What caused my colonies to fail?

[RichardK]

Second year beekeeping is the hardest year ... you usually know just enough to be dangerous by that point !

And in fairness to Dave, he's actually only in his 8th month of bee keeping (I know as he caught his swarms a few weeks after I did mine).

 

[pargyle]

And in fairness to Dave, he's actually only in his 8th month of bee keeping (I know as he caught his swarms a few weeks after I did mine).

Ahhh .. right .. I assumed from his profile that this was Year 2 of his beekeeping (first registered on here is 2020) .. That would excuse a lot of things then ... too many alligators for a first year swamp drainer !

 

[Do224]

I appreciate the constructive criticism and advice from the vast majority of people on this forum. I was a bit reluctant to post this thread because I knew there would likely be the odd person who would just want to 'have a go' at me. Ultimately, I'm keen to learn and hopefully prevent this happening again which is why I decided to post the thread regardless.

This is my first year keeping bees. I joined my local BKA and attended their beginners course in Spring which was on Zoom due to covid. I was able to attend a few 'hands on' days as well which covered the basics. There were a lot of beginners at the club in the same boat as me so 'mentorship' was in high demand, as were bees. Lots of the experienced beekeepers had lost colonies over the winter so were unable to provide colonies for the beginners. Most of the bee suppliers had ran out of nucs to sell too. So I had a go with swarm traps, not really expecting much if any success.

As mentioned, the swarms all came at once which was a real surprise and I did my best to accommodate them. I ordered some new equipment (I only had one hive and some homemade nucs) but it was a struggle to get hold of foundation as the suppliers seemed to have a run on. I fed as needed and inspected them regularly up until mid August, at which point I ended up having to leave them in the care of a friend until November. I continued to monitor them as best I could through my friend (also a beginner) and they were given plenty syrup in October and then fondant in December.

I don't think I neglected the bees but I'm sure there are things I could have done better or differently, which is why I decided to ask for advice on here. I certainly did my best with the knowledge I had. Of course, ideally I wouldn't have left them in the care of somebody else during the autumn, but life happened and I adapted as best I could. Had I been here, I was intending to combine at least two of the colonies.

It's sad that the colonies perished and of course I feel responsible. Hopefully they didn't fare any worse than they would have if they'd chosen a tree trunk (or chimney) instead of my swarm traps.

 

[pargyle]

I appreciate the constructive criticism and advice from the vast majority of people on this forum. I was a bit reluctant to post this thread because I knew there would likely be the odd person who would just want to 'have a go' at me. Ultimately, I'm keen to learn and hopefully prevent this happening again which is why I decided to post the thread regardless.

This is my first year keeping bees. I joined my local BKA and attended their beginners course in Spring which was on Zoom due to covid. I was able to attend a few 'hands on' days as well which covered the basics. There were a lot of beginners at the club in the same boat as me so 'mentorship' was in high demand, as were bees. Lots of the experienced beekeepers had lost colonies over the winter so were unable to provide colonies for the beginners. Most of the bee suppliers had ran out of nucs to sell too. So I had a go with swarm traps, not really expecting much if any success.

As mentioned, the swarms all came at once which was a real surprise and I did my best to accommodate them. I ordered some new equipment (I only had one hive and some homemade nucs) but it was a struggle to get hold of foundation as the suppliers seemed to have a run on. I fed as needed and inspected them regularly up until mid August, at which point I ended up having to leave them in the care of a friend until November. I continued to monitor them as best I could through my friend (also a beginner) and they were given plenty syrup in October and then fondant in December.

I don't think I neglected the bees but I'm sure there are things I could have done better or differently, which is why I decided to ask for advice on here. I certainly did my best with the knowledge I had. Of course, ideally I wouldn't have left them in the care of somebody else during the autumn, but life happened and I adapted as best I could. Had I been here, I was intending to combine at least two of the colonies.

It's sad that the colonies perished and of course I feel responsible. Hopefully they didn't fare any worse than they would have if they'd chosen a tree trunk (or chimney) instead of my swarm traps.

Like I said ... keeping any livestock inevitably entails living with the death of the creatures in your management ... it happens, I feel sure, knowing the full facts about your beekeeping journey so far, there will be few on here who will offer any severe criticism .... any beekeeper who has not lost a coloony or few over the years hasn't kept bees. It's part of the learning process I'm afraid .,. you will know better next year (That's what I keep telling myself nearly 10 years in !!).

 

[Amari]

I appreciate the constructive criticism and advice from the vast majority of people on this forum. I was a bit reluctant to post this thread because I knew there would likely be the odd person who would just want to 'have a go' at me. Ultimately, I'm keen to learn and hopefully prevent this happening again which is why I decided to post the thread regardless.

This is my first year keeping bees. I joined my local BKA and attended their beginners course in Spring which was on Zoom due to covid. I was able to attend a few 'hands on' days as well which covered the basics. There were a lot of beginners at the club in the same boat as me so 'mentorship' was in high demand, as were bees. Lots of the experienced beekeepers had lost colonies over the winter so were unable to provide colonies for the beginners. Most of the bee suppliers had ran out of nucs to sell too. So I had a go with swarm traps, not really expecting much if any success.

As mentioned, the swarms all came at once which was a real surprise and I did my best to accommodate them. I ordered some new equipment (I only had one hive and some homemade nucs) but it was a struggle to get hold of foundation as the suppliers seemed to have a run on. I fed as needed and inspected them regularly up until mid August, at which point I ended up having to leave them in the care of a friend until November. I continued to monitor them as best I could through my friend (also a beginner) and they were given plenty syrup in October and then fondant in December.

I don't think I neglected the bees but I'm sure there are things I could have done better or differently, which is why I decided to ask for advice on here. I certainly did my best with the knowledge I had. Of course, ideally I wouldn't have left them in the care of somebody else during the autumn, but life happened and I adapted as best I could. Had I been here, I was intending to combine at least two of the colonies.

It's sad that the colonies perished and of course I feel responsible. Hopefully they didn't fare any worse than they would have if they'd chosen a tree trunk (or chimney) instead of my swarm traps.

Good on you Dave. Lack of spare kit is to be expected when you are in the first few years.
It might have been more appropriate to have posted your thread on the Beginners section - sarcasm and ridicule is banned there!
Good luck for 2022.

 

[Do224]

Good on you Dave. Lack of spare kit is to be expected when you are in the first few years.
It might have been more appropriate to have posted your thread on the Beginners section - sarcasm and ridicule is banned there!
Good luck for 2022.

Thanks . You’re right, I should and would have posted in the beginners section. Sometimes when I try to upload videos/pictures of the bees in the beginners section I get an error saying .mov files aren’t supported...but they upload fine in this section. I queried it in the ‘help’ forum and apparently it’s been resolved now, so I’ll be back in the beginners section where I belong from now on...

 

[Erichalfbee]

I hope you don’t mind Dave if I close this thread now.

 

[Do224]

Dummy boards are the same size as a frame and simply act as a hive wall but allow passage to the other side. . Follower boards block off the space entirely though I think some beekeepers seem to use the term interchangeably or even the other way round.
Suffice to say that if you are reducing the space in a hive you should use a board that blocks off the space completely.

I used insulation board cut to fill the space entirely...that said it wouldn’t surprise me if the bees could squeeze through here and there (it’s not the easiest stuff to cut precisely).

I'm happy to receive constructive criticism...no need to close the thread, but thanks anyway

 

[Erichalfbee]

Opened up again at OPs request

 

[Arfermo]

I used insulation board cut to fill the space entirely...that said it wouldn’t surprise me if the bees could squeeze through here and there (it’s not the easiest stuff to cut precisely).
I'm happy to receive constructive criticism...no need to close the thread, but thanks anyway

Strips of duct tape cover the gaps in insulation board quite well enough. As for the rest, I think you have done very well for a beginner. The only thing that I think you missed out on is that captured swarms will almost certainly be carrying varroa and that is what has to be dealt with at the outset as the result will be what you found - death. Oxalic vaporisation (sublimation) is the most effective treatment in that situation, to be followed up in the autumn and winter with further appropriate varroa treatment - assuming the colonies survive that long of course. Just don't give up and make sure you have some spare kit as you will inevitably need it. A single hive is definitely a NONO! You were clever to get hold of some insulation board (Celotex/Kingspan)? My hives don't have any and they manage - despite all the suggestions otherwise on this website!!

 

[user 20297]

I used insulation board cut to fill the space entirely...that said it wouldn’t surprise me if the bees could squeeze through here and there (it’s not the easiest stuff to cut precisely).

I'm happy to receive constructive criticism...no need to close the thread, but thanks anyway

Cut the pieces of PIR just slightly too small, seal the cut sides with foil tape and then stick onto the contact edges something such as strips of the felt, self-adhesive material used to cushion the legs of furniture on a wooden floor.....a tip I've given before, adapted from "Irish Beekeeper's" advice on YouTube. This gives the pieces a sliding fit, but they stay in place.

I always use 25mm board for this, so that I have maximum flexibility because you never know exactly how much void space you'll have.

 

[pargyle]

Strips of duct tape cover the gaps in insulation board quite well enough. As for the rest, I think you have done very well for a beginner.

Not duct tape .... Aluminium tape from Toolstation ... the bees will get caught up in the adhesive when they eat through the duct tape. Dead bees ... They won't touch aluminium tape - useful for so many other beekeeping things as well - essential for your bee box.

https://www.toolstation.com/alumini...ugg_q=aluminium+tape?searchstr=aluminium tape

 

[user 20297]

Participants on this forum may have a variety of failings (myself excepted ) But to say that anyone here has neglected their bees is stating the diametric opposite to reality!

 

[Do224]

Strips of duct tape cover the gaps in insulation board quite well enough. As for the rest, I think you have done very well for a beginner. The only thing that I think you missed out on is that captured swarms will almost certainly be carrying varroa and that is what has to be dealt with at the outset as the result will be what you found - death. Oxalic vaporisation (sublimation) is the most effective treatment in that situation, to be followed up in the autumn and winter with further appropriate varroa treatment - assuming the colonies survive that long of course. Just don't give up and make sure you have some spare kit as you will inevitably need it. A single hive is definitely a NONO! You were clever to get hold of some insulation board (Celotex/Kingspan)? My hives don't have any and they manage - despite all the suggestions otherwise on this website!!

Cheers. Yeah I regret not doing more to protect from varroa...vaping was mentioned at my local BKA but never demonstrated so I wasn't sure how to go about it. Plus I got the odd comment of "swarms are unlikely to have much varroa load" and "I've missed treating my bees some years and they've been absolutely fine" from other beekepers when I asked about varroa, which probably led to me being a bit complacent. I nearly put apiguard on when I first caught the swarms but a few people said it was too harsh for a small swarm and may encourage them to abscond...

I definitely have plenty spare equipment now (three empty hives) so hopefully I'm all set for the coming spring. By the way, what should I do with the frames between now and Spring (they're half filled with stores as per the pics I posted earlier). The other beekeeper who also lost two hives says he'll just clean the dead bees out and leave the hives as they are, frames and all, until he moves a new colony into them in the Spring. Not sure if that's the correct thing to do or not?

I'm lucky to have lots of left over offcuts of kingspan from a garden studio I was building last year. It's been really handy!

 

[pargyle]

Cheers. Yeah I regret not doing more to protect from varroa...vaping was mentioned at my local BKA but never demonstrated so I wasn't sure how to go about it. Plus I got the odd comment of "swarms are unlikely to have much varroa load" and "I've missed treating my bees some years and they've been absolutely fine" from other beekepers when I asked about varroa, which probably led to me being a bit complacent. I nearly put apiguard on when I first caught the swarms but a few people said it was too harsh for a small swarm and may encourage them to abscond...

I definitely have plenty spare equipment now (three empty hives) so hopefully I'm all set for the coming spring. By the way, what should I do with the frames between now and Spring (they're half filled with stores as per the pics I posted earlier). The other beekeeper who also lost two hives says he'll just clean the dead bees out and leave the hives as they are, frames and all, until he moves a new colony into them in the Spring. Not sure if that's the correct thing to do or not?

I'm lucky to have lots of left over offcuts of kingspan from a garden studio I was building last year. It's been really handy!

Just clean out the dead bees, give the hives a brush out (no deep cleaning needed) and seal them up to prevent robbing and wax moths. Check them over once in a while and if there is any sign of wax moths in the comb you need to treat for waxmoth or the frames will be trashed. I treat my stored frames with Dipel but it's quite a lot to lay out for a tub of the stuff so I'd be inclined to watch and wait.

 

[W0otz]

Just clean out the dead bees, give the hives a brush out (no deep cleaning needed) and seal them up to prevent robbing and wax moths. Check them over once in a while and if there is any sign of wax moths in the comb you need to treat for waxmoth or the frames will be trashed. I treat my stored frames with Dipel but it's quite a lot to lay out for a tub of the stuff so I'd be inclined to watch and wait.

Stick the combs in a freezer for 24hrs before sealing up the hive to kill any wax moth larvae/eggs that may be present.

 

[pargyle]

Stick the combs in a freezer for 24hrs before sealing up the hive to kill any wax moth larvae/eggs that may be present.

Not guaranteed in a domestic freezer ... you really need to get down below -18 degrees and for longer than 24 hours to be confident ... and even then ?

 

[Wilco]

Not guaranteed in a domestic freezer ... you really need to get down below -18 degrees and for longer than 24 hours to be confident ... and even then ?

Or burn some sulphur.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/sulphur-strips-and-disinfection.13948/post-175686

 

[pargyle]

Or burn some sulphur.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/sulphur-strips-and-disinfection.13948/post-175686

Yes ... that works - a bit old school but cheaper than Dipel for a couple of boxes.

 

[bobba]

I appreciate the constructive criticism and advice from the vast majority of people on this forum. I was a bit reluctant to post this thread because I knew there would likely be the odd person who would just want to 'have a go' at me. Ultimately, I'm keen to learn and hopefully prevent this happening again which is why I decided to post the thread regardless.

This is my first year keeping bees. I joined my local BKA and attended their beginners course in Spring which was on Zoom due to covid. I was able to attend a few 'hands on' days as well which covered the basics. There were a lot of beginners at the club in the same boat as me so 'mentorship' was in high demand, as were bees. Lots of the experienced beekeepers had lost colonies over the winter so were unable to provide colonies for the beginners. Most of the bee suppliers had ran out of nucs to sell too. So I had a go with swarm traps, not really expecting much if any success.

As mentioned, the swarms all came at once which was a real surprise and I did my best to accommodate them. I ordered some new equipment (I only had one hive and some homemade nucs) but it was a struggle to get hold of foundation as the suppliers seemed to have a run on. I fed as needed and inspected them regularly up until mid August, at which point I ended up having to leave them in the care of a friend until November. I continued to monitor them as best I could through my friend (also a beginner) and they were given plenty syrup in October and then fondant in December.

I don't think I neglected the bees but I'm sure there are things I could have done better or differently, which is why I decided to ask for advice on here. I certainly did my best with the knowledge I had. Of course, ideally I wouldn't have left them in the care of somebody else during the autumn, but life happened and I adapted as best I could. Had I been here, I was intending to combine at least two of the colonies.

It's sad that the colonies perished and of course I feel responsible. Hopefully they didn't fare any worse than they would have if they'd chosen a tree trunk (or chimney) instead of my swarm traps.

Don't let the critics get you down. They probably mean well but just want to highlight the problems that may happen if you are not properly prepared to keep bees. Some of them bang their heads on the wall as they have seen it before. So forgive their tone.

We dont all have access to mentors and training courses, so sometimes just have to do the best with what we have. When wanting to start with bees you are always faced with the decision of tacking the plunge or waiting another season. I understand how strong the temptation to get started is. And understand why people, myself included get bees when not fully prepared.

You made the right choice to post for advice and hope you continue to do so.