What to do with dead hives

[Dunbarrover]

So far 3 out of six hives lost, small colony in at least one more, reading the forum seems like a common story.

No obvious nosema, but two of the dead hives had, prior to apiguard treatment, very high varroa infestation last year and signs of dwv.

Should i remove all comb and sterilise hive or is it worth the risk of re-using frames - all three were on dbl brood so I have a lot of fully drawn frames?

 

[VEG]

Dump the comb with the dead bees in. Start again with new foundation.

 

[beeno]

Hi Dunbarrover,
Sorry to hear you have had a hard time of it. As a matter of interest did you do OA as well considering you had DWV in the autumn? Fingers crossed for the other colonies. It is bad out there.

 

[enrico]

Honestly.......I would reuse the frames......varroa won't survive without the bees....as long as you are happy in your own mind that disease was not likely....why waste good comb?
Others will doubtless disagree tho!

 

[waverider]

Can you use Virkon S on hives?

 

[itma]

Honestly.......I would reuse the frames......varroa won't survive without the bees...

Its not the varroa that does for the bees, it is the viruses that they 'vector'.

I don't know how well the viruses might survive in wax. Some viruses are tough, some are wimps. DWV? Dunno.

But at the point that deformed wings are noticed, varroa treatment needs to take priority over anything else.
I recall reading of research that after a varroa overload, even culling the varroa does little to diminish the virus levels. Maybe the virus is persisting on the wax as well as in the bees?

Doing a shook swarm (thus fresh wax) is considered a great tonic for the bees. Old wax might be seen as a handicap ...

 

[Dunbarrover]

Hi Dunbarrover,
Sorry to hear you have had a hard time of it. As a matter of interest did you do OA as well considering you had DWV in the autumn? Fingers crossed for the other colonies. It is bad out there.

Bought the OA, but didn't use it - combination of bad weather and reservations about using it. Learnt my lesson for this coming year, varroa control top priority.

 

[Dunbarrover]

Thanks for the advice.

Looks like new foundation all round when i get to re-stocking.

 

[VEG]

Honestly.......I would reuse the frames......varroa won't survive without the bees....as long as you are happy in your own mind that disease was not likely....why waste good comb?
Others will doubtless disagree tho!

Re using combs with dead bees in them is bad practice

 

[Chris B]

Re using combs with dead bees in them is bad practice

If varroa was the problem most frames won't have dead bees.

 

[VEG]

The OP said dead hives not empty hives. Dead hives usually have dead bees in the combs. Would you re use the comb?

 

[mbc]

Re using combs with dead bees in them is bad practice

Is it ?
If the op has no history of foul brood and there's little about in the area then I would suggest reusing decent combs after clearing nosema with acetic acid fumes is common practice with few associated risks. Virus' die quite quickly once away from live bees.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Treat with acetic acid for a few weeks and then if there are any frames with dead bees try and house a swarm in a brood box with these frames.

They will clean them up in no time at all.

 

[Chris B]

The OP said dead hives not empty hives. Dead hives usually have dead bees in the combs. Would you re use the comb?

I'd re-use anything that still looked reasonable. Dead brood or anything more than a fist size of dead bees rammed in cells is more likely to get recycled in a melter. Apart from simple starvation, dead hives are usually dead because the population dipped below the critical mass, so you wouldn't expect many bees at all. Until the later stages the living chuck out the dead.
Disease is the other factor - dud queen or varroa don't infect the comb. Foulbrood and nosema do. (Viruses I don't know but I don't think so). Important to know why they died.

 

[flemage]

I have re-used combs from a hive that died out through I THINK…..isolation starvation.

My thoughts were around the cost of the foundation the fact that the drawn combs were only a year old, and the amount of potential honey / growth that is expended in making new comb.

The thing is as 2012 was sooo poor the colony didn’t build up well and then it leaves you wondering, what if it was some thing wrong with the comb….

Suppose it comes down to your hive your choice

Good luck

 

[Pete D]

I had a dead out this morning, very small when I looked 3 weeks back and I put on my notes possible drone layer. Sure enough when I pulled the frames this morning in the shed I had drone brood but probably worker not queen as very haphazard pattern. I will stick these frames in the freezer for a few days and then re-use them. Plenty of stores in them and new foundation last summer.
Will the bees clear up the drone laying extended cells and revert back to worker or should I take a modelling knife to them, to help encourage them.
Pete D

 

[AndyJThompson]

I was under the guidance that once comb is drawn out to drone sizing they very rarely change it back so scraping back would be my course of action. Though maybe I will be proven wrong. I am sure some one will correct me.

 

[Chris Luck]

I'd re-use anything that still looked reasonable. Dead brood or anything more than a fist size of dead bees rammed in cells is more likely to get recycled in a melter. Apart from simple starvation, dead hives are usually dead because the population dipped below the critical mass, so you wouldn't expect many bees at all. Until the later stages the living chuck out the dead.
Disease is the other factor - dud queen or varroa don't infect the comb. Foulbrood and nosema do. (Viruses I don't know but I don't think so). Important to know why they died.

Same here.

Chris

 

[MuswellMetro]

if you have only three dead hives out of six hives then personally i would no reuse the comb but just replace wth new frames and foundation

with 60, 600 or 6000 hives then that becomes a cost benefit analyse versus disease and your expertise at identifying why they died