I had my second hive abscond today tats two this week.It is very hot here this week and no bee forage to speak of.I cut a hive out saturday noot one drop of honey in that hive.Boy this is a tuff year.My three survivors are doing good though.These two hives were weak.Mother nature weeds the weak out
kirk-o
Had a swarm I captured about 3 weeks or so ago abscond before I could transfer them from the swarm trap to the super. I hung them in the beeyard for two days and returned on the third day to see they had absconded. My yard is and was in a dearth then. I contribute the dearth as the cause for the bees to move on.
It doesn't hurt to feed in a dearth if you close the entrances down enough to protect against robbers.
Yes Michael it is ok to feed.I have just learned here in L A that if I feed the ants come I mean ants.I don't feed until like october or the ants overwhelm the hives.It is a problem. I tried diging holes filling with water putting hives in the middle the water atracts the ants the ants keep comming until there is enough dead ants in the water to cross over to the hive.I just try to stick it out.
kirk-o
I try to avoid feeding when it's not necessary because of robbing and pests, but I don't want them to starve nor do I want them to abscond...
feed them girls and sprinkle some cinnamon around your hives if you don't like chems.
As much as I am opposed to the excluders. The ones made by Mt. Brushy that go over the entrance will help. http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=675 (http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=675)
They also work when dealing with robbing issues.
And as others have said, feed them.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
Quote from: Kirk-o on September 03, 2007, 01:50:28 PM
I had my second hive abscond today tats two this week.It is very hot here this week and no bee forage to speak of.I cut a hive out saturday noot one drop of honey in that hive.Boy this is a tuff year.My three survivors are doing good though.These two hives were weak.Mother nature weeds the weak out
kirk-o
Wicked heat there lately.
try using 2lb plastic bags to feed.Thats what most beekeepers here use(those that need to fed). just mix your sugar water, pour it into the bags and tie them. Place them in the hive & you're done.
P.S. clear plastic bags
Well I lost another hive today just to let every one know and understand.The ants over run another hive of mine I sprayed and used boric acid morning and at evening they kept comming the removed all the broad and about tweleve frames of honey in twenty four hours.Thes antttttttttsssss are pretty desperate I'm looking for a place to move my last two hives this like the New Testament bad stuff there must of been a million of them
kirko
sorry to hear of your loss kirko. hopefully you can salvage the remaining hives.
It was so hot these couple of days here in LA..... my bees werent doing so good.. saw alot of them dead on the ground.. almost lost the whole hive...but they managed to survive