Checked my hives yesterday after noticing two were quiet while the rest were out relieving themselves.Sadly hives# 1 & 2 are dead. Double deeps and both have upper boxes full of honey and pollen.Bottom boards covered with dead bees and only a handful of dead bees on the top bars of the top deeps.All hives treated with formic in Sept. followed by Oxalic in Nov. Really not sure what happened, a few cells with dead bees that had been trying to emerge and a couple of spots where the bees were headfirst in their cells. I shook off the dead bees,cleaned the bottom boards and sealed the hives up. What would the general concensus be dealing with deadouts? Leave them outside sealed up ( it's going to be cold for a few months yet ) or bring them inside or will the heat cause everything to mould ( bees stuck in cells) First losses in 5+ years of keeping, still have eight hives so not the end of the world but could have done without!
>Leave them outside sealed up
Yes. It will keep the moths from hatching. Keep the mice out.
Quote from: PerryBee on January 11, 2008, 06:43:01 PM
both have upper boxes full of honey and pollen.Bottom boards covered with dead bees and only a handful of dead bees on the top bars of the top deeps.Really not sure what happened, a few cells with dead bees that had been trying to emerge and a couple of spots where the bees were headfirst in their cells.
Your description sounds exactly like the condition of my dead hive. Sorry. :(
Are you using solid bottom boards and telscopic hives?
Sounds like the age old death due to excessive condensation inside the hive. If the hive did not have a small vent above the frames and air acess from below to circulate the air, moving the condensation out the vent, then it solidifies on the under side of inner top, rains on the bees, and kills them during cold weather. Periodic warmer periods can erase the evidence. If you've ever opened your hive and hoticed the moisture, that hive has a venting problem where the condensation build up can affect the bees.
Thanks folks. Brian, I use solid bottom boards when wintering and I use telescopic covers with inner covers with an entrance cut into the underside rim. I did notice on both these hives that a couple of the frames had a heavy crystalin buildup probably from the oxalic vaporization in Nov. I checked all my hives after the formic in Sept. and found brood so I don't think the formic caused queen loss but maybe I got a little too close with the vaporizer and did these two hives in that way??? I have beautiful frames of pollen in the upper boxes of these hives and an old friend told me to put them in a plastic bag and keep them in a freezer till they can be used in the spring, otherwise they will mould. Anyone ever heard of this? MisfyredOhio, do you still have other hives or just the one? Tough loss. ( On a sidetrack, how do you insert those smiley thingies into yourtext? )
Quote from: PerryBee on January 13, 2008, 09:27:39 AM
( On a sidetrack, how do you insert those smiley thingies into yourtext? )
The smilies above the box you are typing in :? Those smilies :? Just click on them and wham-o they are there. ;)
I will try that one more time :shock: All that comes up is the description of the smiley :? This is not working so I will stop :-x :-x
Holy Cow, in the final version after you post the actual smileys popped up, sorry :roll:
Sorry. Guess I should have mentioned that.
Its possible they got too cold to get to additional stores.