Two Dead Hives

[Azelkhunter]

I'm on vacation in San Diego and though back in Phoenix Arizona the past few day the temperature was 121F (49.4C) the hives were under a shade tree.

This morning, I received a call that said my two alfalfa hives were dead. Two is all I had on alfalfa. Dead bees piled up outside the hive i was told and Honey now dripping everywhere. Each hive had three supers and water was plentiful. No pesticide was sprayed on the fields however there is housing development that borders the alfalfa field. If kids wanted to spray something to kill bees I could outside bees dying, not two entire hives. I checked on the hives 5 days ago and they were fine.

So what can kill all bees so fast? Is there a disease that can devastate in a matter of days?

Being out of town currently I am at a loss but figured this site would surely have answers.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Heat?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Heat?

bees die at 46c, so it is a possible a failure to keep the hive cool...says me sitting in south england on this summer evening and the thermometre says 12c with bees going into cluster to protect brood overnight

I dont think many of this UK forum have every been as hot as 39c let alone 49c,

no idea of your set up in the USA, do you have OMF ventilated floors, insulation in the roof to stop them frying in summer and cooling in winter, through vents, upper entrances, all a bit out of the norm in the UK where we tend to worry about rain, damp and poor mated queens due to our recent poor wet cold summer weather

 

[denise washington]

i know how you feel came home from work on sunday morning went in garden to see if bee were ok found neigbour just climbing back over fence must have disturbed him when i had a look there was a milky water all over my three hives its killes a lot of my bee that was flying about. got police in and the man thats training me is the bee inspector for our area. he came to have a look and hes took a load of bees to find out what he as used to kill them so i hope he get done for this wiped nearly 3 hives out

 

[pargyle]

i know how you feel came home from work on sunday morning went in garden to see if bee were ok found neigbour just climbing back over fence must have disturbed him when i had a look there was a milky water all over my three hives its killes a lot of my bee that was flying about. got police in and the man thats training me is the bee inspector for our area. he came to have a look and hes took a load of bees to find out what he as used to kill them so i hope he get done for this wiped nearly 3 hives out

That's dreadful ... have you had neighbour trouble in the past ? Sounds like a real nice piece of work !

 

[merlin65]

i know how you feel came home from work on sunday morning went in garden to see if bee were ok found neigbour just climbing back over fence must have disturbed him when i had a look there was a milky water all over my three hives its killes a lot of my bee that was flying about. got police in and the man thats training me is the bee inspector for our area. he came to have a look and hes took a load of bees to find out what he as used to kill them so i hope he get done for this wiped nearly 3 hives out

Shocking, you must be devastated, hope they prosecuted.

 

[Chris Luck]

Difficult to say, bees will cope OK with those temperatures even in full sun providing as you say there was plenty of available water ALTHOUGH it may be that with three supers on it wasn't possible to get the air flow required and that as the top super started to fail it brought the house down so to speak.

Chris

 

[itma]

Difficult to say, bees will cope OK with those temperatures even in full sun providing as you say there was plenty of available water ALTHOUGH it may be that with three supers on it wasn't possible to get the air flow required and that as the top super started to fail it brought the house down so to speak.

Chris

Its a theoretical thing in the UK almost all the time - but when the ambient temperature goes above 30C, I think it might be advisable to find some matchsticks!
Seriously hot weather would be the one time that I think a bit of top ventilation would be a good thing. A top (second) entrance would permit some air through-flow, but providing a vent at the top of the hive (as by raising the coverboard on the infamous matchsticks) would be best.

Roof insulation (above the vent) should help, as would shade and some white paint on the hives, while the occasional wash down with water is probably the most cooling the beekeeper can provide.
Its not normal to be thinking of putting icepacks on hives, but the weather in the western US has been truly exceptional in recent days.

 

[beeno]

Hi,
I put a white sheet soaked in cold water over my hives when it got really hot and kept damping it down with watering can every time it dried out. Not practical for everyone though.

 

[Chris Luck]

We can go mid 40's here and in full sun in a box with a metal lid that will be in the 60's.

Bees cope with this, they work hard but cope and without top ventilation which I never use - perhaps I should.

My best guess would be that it did a twin towers with comb and honey pouring down from the top. Once the cooling system starts to fail it would just continue.

Chris

 

[user 6228]

For high air temperatures (sustained well above brood temperature day and night) with low humidity, Use very high insulation on all sides including floor, reflective outer surface on sides as well as top. Close & seal bottom entrance open top entrance. This will result in low heat gain from the sun and temperature reduction by evapaouration will then be effective as it not be overwhelmed by the high heat load.

The sealed bottom entrance is to stop heat gain from the incoming air.

 

[user 6228]

We can go mid 40's here and in full sun in a box with a metal lid that will be in the 60's.

Bees cope with this, they work hard but cope and without top ventilation which I never use - perhaps I should.

My best guess would be that it did a twin towers with comb and honey pouring down from the top. Once the cooling system starts to fail it would just continue.

Chris

you should insulate your hives for the summer...

 

[denise washington]

hi i hope they do its in hands of police and bee inspector is sending them off to find out what they have sprayed them with but i am nott letting this go without a fight
denise

 

[Dishmop]

came home from work on sunday morning went in garden to see if bee were ok found neigbour just climbing back over fence must have disturbed

Tell everybody else about what he did.

Put a sign inyou garden with a big arrow pointing to his house that says

"A Honey Bee killer lives there"

 

[Erichalfbee]

denise

That is so breathtakingly appalling!!
I hope the rest are OK and this guy gets some comeuppance.

 

[beezers]

hi i hope they do its in hands of police and bee inspector is sending them off to find out what they have sprayed them with but i am nott letting this go without a fight
denise

Local paper with pics.

 

[VEG]

hi i hope they do its in hands of police and bee inspector is sending them off to find out what they have sprayed them with but i am nott letting this go without a fight
denise

I would have dragged him back over the fence and put his head in one of the hives

 

[denise washington]

police have been to see him he as denied it but the police could tell he was lying as they said he was very nervous sweating and shaking but they could not get hin to confess

 

[Dishmop]

police have been to see him he as denied it but the police could tell he was lying as they said he was very nervous sweating and shaking but they could not get hin to confess

They should have had a search to see if there was anything he had that would match what was sprayed on your hives.

Its a pity that you didnt notice him a little bit earlier so you could get a photo...


or a baseball bat.....
Tell people he's a flasher..

 

[Swarm]

Eye for an eye, he would lose something he treasures. I hope the police do a bit more than they have so far.