Storm kills my bees

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Skylark

New Bee
Joined
Jul 19, 2011
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
Location
Bakewell
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
1
Disaster. The gale we had here blew my hive over. I found it this morning strewn accros the orchard.
I will learn in future to have it strapped down and a few bricks on the roof. Its been a bad couple of months as I broke my leg and not been out, I determinedly hobbled accros to asses the damage today and it was not good.

Any tips for the future ?
If I put a nuc out any chance some will have sheltered in a hole in a tree and come back (cat in hells chance I suppose).

I'm determined to have another go but feel really bad at moment.
 
A timely warning, after the recent high winds all beekeepers would be advised to check their hives in out apiaries - I am going to have a look at mine this afternoon.
 
Any tips for the future ?

Keep them strapped down all year round - reduces the risk from winds, badgers etc etc.
If I were you I'd put the original hive back in position and see what happens.

Edit: BTW, it is possible that they have survived. Before I kept bees I had a friend who discovered a colony in an oak tree that have been cleft by high winds. He put a tarp over the colony and it survived for a few weeks, so if you can track your bees down you might be able to gather them back up.
 
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That is merely bad if wind blows on your hive so strongly.

If you have an open mesh floor, it take not much time when the food is finnish.
Even if you have (or I have) a solid bottom and a small entrance 10 cm x 0.8 cm,
wind blows and press the cluster to the back corner of the box. I have seen that many times.

Now I have a good hedge against winds. 3-5 metre high and dense twigs.

But you may build a light cabin around you hive. It has a deep corridor via which bees can fly.
It stops sunshine unless you make couple of glass wallss to the cabin. Or you use half closed "glass house" to protect the hive. The north wall something solid, side walls glass or something like that.

Once I had my best hives in the middle of rape fields. 2 strong hives were on the hill and others were down in a river valley. The hives on the hill got 30% less honey than smaller hives in a valley.
All valley hives brought over 100 kh per hive.

After many efforts I do not put any more my hives in windy site.

.
 
Rotton luck Skylark.
Rocks on the roof normally do the trick.
 
Sorry to hear about your hive, Skylark
 
As a friend of mine is fond of saying "hind sight is a wonderful guilt trip". Sorry for whats happened Skylark. Lesson learned for any new beekeeper through this and I wish you a speedy reboot of your hobby. :grouphug:
 
I've rescued what I could. They have been out all night upturned in the rain but there were maybe 100 or so on the wreckage. Two of the cluster frames were stuck together so I didnt disturb them maybe quite a few bees in between the frames. I sent out the kids to search the grass where it tipped and they found another 100 or so.
I've put them all in my nuc now and put them in a warm room this afternnoon and the rescued ones mainly have come round and seem healthy.
I'm left with a nuc of maybe 200 bees plus maybe more in the frames that are stuck together. It seems hopeless but . .
Should I put the nuc outside tonight and let nature take its course and see what happens or perhaps keep them in the warm for a night. Clutching at straws maybe but worth a try.
 
Ok I've gone half way and put them in the porch where its cooler, they are buzzing like mad presumably keeping warm going into a cluster maybe.

Again any advice would be appreciated here, should I keep em as warm as possible for a night after their ordeal or let them adjust to the cool again. Advice needed desperatly
 
Sorry to learn of the disaster.

If the bees are scattered around, their natural instinct is to climb up so anything over the grass may encourage some to crawl to where you can get them.

In the warm their natural instinct is to fly and if they have lost their queen they'll be unhappy too - and they don't like being shut in. - I'd let them organise themselves first - the cool porch makes sense. Maybe they can go to the apiary at night when they've settled down and the entrance opened then.

Fingers crossed!
 
Would have thought best thing was to put them back in the old location for the first day at least. Then any straggling survivors will return under their own steam.
Feed and insulate as best you can, but do not move the replacement hive from where they expect home to be!:eek:
Goodluck:(:(
 
Find some breeze blocks in skip to hold the roof down? I but heavy blocks on mine all year round.
 
Sorry about your bees, Skylark, and I'm sorry I'm not experienced enough to offer anything more than sympathy :(
 
Didnt spot queen, but there were two frames welded together so I'm hoping many bees including queen will have survived inbetween. They're buzzing like mad in the porch at the moment.

How do the straps work ? Do they actually anchor to the ground. Also I had a sloping roof so not so easy to weigh down with bricks. Will get a flat one for next year.

My nuc is a transport one with a mesh top so I'll have to put some foam over the top to insulate it and then a weighted down timber board.
 
if it helps, my hive stand is two hollow concrete blocks, with my hive strap going all the way round the hive and through the blocks. Sorts the sloping roof problem and is a secure anchor point in itself. So sorry to hear about your hive.
 
Sorry to hear about the hive.

Just a thought though surely it should only have been the roof that blew off.
Your hive should have been so heavy with stores this time of year it should not have been possible to blow over.
 
It was a nuc I got in August that I transfered to a full hive, it still had a super on from feeding as I broke my leg about 8 weeks ago and didnt have chance to reduce it. So not really that heavy, plus we really did have some freak wind conditions here for about an hour or so. So an unlucky combination. I live and learn.
Thanks for the replies.
 
Had a site next to the river Teign it had not flooded before in that area according to the farmer! The week before Christmas i was up to my waist in cold river water trying to retrieve hives from trees etc. Five hives went out to sea the rest were floating about the area. Rescued a dozen hives and put them back on the hive stands, some of the bees had clustered next to the feeders which had remained stuck to the B.C. Six of the hives made it through to the spring.
 
How do the straps work ? Do they actually anchor to the ground. Also I had a sloping roof so not so easy to weigh down with bricks. Will get a flat one for next year.

My nuc is a transport one with a mesh top so I'll have to put some foam over the top to insulate it and then a weighted down timber board.
Straps round here generally go under floor and over roof. That clamps all the boxes together and stops wind lifting the roof. Even in summer it can close some of the gaps if the boxes are not first quality. There are some who start with a paving slab, stand of concrete blocks, then ratchet strap around the lot. Fancier alternative is an eye bolt in the slab, a chain or cable and padlock over.
I think Hedgerow Pete had an idea of a chain or cable from the base and up through the boxes to a plate and padlock on top - might be a video somewhere.

The slabs are the 60cm square municipal ones, about a fiver from the biggest DIY sheds or build centre if you don't have recycled ones handy. These are usually on sites where vandals or theives have been a problem in the past rather than weather exposed but serves many purposes.

Just a thought, fondant and access to water might be an idea if you haven't already got them on.
 
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