what is happening at my hive?

[mikeyboy]

During last week I put some apiguard in my hive and put the inspection board in place so I could check for mite drop. I went up to the hive today, some three days later to check and what greeted me was quite a lot of dead bees on the floor around the hive. When I went round the front of the hive the bees were gathered on the outside of the front section. Plenty of bees were still coming and going into the hive. When I pulled the tray out to check for the mites, which was a low count, loads of bees fell to the floor. Is this the girls swarming under the hive? Or is it due to lack of ventilation due to the apiguard and the inspection board in place. On looking under the hive I could not see hm but I could have quite easily have missed her if she was amongst the bees under the hive.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's a common reaction to the apiguard - bees bearding on the outside - they do not like it! in fact one of the reasons for putting the tray of apiguard in the highest point of the hive is they will try to take the stuff outside - thus passing from bee to bee and making sure the apiguard and fumes get everywhere. when you say loads of dead bees - how many?

 

[mikeyboy]

I would say maybe 100+ dead bees around the immediate area of the hive. I have put my apiguard right above the queen excluder. I found it unusual to have so many bees to be hung on the underside of the inspection board when it was chilly with drizzle.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Queen excluder? I don't understand?

 

[mikeyboy]

I put the apiguard just above the queen excluder as the instructions say put it above the brood. I also watched the video on you tube where he places it just above the brood box. Sounds like I have made a newbie error and I need to put in the top of hive above supers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not newbie error as such - how many supers have you on? is it your intention to leave a super on for stores overwinter? Now, of course any honey left will be tainted so it's better left for the bees, but remember, never leave a queen excluder on overwinter as bees will not leave the queen thus in a winter cluster with the bees reluctant to abandon the queen to access the stores above the QX it could cause isolation starvation. Personally i would have put it above the brood but also above the shallow box (but in my case by this time it would be nadired - under the brood box, although in the past I've left them on top with the apiguard on top of this.

 

[enrico]

Ok mike....you shouldn't really be using apiguard if you have supers on unless you are going to be using them for winter feed for the bees. It makes the honey taste of apiguard. I would maybe use it if I had a super under the bb ready for winter but that is all. The supers you had on now cannot really be used by humans to eat. Therefore it would be unsusual to use apiguard with a QE on which is why people are confused. I think what may have happened is your bees that have become isolated under the hive have died of cold due to not being able to find their way back.
Can you tell me exactly what set up you had when you put the apiguard on? For example bb QE two supers etc.
sorry JBM.....crossed in the post!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My fault - shouldn't have taken so long to type it!

 

[mikeyboy]

My set up is standard national bb with queen ex, then because I had to unite a colony at the start of my beekeeping i have another bb but just full of stores then above that I have a super with half full stores. I have already taken a full super of honey from the hive so what is left is for the bees. I didn't want to leave the bees short of stores in the first year. You never know what sort of winter we are going to have. If I get my bees through my first winter I will be well pleased.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hmm - too much stores in fact - too late now but dutch that QX asap. Are the stores capped? I'd put the super under the lot ASAP as well regardless. You will find that in the spring you'll probably find the queen laying up in the topmast box - up to you then whether you want to continue with double brood or take the bottom (and hopefully empty of stores and brood) BB away away.
The biggest problen you will have in the spring, as i see it is there will be stores left over from winter, and as it is tainted with thymol, this could taint your next spring crop of honey.
Not the end of the worl though as far as the bees are concerned.

 

[mikeyboy]

Yes I will be ditching the queen excluder. The stores in the bb above the excluder are capped but not the half full supers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes I will be ditching the queen excluder. The stores in the bb above the excluder are capped but not the half full supers.

Put the uncapped super at the bottom of the stack the same time as you remove the QX, they will then have time to rearrange things. No need for feeding this year, that's a fact.

 

[mikeyboy]

Thank you for your help and wisdom, I will do just that. That's what I wanted for the bees to feed from their own hard work rather than me feeding them substitutes. Hope I haven't messed things up with the apiguard. I will get the treatment up to the top of the hive as soon as I can.