What caused my colonies to fail?

[North End Bees]

The inspector did a routine visit last Spring and all was well. Given the high mite drop on his remaining colony and the perforated cappings I saw in my failed colonies, I’m reasonably happy to assume it must have been varroa related. In any case, I’ve cleared out all the dead bees now, cleaned the hives up and stored them in the garage ready for hopefully filling them with splits/swarms again in the Spring/summer

Did you 'rope test' the cells that had perforated cappings? Just in case.

 

[W0otz]

Many skiers consider off piste the fun part, there were a side discussion about follower and dummy boards, I myself didn't fully understand the subtle differences, especially not when somebody introduced a new item, flower boards. It was also a informed talk on high level about Duct and aly tape, how to best rip them and use them

Dummy board = Same dimensions as a frame - has a bee-space around it
Follower board = Same dimensions as the hive interior - seals off part of the hive
Flower board = Typo of follower.

 

[Do224]

Did you 'rope test' the cells that had perforated cappings? Just in case.

Rope test? I uncapped a couple and they just looked like they had bees in...

 

[North End Bees]

Rope test? I uncapped a couple and they just looked like they had bees in...

Rope test for foul brood.
In your case it's most likely to be varroosis but it's always worth checking before you reuse the frames.

 

[Wilco]

Rope test? I uncapped a couple and they just looked like they had bees in...

Stick a matchstick in and out to see if the contents come out like a stringy rope stuck to the end of the stick. Way of detecting (edit: American) foulbrood.

 

[Erichalfbee]

AFB
https://nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=7

 

[Do224]

Time to take a deep breath, try and learn from what happened, regroup and start the new season with optimism and confidence.
Onwards and Upwards.

For sure. I’ve still got one colony and I’ve got some drawn comb ready for when I can make splits/catch swarms. I’m in a better position to last year

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you catch a Prime then you should be flying.
If you get a succession of small casts put them all together. They will sort themselves out.

 

[Curly green finger's]

If you catch a Prime then you should be flying.
If you get a succession of small casts put them all together. They will sort themselves out.

And possibly requeen them with a bought in queen?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don’t see the need. He’s a beginner. It’s nice to see how they get on. I love catching them and seeing how they grow. They do get requeened in their second year sometimes.
I have a small prime and a cast from the wild bees on the potting shed roof. I’m itching to see how they do this season. The prime queen would be in her third year so I will probably replace her with a queen from Murray

 

[Do224]

If you catch a Prime then you should be flying.
If you get a succession of small casts put them all together. They will sort themselves out.

Yeah, my surviving colony was a prime swarm and they motored ahead of the other three.

If you’re combining casts, what’s the max time between catching them that it would still be ok to just ‘throw them together’?

I presume there comes a point when you would need to use the newspaper method to combine them, if there was too much time between catching one and the other

 

[Curly green finger's]

I don’t see the need. He’s a beginner. It’s nice to see how they get on. I love catching them and seeing how they grow. They do get requeened in their second year sometimes.
I have a small prime and a cast from the wild bees on the potting shed roof. I’m itching to see how they do this season. The prime queen would be in her third year so I will probably replace her with a queen from Murray

I suppose this is personal preference, considering that most casts very often don't last and if it was later in the season even more so to requeen.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you’ve a tiny cast then the best thing to do with it is combine it with another colony.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yeah, my surviving colony was a prime swarm and they motored ahead of the other three.

If you’re combining casts, what’s the max time between catching them that it would still be ok to just ‘throw them together’?

I presume there comes a point when you would need to use the newspaper method to combine them, if there was too much time between catching one and the other

I’m presuming they all come on the same day. If they don’t then combine with an existing colony but then you’d still have to find the queen.

 

[Boston Bees]

Yeah, my surviving colony was a prime swarm and they motored ahead of the other three.

If you’re combining casts, what’s the max time between catching them that it would still be ok to just ‘throw them together’?

I presume there comes a point when you would need to use the newspaper method to combine them, if there was too much time between catching one and the other

Just to put an alternate viewpoint, while combining swarms is perfectly logical, you may choose not to, if you have the equipment to house them all. I tend to give them all a chance if I have the equipment. It's surprising how even a small swarm can do well in the right circumstances, with the proper housing, treatment and feeding of course.

I am still at the "every queen is sacred" stage of beekeeping though

 

[Do224]

I’m presuming they all come on the same day. If they don’t then combine with an existing colony but then you’d still have to find the queen.

If for example I caught two small casts 5 days apart....could I just put them each in a bb and combine using the newspaper method? Would I need to find and kill one of the queens first or would it still work if I couldn’t find a queen?

 

[Do224]

Just to put an alternate viewpoint, while combining swarms is perfectly logical, you may choose not to, if you have the equipment to house them all. I tend to give them all a chance if I have the equipment. It's surprising how even a small swarm can do well in the right circumstances, with the proper housing, treatment and feeding of course.

That would be ideal and if I catch swarms that are big enough, early enough in the year then that’s what I’ll do.

 

[Sanntos]

Just to put an alternate viewpoint, while combining swarms is perfectly logical, you may choose not to, if you have the equipment to house them all. I tend to give them all a chance if I have the equipment. It's surprising how even a small swarm can do well in the right circumstances, with the proper housing, treatment and feeding of course.

I was just writing this (longer version), but you beat me to it

 

[LeaBees]

This was my one remaining colony on 30th Dec.

Just a quick question. Is you winter configuration a double brood plus super?

 

[E&MBees]

If you’ve a tiny cast then the best thing to do with it is combine it with another colony.

How about disease though? Shouldn’t swarms of unknown origin be quarantined first? I’m in an EFB area, I wouldn’t want to add a tiny cast swarm to one of my colonies.

Edit: the RBI & SBI worked very hard last year tracking and destroying infected colonies. Hopefully this year in Avon will be a better one.