Hello,
I have 2 hives started this spring both have been very strong I robbed about 100 lbs of honey and left them the same.
It's been getting into the 30's at night here in Michigan and as a newbie I've been pretty worried overwintering.
To the point yesterday "halloween" was in 70's so I left work early and did a full inspection.
My goal was to of course look for the queen and check their stores.
The "Spooky" part of this is in both hives I found no queen and zero eggs.
Both hives are just packed with bees!! I could have easily missed the queens.
The brood that was there looked healthy but, total less than half a frame of it, I saw no larvae at all.
The cells around the brood that was there were clean as a whistle.
The bees temperament seemed very good, I was in there a long time and they tolerated me very well.
When I finished inspecting the 1st hive I was convinced it was queenless, but the 2nd hive looked almost exactly the same in almost every way.
Lastly there were still plenty of drones.
I noticed some bees had a very pale color not many but I didn't like the look of it, however they acted normal.
Is this normal for this time of year? I really don't know what to do next.
Sorry this so long ........... I just don't get it!
Thanks
Paul
>I noticed some bees had a very pale color not many but I didn't like the look of it, however they acted normal.
New bees just emerged look pale.
It is time for brood rearing to drop off this time of year. You are most probably fine. Someone in your geographical area will probably answer soon and you can compare notes.
My queens here in the south have cut way back. We are much warmer than you and have a shorter shut down but it is just around the corner. Usually in Dec. for me.
I imagine your drones will began to be eliminted soon , if not already, but some hives never go completely droneless.
sc-bee,
Thanks, for the reply I hadn't considered that they were "new bees" that makes sense they were small.
In fact many were smaller in size.
Ok cool, one less thing to worry about.
Thanks again,
Paul
QuoteI have 2 hives started this spring both have been very strong I robbed about 100 lbs of honey and left them the same.
IMPRESSIVE! That is a lot of honey for a newly established hive. They must be in a prime location. Way to go!
try2beegood,
We did an inspection today and found similar results. I'm also a bit spooked by it. The brood chamber was nearly empty, no eggs, no larvae, and almost no capped brood. I didn't see any drones left and I didn't spot the queens from either hive. One hive was a bit more agitated, but that hive has been a bit "hot-tempered" all season.
We're only in our third year, so I'm no expert, but I expected to seem activity in the brood chambers, at least a few frames with action at each stage of development. Should they stop all reproduction during October? (Everything looked fine just 4 weeks ago.)
Pictures on my blog, see link below.
Quote from: jojoroxx on November 02, 2008, 12:29:41 AM
IMPRESSIVE! That is a lot of honey for a newly established hive. They must be in a prime location. Way to go!
Thanks jojoroxx,
These were some Workin' Bees!! there is a state park about 1.5 miles away as the bee flies.
The park has started a program to bring in native grasses and wildflowers from the days when Mighigan
had a good deal of prairie.
It is a boon for the bees!! They like their spot for sure which means of course I need more hives.
Everybody and their brother want's honey, I didn't know how many people love honey till now.
Hope your bees are well.
Paul
Quote from: 2-Wheeler on November 02, 2008, 01:06:09 AM
We did an inspection today and found similar results.
2-Wheeler,
1st of all your blog is very nice.
My last inspection was about 4 weeks ago also.
The entire bottom super was full of pollen and I left them lots of honey.
There is a smattering of pollen left in that super and they hit the honey stores pretty hard.
I found alot of new pollen in the middle super I wondered if they moved it up.
Bees cover the frames there are so many.
I had mouse guards on the entrance the weather was nice so I took them off because I saw a bee trying to get a dead bee through the one of the holes.
They loved it! They started cleaning house of dead bees and yes they started kicking out the drones.
I took this pic Nov. 1st
(http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/7829/bringinginthepollenbd1.th.jpg) (http://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bringinginthepollenbd1.jpg)(http://img126.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif) (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)
They are bringing lots of orange pollen from somewhere.
Let's hope they know what they are doing and they'll be OK.
Maybe they know the weather is going to be mild or something.
Good luck, I hope you Bees do well.
Paul
Paul,
I spoke to a member of the local bee club who has many years of experience. He said 10 of 12 of his colonies in the same area are having the same trouble (missing brood). He said other beeks in this area (Colorado) are seeing similar problems over the past 2 weeks. His theory is that it is related to the presence of neoniconoids in the local corn crops. He said the best thing to do was feed pollen and see if that could trigger the queen into producing again.
From the great photo, it looks like yours have found a local pollen source. (Are dandelions still blooming there?) If you get a chance to check them again in a few weeks, please post an update here and let us know if your queens are producing again. (Don't open the brood chamber unless it is a really warm day though.)
-David
Paul great pic and good luck with your bee's.
Quote from: try2beegood on November 01, 2008, 10:59:03 AM
Hello,
I have 2 hives started this spring both have been very strong I robbed about 100 lbs of honey and left them the same.
It's been getting into the 30's at night here in Michigan and as a newbie I've been pretty worried overwintering.
To the point yesterday "halloween" was in 70's so I left work early and did a full inspection.
My goal was to of course look for the queen and check their stores.
The "Spooky" part of this is in both hives I found no queen and zero eggs.
Reason # 13 to have marked queens ;)
Quote
Both hives are just packed with bees!! I could have easily missed the queens.
The brood that was there looked healthy but, total less than half a frame of it, I saw no larvae at all.
The cells around the brood that was there were clean as a whistle.
Lots of bees is good, most of my queens have stopped laying. When the queens stop laying, they thin down making them harder to find if they aren't marked.
Quote
The bees temperament seemed very good, I was in there a long time and they tolerated me very well.
When I finished inspecting the 1st hive I was convinced it was queenless, but the 2nd hive looked almost exactly the same in almost every way.
I would venture a guess that things are OK. Now if you only spotted those queens, you would feel better :-P
Never underestimate the value of marking queens relative to your stressing over a hives condition. :-P
Quote from: 2-Wheeler on November 02, 2008, 08:44:19 PM
Paul,
I spoke to a member of the local bee club who has many years of experience. He said 10 of 12 of his colonies in the same area are having the same trouble (missing brood). He said other beeks in this area (Colorado) are seeing similar problems over the past 2 weeks. His theory is that it is related to the presence of neoniconoids in the local corn crops. He said the best thing to do was feed pollen and see if that could trigger the queen into producing again.
From the great photo, it looks like yours have found a local pollen source. (Are dandelions still blooming there?) If you get a chance to check them again in a few weeks, please post an update here and let us know if your queens are producing again. (Don't open the brood chamber unless it is a really warm day though.)
-David
David,
That sound serious, I watched a video on youtube on neoniconoids..check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_XnvZAcM0U
She seems to referring to CCD mostly. I don't know who she is but she's is clearly well informed.
Really sounds more extreme than what your seeing. The frames on your blog look pretty healthy otherwise.
Sorry, if this video scares the heck out of you!
I don't know where my bees are getting this orange pollen because as far as I can see all the flowers in this area are
done.
I'm thinking it's possibly from trees??
I will do as you say, and try to inspect the hives in a couple of weeks, anything is possible in Michigan.
We say here if you don't like the weather...wait and it will change!
I bought some of that mega bee in patty form, but I have not used it..scared too.
I have read good things about it in some bee forums, wonder if it would help you?
This is unrelated to bees, but where is Leyner to Boulder my daughter just moved there from Utah in July.
Good luck with you bees,
Paul
Quote from: Irwin on November 03, 2008, 09:06:48 AM
Paul great pic and good luck with your bee's.
Irwin,
Thanks for the support!
I can't believe they let me get that close I took about 20 pics to get a good one.
Take Care,
Paul
Quote from: Robo on November 03, 2008, 09:32:51 AM
Lots of bees is good, most of my queens have stopped laying. When the queens stop laying, they thin down making them harder to find if they aren't marked.
I would venture a guess that things are OK. Now if you only spotted those queens, you would feel better :-P
Never underestimate the value of marking queens relative to your stressing over a hives condition. :-P
Robo,
I'm grateful for your reply, I was so bummed I couldn't find the queen!
I requeened the one hive cause they were mean as heck and she was marked, the other is not.
The drone's caught my eye pretty well I looked hard for her but did not find her.
The marking of queens is really a great Idea.
I don't get why you have to pay extra for it, should bee standard!
Thanks again for your input,
Paul
Quote from: try2beegood on November 03, 2008, 07:35:24 PM
That sound serious, I watched a video on youtube on neoniconoids..check it out....
This is unrelated to bees, but where is Leyner to Boulder my daughter just moved there from Utah in July.
Paul
Thanks for the link. I'm still not sure if this is our real problem, but time will tell.
We're about 10 miles East of Boulder.
http://www.Leyner.org/whereisleyner.htm (http://www.leyner.org/whereisleyner.htm)
Here are a lot of great pictures of Boulder:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bouldercolorado/pool/ (http://www.flickr.com/groups/bouldercolorado/pool/)
Quote from: try2beegood on November 03, 2008, 07:58:31 PM
The marking of queens is really a great Idea.
I don't get why you have to pay extra for it, should bee standard!
You don't have to pay extra, you can do it yourself.
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/queen-marking/
Just practice on drones until you feel comfortable with it.