Author Topic: lost all my hives (Read 8682 times)

GSF · « **Reply #20 on:** December 01, 2013, 07:54:14 pm »

Kathy, on your behalf I killed around 8 or 10 yellow jackets at my hive. It was around 62 today so I gave the girls a quart of acidulated :-D sugar water. During the process I spilt some and that brought in the ants and yellow jackets.

I've found yj nest by waiting for the sun to be at an angle. Then just start looking around for them flying by. Ninety nine percent of the time they are in the ground. If they wiped out your bee hives then it's got to be a big well populated nest, therefore maybe easy to find. Another way is to walk a few feet and stomp a couple of times real hard. Then repeat. Warning; if you don't find them, they'll find you.

capt44 · « **Reply #21 on:** December 01, 2013, 09:53:11 pm »

Sorry to hear of your lose.
The yellow jackets are bad here also, I've got out yellow jacket traps and they're still bad.
If there is anyway I can help, let me know.
I can let go of a Nuc or two in the spring.

sterling · « **Reply #22 on:** December 01, 2013, 10:21:14 pm »

Kathy sorry to hear about your hives if you run out of honey we will ship you some. Just let us know. Sorry can't help with the bees.
Have y'all tried using raw hamburger laced with aspertane that artificial sweetner. A commercial Beek around here says it will take care of the yellow jackets. I haven't used it because they didn't get bad here this year and I didn't learn about it soon enough year before when they were bad.

ozebee · « **Reply #23 on:** December 01, 2013, 10:39:55 pm »

Kathy, terribly sorry about your loss. Hope swarmpatrol.com will help out nicely for the swarm season next year..

Kathyp · « **Reply #24 on:** December 01, 2013, 11:05:40 pm »

thank you all for your offers. guess i was just feeling guilty because the loss is my fault. i'll make it right in the spring hopefully. until then, i'll clean up my hives and have them ready.

JackM · « **Reply #25 on:** December 02, 2013, 08:58:08 am »

Well, that solves a problem I have, too many hives. And, I am close enough you can come over and get a couple. Trade out woodware. If ya still have my phone num gimmie a call, if not PM me or Email for it. We will work out something to help us both.

Yes, the Yellowjackets were terrible this year, but not at my hives. I spend a lot of time at the Port, and folks have been getting attacked by the YJ and yes even with the freezing they are still around and grouchy as hell.

Kathyp · « **Reply #26 on:** December 02, 2013, 11:43:24 am »

thanks Jack. see how you come through winter and if you still have some to unload in spring, i might take you up on that. i expect a pretty cold winter so....

JackM · « **Reply #27 on:** December 02, 2013, 12:07:42 pm »

Ok, because I really don't want more than 2 and I have a golf course that throws swarms that I get called for, so I 'spect I will get calls in the swarm season. But that plan works for me. Beats buying or selling them.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #28 on:** December 02, 2013, 12:39:24 pm »

Sorry for your lost Kathy. I usually don't have a problem with YJ"s here but I did find one in a hive (and killed it) on turkey day right after a cold snap. I was really surprised to see it. I was just opening the top to see what the bees were doing in the supers.
I have a few left on because the last time I tried to pull them, the bees started to try to rob everything and I just closed them up and left the rest.
Jim

minz · « **Reply #29 on:** December 04, 2013, 12:59:44 am »

I got at least one being robbed out. I need to go and prop the lids open to get the tops ventilated. I have lost 3 nucs when I went to Wisconsin to see my sick mom and the weather turned wet and cold early in the year. I have 4 nucs left, 1 promised to a guy at work and just figure on making up my losses. I think it is going to be a rough winter for us here.
What do you do for an extractor? Your are just down the road from me, I have bees and no extractor. I have been running down to Canby to borrow on and this year I am going into winter with over a dozen hives.
I am about to give up on chasing swarms but trapping worked so well for me that I had to pull them down.

Kathyp · « **Reply #30 on:** December 04, 2013, 11:58:00 am »

minz, i'll send you a PM about the extractor. i think it's going to be a rough one also. just blanketed all the horses and i never do that! :-D

i had traps out all over the place last year and the year before. got nothing except for the one that moved into my observation hive. glad you are having luck with it.

merince · « **Reply #31 on:** December 05, 2013, 12:25:49 pm »

kathyp, sorry for you loss. How many packages are you planning on getting? Are you going to try to get them early enough for a honey crop? You have drawn comb for them, so it's a major plus.

Kathyp · « **Reply #32 on:** December 05, 2013, 02:10:52 pm »

merince, i don't think i'll get packages. i'll try to get at the swarms early and maybe make a few local deals if i can. i can't remember the last time i bought a package ;)

minz · « **Reply #33 on:** December 07, 2013, 09:14:55 pm »

Checking hives today and putting a shim under them to allow them to ventilate and found my pair of hives up in Corbett dead. All the others I checked seemed to be OK. I want to see if any lab would tell me if they have AFB or EFB or if the gear is OK. Since it is December I have time for the analysis to be complete, anybody know where I can send them? I will start a new thread as well.

Kathyp · « **Reply #34 on:** December 07, 2013, 09:55:36 pm »

i'd guess it was not disease. we had an odd year. should have been a great honey year, but was not for most people. should have been huge build up, but many didn't get it. don't know. things were just off.

iddee · « **Reply #35 on:** December 08, 2013, 12:32:11 am »

Beltsville, Md. and Baton Rouge, La.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-45-33-00

http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=64-13-30-00

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #36 on:** December 08, 2013, 06:48:26 am »

Quote from: minz on December 07, 2013, 09:14:55 pm

Checking hives today and putting a shim under them to allow them to ventilate and found my pair of hives up in Corbett dead. All the others I checked seemed to be OK. I want to see if any lab would tell me if they have AFB or EFB or if the gear is OK. Since it is December I have time for the analysis to be complete, anybody know where I can send them? I will start a new thread as well.

Minz,
I recommend you call your state bee inspector. They should be able to tell you if it is any of the diseases that you mention, for free.
Was the hive full of dead bees? Was there lots of brood cells left in the hive? Was there no honey in the hives and no sign of the cappings being ripped out (the bees just ran out of food and left) or was it full of capped honey?
If you can post a couple of pictures we might be able to help out.
Jim

GSF · « **Reply #37 on:** December 08, 2013, 07:24:51 am »

Minz; Have you examined the capping's or done the rope test?

Kathyp · « **Reply #38 on:** December 08, 2013, 12:51:15 pm »

one thing i wouldn't be doing is ventilating. we have been dry and we have been cold. they don't need ventilation, they need heat. the more you ventilate, the more they have to work at making and keeping that heat.

glennj3cub · « **Reply #39 on:** December 09, 2013, 01:04:31 am »

I have never heard of a hive being robbed and killed by yj's! Learn something every day. So I will keep my eyes open for the little yellow things.
Thanks,