Some Do..... Some Dont

[Dishmop]

Some pretty miffed bees today who couldnt get into their next door takeaway because the door was locked.....

I'll take the hive apart in the next couple of days to see what the full situation is......

 

[Dishmop]

Stripped the dead hive out today...

Bit of damp in corners but dont think it would have been a problem.

Couple of dozen (24 in old money) dead bees on one frame, and 150 or so on the floor........................thats it...


There was plenty in the way of stores..... four completely full and 3 with honey and pollen..

Have given the boxes a good scrub with soda and put the hive back together again in the same place.......

 

[justme]

Hi Dishmop, I've lost a colony also:.( Sent some for testing, still awaiting results. Nosema or stress not sure. When I cleaned the hive out I found a very tiny scrawny dead queen, several bees dead with head in cells but loads of stores nearby, thymolated ambrosia & ivy honey. Loads of ivy honey also eaten. Plenty more dead bees on the floor, this was the hive with dozy looking bees back along.
Late July 2009 queen was in there in the autumn, hive very strong or appeared to be. Never can tell, thought it'd be ok to requeen this Spring, we live and learn.

Di.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Dishmop, which colony was it the swarm or one of the others. Did you treat for varroa last autumn/winter?

 

[Dishmop]

Dishmop, which colony was it the swarm or one of the others. Did you treat for varroa last autumn/winter?

The first one not the swarm.

Treated autumn.

I think they cleared off... and the remainder died because there wasnt enough left to keep themselves warm..

I can see 3 times more on one side of my obs hive than the dead ones I cleared from hive today...

 

[BBG]

Dishmop,
What was in each of the three boxes as they went in to winter.

How many frames of honey (not stuff in the bood box) did they have going in to winter.

Was there any treatment performed between winterisng and now.

Would be good to gain some understanding.

Thanks.

 

[Dishmop]

Dishmop,
What was in each of the three boxes as they went in to winter.

How many frames of honey (not stuff in the bood box) did they have going in to winter.

Was there any treatment performed between winterisng and now.

Would be good to gain some understanding.

Thanks.

They did go into winter with 3 boxes, 1 brood plus 2 others approx 80% full of stores. 8 frames in each box so I suppose they had about 12 or so full frames. I took one box off after Christmas because I thought there was a problem and that they might be having trouble heating all that space...

as I said..... there was not enough dead bees in the hive for a full colony to have died in there...
They were there half way thro October so they must have gone when I was on holiday just after that.... and when I came back the weather was cold and nothing flying anyway... so therefore I didnt notice any problem...

 

[BBG]

Must be a real ticker to lose them when they're so well provided for.

 

[Polyanwood]

I am sad for you losing the bees.

I would never overwinter on a BB and 2 supers however. Enough stores is not the only issue.

I am now a convert to Finman's concept of 'vain space'. It is much more stressful for bees to be in a box that is too big than one that is the right size to overwinter. With 3 boxes that is a huge volume of air to condition and warm. They will rarely starve if you feed them in the autumn and heft the hive regulalrly through the Winter. People think they are doing thier bees a favour giving them extra boxes of stores 'just in case', but they are not.
I am not saying that is why they died, but I don't think it will have helped.

Karin

 

[Dishmop]

People think they are doing thier bees a favour giving them extra boxes of stores 'just in case', but they are not.
I am not saying that is why they died, but I don't think it will have helped.

I hear what you say but in my case the amount of dead bees indicates that they werent there to go into winter anyway....

 

[Midland Beek]

Very strong in October.

Might have lost a late swarm. Sometimes such swarms can be small and they can leave unoticed. Some of them are the result of overfeeding/ivy flow or both.

 

[Dishmop]

Best and easiest way to re-populate the empty hive?

 

[Hombre]

1. Use as bait hive to catch a swarm.
2. Catch a swarm and put in hive.

 

[Dishmop]

How about splitting my other hive?