Winter Casualties

[eddiespangle]

About a litre of dead bees at the bottom of each hive. Normal winter attrition. Note how the front of the floor has been cleared; I guess they would finish the job if left. Surprisingly my chickens found these little chaps an unappetising snack!

 

[Polyanwood]

I know bees are diffferent and locations are different.

To me:
It seems a lot of bees.
It seems funny that all your colonies have so many too.

I am interested to hear if everyone else has this many dead bees in their colonies.

 

[eddiespangle]

Plenty of bees alive and well there are about 7 seams in each colony. Queens not seen but lots of eggs present. On inspection each brood box had 4 frames of set stores; 4 frames of eggs, brood and pollen and 3 empty frames. I gave each hive 1kg of fondant on New Year’s Day, about 200g left in each.

 

[RoseCottage]

Isn't that spooky ... My two were the same. I am in Andover.
except the lack of brood...

That's a very shiny smoker

Sam

 

[victor meldrew]

Where is the entrance ? Reason I ask is, bees having to lift corpses up over the surround ,then out through the mouse guard would deter the them from doing so ?

John Wilkinson

 

[eddiespangle]

That's a very shiny smoker

I've been polishing it all winter!

 

[eddiespangle]

Where is the entrance ? Reason I ask is, bees having to lift corpses up over the surround ,then out through the mouse guard would deter the them from doing so ?

John Wilkinson

The entrance is on the right side of the photo. The entrance reducer is still in place. There would be no lifting just the challenges of dragging a dead ‘hombre’ a tight metal opening!

 

[RoseCottage]

John,
that is what I was thinking - the girls had so many bodies to remove through the restricted entrance that it would have been very problematic and unlikely at this time of year for my colonies to be worthwhile.

Sam

 

[gavin]

I see that one had 8 seams of bees, and the brood was on about 5 frames. Pretty vigorous!

(8 lines of crystals and cocoon debris, 6 lines of spilt pollen.)

 

[Finman]

.
It is difficult to say what is much. When the winter is mild, bees come out to die. If winter is hard, they die in the hive

What has meaning is the size of alive cluster.

When entrance is in the right side, it seems that bees have carried out a lot dead bees during spring.

 

[oliver90owner]

Or... the cluster moved along the warmer side (away from the entrance) and the dying bees are less at the front of the picture because the cluster was getting much smaller! Who knows!

RAB

 

[Heather]

I had a similar loss in one hive but strong colony. Just clear all -save them the work and help health and ventilation

 

[oliver90owner]

Heather,
From post #7: The entrance is on the right side of the photo. The entrance reducer is still in place. There would be no lifting just the challenges of dragging a dead ‘hombre’ a tight metal opening!

RAB