Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: AdmiralD on January 19, 2006, 02:40:55 pm
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Well, I braved the wet weather here to find that one one of my colonys had died. This colony, while it had morning sun, did not have afternoon sun....But it was protected from the wind and next to my shed.
What I noticed was the following-
The hive itself was a big as a large softball. Quite a contrast from last summer when bees were bearding outside of the hive.
There was frames of honey, but they were on the outside, next to the wall of the styrofoam box.
Many bees were positioned head first, as well as outside of the frame cell.
Much of the foundation, near the ball of bees, had been chew down , thinner.
Lots of mold, on both bees, and some foundation cells near the bottom of the hive. I am assuming that this is normal, as there are no bees to keep the hive clean.
Thoughts?
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The hive itself was a big as a large softball. Quite a contrast from last summer when bees were bearding outside of the hive.
* Lots of mold, on both bees, and some foundation cells near the bottom of the hive.
I seems that dead bees have been on bottom long time. - Or bees have died during long period. And you had food in the hive?
That is normal at all. Thracheal mite, varroa ?
Once I had a normal hive. Full box when I feeded it for winter. I saw that it has a lot varroa. After a month it has 20% bees left.
Nosema attach later at winter.[/quote]
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It's often the booming hives that crash from Varroa. Rearing brood, rears Varroa. I'd look on the bottom for Varroa in with the debris and bees.
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Did the bees have Brood in the area that they starved in? They will not abandon brood and move on to honey stores. Consequently they starve. Also consider the temperarure and the number of bees that are in the deadout including the ones on the hive bottom. Very few bees would indicate the presence of v. mite or tracheal mite--but a very large number of dead bees would mean(at least to me) that starvation,not mite or secondary infection collapse was the culprit. In the case of mold,I would try to increase ventilation using any number of ideas I have seen on this forum. Personally I like the idea of glueing popsicle sticks to the underside of the inner cover to create a small space so that moisture can escape. I have learned this from my many,many failures to overwinter bees and at considerable cost to me. Since your winter cluster was only the size of a softball, I would agree that mites were indeed the main problem. Also take note to see if the bees were deficating(yellowish brown spots all over) in the hive or on the frames or inner cover-because this indicates nosema,which comes along with damp,moist environment.