Perished Colony

[beepig]

I feel devastated to have found that my most productive colony have not lasted the winter.
I sat watching all three yesterday in the early spring sunshine fully expecting to see a lot of activity.
All three were quiet suprisingly but ne had no activity at all.
I decided to open, and to my dismay found two cluster of bees in top right hand front corner all dead.
I need help here as have no idea why this has happened.
I am in fear that nw i may lose all three
Any advice

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

First of all - no consolation I know - but it happens.
Need a little more information really or all you'll get on here is wild speculation.
How many bees left dead in the hive?
How much stores left - and where in relation to bees?
Were there bees with their heads in cells?
Any signs of dysentry? (excrement spattered on outside or inside of hive)
What Varroa treatment did you give autumn and midwinter?
How old was the queen?
That'll do to start

 

[Hivemaker.]

Going by some previous posts it sounds very likely they were queenless, among other things.

 

[beepig]

Bees left in hive?
two small clusters and a number dotted about with bottoms in cells
stores left
on a number of frames in both super and brood. there were a number of mature brood cells un hatched
varroa treatment
i did not treat as minimal numbers
dysentry
unsure
how old queen
the colony were queenless late into season but had a queen cell late on

 

[For want of a better word]

Sad to say ( yet again!) that not all colonies will survive through the winter.
It id natures way of selecting the fittest....


And is why the native bee of the UK has managed to hang on mostly in the Western fringes of our isles despite man's constant fiddling around importing " better bees" and " ones that "produce more honey " and messing up the naturally selected for genetics... survival of the fittest... selfish gene... whatever you may like to call it!

Yeghes da

 

[For want of a better word]

varroa treatment
i did not treat as minimal numbers


... there you go.. as lesson learnt?

Yeghes da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or at the very best - poorly mated, looking at the evidence and the advice from October (apart from the odd 'expert' professing no shortage of drones and no forseen issues with mating) it should have come as no great surprise - although still a bit upsetting.
Small amount of bees left in hive?
No signs of brood?
evidence of isolation starvation? ( small cluster with heads in cells but with ample stores but a few frames away)

 

[beepig]

there were small amount of brood. bees did not die with heads in cells, simply clustered together...a few weeks ago reasonably busy...
I undestand that yes they may well have been queenless although there was a little amount of brood...
What should i do with the frames, honey etc

 

[beepig]

varroa treatment
i did not treat as minimal numbers


... there you go.. as lesson learnt?

Yeghes da

I am not one who subscribes to treatment if not needed...

 

[For want of a better word]

I am not one who subscribes to treatment if not needed...

BUT it seems it was!

Yeghes da

 

[beepig]

BUT it seems it was!

Yeghes da[/
Sorry but there is no evidence to support this statement currently. and not terribly helpful

 

[beepig]

The question remains people, what is best advice toward what i should do with remaining frames with stores in?
Can they be re-used?

 

[Amari]

there were small amount of brood. bees did not die with heads in cells, simply clustered together...a few weeks ago reasonably busy...
I undestand that yes they may well have been queenless although there was a little amount of brood...
What should i do with the frames, honey etc

I asked the same question on a recent post on the main forum (15 Feb). I concluded that a late supercedure had failed probably because the queen failed to mate (I note your colony was queenless except for a Q cell). I asked whether fumigating the hive and frames with acetic acid (claimed to kill Nosema spores) would allow me to re-use the frames of stores safely - just in case Nosema had contributed to the colony's demise (microscopy had shown a high count earlier in the autumn).
The consensus was that fumigation would be OK but some posts advised destroying the combs for complete safety.

 

[beepig]

Thanks for that. Not sure how to spot nosema

 

[Hivemaker.]

Not sure how to spot nosema

With a microscope.

 

[pargyle]

BUT it seems it was!

Yeghes da

Not necessarily ... if the queen was late mated she may have been a runt or very late to start laying in which case there may not have been enough winter bees to see the colony through the winter. What looks like 'a lot of bees' to a beginner may not really be a lot of bees ... and the inevitable result is going to be a colony reducing in numbers to the point where they are unable to function.

There are so many other factors that just saying it is down to varroa is far too simplistic .. although it may have been a factor in the decline.

I'd be looking at ALL the possibilities before concluding that varroa is the sole culprit.

 

[REDWOOD]

Don't worry too much, things happen, I lost a colony to a late swarm right in the middle of the varroa treatment, queen got mated and was laying but not enough winter bees produced to see them through.

 

[beepig]

Don't worry too much, things happen, I lost a colony to a late swarm right in the middle of the varroa treatment, queen got mated and was laying but not enough winter bees produced to see them through.

Thanks,
What are your thoughts on what i should do with the brood frames and super

 

[Erichalfbee]

Why don't you get the bees you found on the frames tested for nosema?
Your local association should help.
Meanwhile pop the frames somewhere cool and dry, a shed will do.
Wait for your result and take it from there.

 

[REDWOOD]

Acetic acid, or ditch the wax and disinfect the frames, or ditch the lot and buy new