Noisy bees

[Erichalfbee]

Walked past my cedar 14 x 12 today and they are really noisy. I could hear them from two feet away. I have a polycarb crown and a quick look in just revealed lots of bees walking about. Stores estimated at around 10Kg10 days ago. Temp has been between 10 and 5 degrees for weeks.
None of the colonies are out and about.
Ideas? Please.

 

[Dishmop]

Was it rainng?




'cause they might have been singing.

 

[drstitson]

warm enough to be active. cold/wet enough not to be out.

 

[Andre cardona]

Mite not have a queen?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not raining.
I came back to add a PS
There is a nadired super.
The box has an under floor entrance.....blocked by dead bees crossed my mind and I'll have a look tomorrow but last week I took the inspection tray out and they had been uncapping across the whole box so the floor seemed, then, clear enough.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mite not have a queen?

Yes......had crossed my mind. I hope not. My best colony.
I'll do a quick floor change tomorrow and look for her.

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes......had crossed my mind. I hope not. My best colony.
I'll do a quick floor change tomorrow and look for her.

If you feel that you have to look then just go for the central frames looking for brood first. Personally I would keep away.

 

[yeogi75]

not sure, but can bees and queen become separated and feel they have no queen, or on verge of separated starvation

 

[richardbees]

Erica

don't know your hive setup but I always first associate noise with them fanning for climate control so suggest you check ventilation.

imho it's not Q-

good luck

richard

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks folks.

I don't intend to look inside.
I'll have a look at the floor tomorrow.

 

[Tom Bick]

Got it on the floor.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

warm enough to be active. cold/wet enough not to be out.

Like kids in a caravan on a wet weekend in Tenby!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Erica

don't know your hive setup but I always first associate noise with them fanning for climate control so suggest you check ventilation.

imho it's not Q-

good luck

richard

Spot on
Whole floor covered in dead bees

 

[drstitson]

"on a wet weekend in Tenby!"

is there any other type?

 

[Tom Bick]

Spot on
Whole floor covered in dead bees

Hope that's not to serious

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm absolutely gutted!!!!!
Just looked at the floor Stan made. My fault my fault...... I didn't check it.
He made it perfectly bar the gap. NO GAP !!!!
Bees have been shut in since end November. I'm looking at 600grams of dead bees on my kitchen table.
Have a one hour dental appointment today....lots of painful stuff...Karma!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I need a shoulder to cry on

 

[Tom Bick]

I wonder how many of them would have been natural drop and on good days removed from the hive. Let's hope it's not as bad as first thought

 

[beeno]

Hi Ericha,
Shame Finman isn't here, that would have been a good shoulder to cry on. However, Michael Palmer has extreme weather too, I believe, where the bees don't venture out for long periods? You have losts approx. 6,000 bees, but in a strong colony that could just be natural winter drop anyhow. However, seeing it all in one go is obviously a shock! It is, of course, very sad, but sh.t happens as the saying goes. Are there any alive more to the point? They let you know, when something is wrong, in my experience. Best of luck. Hope that all is not lost.

 

[pargyle]

Must have been a lot of bees with their legs crossed ... no wonder they were making a racket - must have heard Mum trampling about and thought it's about time we let her know we are locked in !!! Clever girls ... if there's enough of them left to make a racket you should have enough to survive. Let's face it, in some climates and some years they would be holed up from November till February as a result of natural reasons so ... not that bad.

Good luck but don't put any washing out to dry today !!