What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Moobee]

Might be similar to what happened to mine then. How many other colonies do you have?

Just 2 now!

 

[pargyle]

Checked the quiet hive and it’s sadly gone. Looks like the queen may have failed as hardly any brood and only a few dead bees clinging pathetically to the corner of a frame. A nasty mess of dead and mouldy bees on the mesh floor, a bit of wax moth and mouldy pollen.
Have salvaged any decent drawn frames and put them in the freezer.
A few pictures attached and I would appreciate any comments or ideas about what may have happened. They were in a standard National brood box with a nadired full super of stores, fondant directly on top bars over brood nest in an eke with clear crownboard and roof with 2” of kingspan. Still some stores in super & fondant left. Varroa floor has been in due to high winds.
Sad as it was my first hive.

View attachment 30739View attachment 30740View attachment 30741

Almost impossible to say ... Looks to me like a weak colony that just dwindled - there are stores available so only the last few may have starved. No obvious signs of disease and after your varroa treatment that should not have been an issue. I'd suggest it was late season queen failure - not enough winter bees laid up and they just died out. A small colony going into winter with too much space doesn't help.

It happens, clear it out and move on. Nobody likes to see a dead out but we've all experienced it at some point - the problem with keeping livestock is that you occasionally have to deal with dead stock.

 

[StephenT]

Took mouse guards off the hives as weather consistently warmer and bees bringing back a shed load of pollen. 16 degrees forecast next week which is t-shirt / inspection weather in my book #soexcited

 

[Moobee]

Took mouse guards off the hives as weather consistently warmer and bees bringing back a shed load of pollen. 16 degrees forecast next week which is t-shirt / inspection weather in my book #soexcited

Yay

 

[Norton]

Supposed to be grafting today ........

 

[Boston Bees]

Took mouse guards off the hives as weather consistently warmer and bees bringing back a shed load of pollen. 16 degrees forecast next week which is t-shirt / inspection weather in my book #soexcited

It's tempting, but what will you do if you squish a queen, and it's only the middle of March?

 

[StephenT]

It's tempting, but what will you do if you squish a queen, and it's only the middle of March?

I’ll be very sad and my wife will berate me. Just a quick check and have a 6 frame nuc that is probably busting at the seams now. They were swarming by the second week of April last year so need to be on guard. They’ve got more space with double brood this year so hopefully they won’t be as quick off the mark.

 

[W0otz]

Removed the mouseguard this morning, glad I did as there's been a huge amount of activity. Plenty of pollen going in today
View attachment DSC_0619.JPG

 

[Swarm]

What a lovely sight.

 

[Murox]

Wonderful to see.

 

[Nannysbees]

I’ll be very sad and my wife will berate me. Just a quick check and have a 6 frame nuc that is probably busting at the seams now. They were swarming by the second week of April last year so need to be on guard. They’ve got more space with double brood this year so hopefully they won’t be as quick off the mark.

When will you put your double on?

 

[The Poot]

Watched the girls whizzing in and out with pollen despite the bitingly cold wind yesterday.
One hive has definitely had it. No sign of life so I’ll check today, take some pictures and close up to stop any robbing and hopefully waxmoth. Plan to sort out properly at the weekend.

I fear one of mine is on the way out, similar to yours. Very few bees flying and no pollen going in. The hive has had around 50 dead outside the front after each period of poor weather and seems to be dwindling. A few are in the fondant though. It’s frustrating that you just can’t do anything about it, or even check at this time of year. Just hoping for the best......

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think a few of us here are losing the odd colony. One of mine is dropping very little on the inspection board, it feels very heavy still and I see only the odd bee flying. I can hear them inside though. I might just take the Flir up to the apiary and see what I can see through the omf.

 

[The Poot]

I think a few of us here are losing the odd colony. One of mine is dropping very little on the inspection board, it feels very heavy still and I see only the odd bee flying. I can hear them inside though. I might just take the Flir up to the apiary and see what I can see through the omf.

I had a natter with my SBI the other day and he’s been made aware of a larger than normal number of losses this Spring - mostly being put down to queen failures by the keepers. My colony had a mid September queen change (can’t spell supercedure) and I suspect poor mating. Time will tell.
This colony was weird all through last season, twice chucking out drones mid season in poor weather, then maintaining some through the Winter. There is the odd one still knocking about now, but the colony doesn’t appear to have a drone layer now. The colony has had absolutely minimal varroa, with a zero drop after the last two vapes.
Ho hum!

 

[Norton]

Here in Cyprus I could never imagine that I would have to wear thermal underwear and a pullover under my beesuit because of cold.
BUT, when the cells have to be removed from the finishers they have to come out.

 

[StephenT]

When will you put your double on?

They were double last summer and have been overwintered as such. Two are dummied down a bit and so will insert new frames as they expand although hoping to do a demaree on them and so could just take out the dummy frames and put in foundation when I do that.

 

[Nannysbees]

They were double last summer and have been overwintered as such. Two are dummied down a bit and so will insert new frames as they expand although hoping to do a demaree on them and so could just take out the dummy frames and put in foundation when I do that.

Thank you for that, we have overwintered on a brood and a half but thinking about changing to a double brood if needed

 

[pargyle]

Here in Cyprus I could never imagine that I would have to wear thermal underwear and a pullover under my beesuit because of cold.
BUT, when the cells have to be removed from the finishers they have to come out.View attachment 30762

That is a lovely sight ... you must have some really good cell builders ...

 

[pargyle]

Just 2 now!

I shouldn't worry ... they will be four by June at least ,,, without any alien swarms arriving !! You will be complaining about the other beekeeper complaint before long .... too many bees !

 

[Wilco]

I shouldn't worry ... they will be four by June at least ,,, without any alien swarms arriving !! You will be complaining about the other beekeeper complaint before long .... too many bees !

No such thing as too many bees. Not enough spare hives, now there's a real problem...