't this in the USA, 628DirtRooster?

Torpor seems to be the latest thing! even had someone in the USA trying to tell me it was normal for Honeybees to go into Torpor when they Hibernate!

Torpor is basically near death, like those foragers that miss the entrance and get chilled which if caught in time can be revived, certainly not normal and not Hibernation.

 

[justsmith]

Zante when you get a chance would check the frames against photos of normal virus. if they is no sign of a virus then it's up to your judgement if you want to reuse the wax in the frames when you spit the other hive. Personaly i would strip the frames which the bees was next to as i dislike brushing away dead bees out of the frame.

As for why they died if they is no sign of a virus or pest (mouse,high varroa count before winter) it could have been a few reasons e.g. queen death early on in winter. I doubt they will be any single identifiable cause.

 

[Jafer2]

@birdsandbees hah yes its dirtrooster from usa. I think your right in that assessment on the bees. The do it to bees and wasps by putting them in the freezer and let them thaw. In the time they are semi dead you can tie a feather or string which is what they do in asia to locate honey bees

 

[Hebeegeebee]

And then they died - as they would anyway.
From where has all this suspended animation mullarkey suddenly appeared? someone been reading too many comics I think (or been on the BBKA forum - same thing)

What has the forum got to do with anything? Why not answer the OP's question?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why don't you
It's pretty obvious that the colony was too small, dwindled and died.
But at least I've steered the OP away from believing some tripe that bees can survive the winter in some state of suspended animation then wake up in the spring all hale and hearty.

 

[Zante]

Why don't you
It's pretty obvious that the colony was too small, dwindled and died.
But at least I've steered the OP away from believing some tripe that bees can survive the winter in some state of suspended animation then wake up in the spring all hale and hearty.

Don't worry, I had already heard of this suspended animation silliness

Better to debunk it every time it rears its head, lest someone take it seriously.

 

[ShinySideUp]

But you can't debunk it completely. Why, I opened my hive the other day and found 6000 tiny cryo-chambers, each with a bee in it...and a little robot bee wandering around looking after them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

 

[Zante]

Cold snap is over, now temperatures should be rising again.
If I manage to pop over to my apiary after work I'll have a peek in my last hive and see if I still have a colony to split. At the latest on the weekend, but it also means I'll have to retune the old lady's TV

There are two or three frames of stores in the empty hive that is currently "locked", so if they need food I can give them that.

In the meantime I have prepared a couple of swarm traps with frames from the dead colony in poly nucs. They are the frames the colony came with in the first place, nice and black, and with a bit of stores left.
About 500m as the crow flies from my flat, halfway up a hill, there is an apiary with about 30 hives, so my terrace should be a good place to set one up, also considering that a couple of years ago a swarm settled near the garages.
Another trap I will put near my apiary. Within range there is an apiary with 32 hives, and if my hive swarms before I split it (or despite my splitting) I might catch them in there.

That should sort me out for this year...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If there are stores left in your bait hive frames, all you will get are robbers. It will be like Friday night at a Dublin Lidl's

 

[Zante]

If there are stores left in your bait hive frames, all you will get are robbers. It will be like Friday night at a Dublin Lidl's

I know, but I don't have comb without stores. Well, not for the moment at least, there will probably be some in the live colony, but I'll remove the black comb they came on when I bought them over new comb, even if I have to take out some stores. Of course I won't leave them without stores...
I'll have to evaluate the situation when I open them up, but the plan is to remove the old wax and reduce the brood box by one frame.

I will be keeping the combs with the most stores aside to feed the split or a swarm if needed (or for next winter), and use the combs with the least stores in the traps.
If they get cleaned out... let's hope it works as advertising for a swarm

 

[Uncle Betty]

If there are stores left in your bait hive frames, all you will get are robbers. It will be like Friday night at a Dublin Lidl's

 

[Zante]

WOOHOO!

First inspection the bees were in a foul mood and I got a couple of stings, but they're alive! I still have a colony!

never been happier to get stung

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

One of my two colonies I just found dead. They were still alive in mid December when I hefted the hive, I could hear them buzzing.

The one right next to them was just fine with the fondant untouched. Since it's a fairly warm day today I decided to open up very quickly and check.

The live colony is active and seems to be going well, at least from what I could see from the bees crawling on the top bars. I closed up and was happy with that.

The dead one was still clustered. They were right next to stores both on the same frames and the next ones, so it wasn't starvation. The cluster did seem a bit small though, maybe the size of a tennis ball.

Where should I look to see what might have killed them?
Shall I split the live colony into that hive when the time comes, or melt the wax and sterilise the wood and start over?

First thoughts would be what varroa load did they have in the Autumn and have you monitored through the Winter?