I lost another hive today. I think this time it actually was CCD. Totally weird. There were maybe a dozen bees in there alive and that was it. I think that dozen were just from my other hives robbing the honey left behind since they were accompanied by a whole bunch of black house flies. I found about a 2 cups of dead moldy bees on the bottom board and that was it. Nothing else. What's weird is they had plenty of room, zero brood, and TONS of honey! Just dissapeared!
So what should I do? I moved the entire old colony including honey away from my apiary and disposed of the dead bees. Should I send wax samples somewhere?
Loosing hives sucks. Every year since I started keeping bees I've lost hives. I was hoping this year would be different since I left extra honey on each hive and made sure to keep good records and medicate. My other two hives are doing great, especially the swarm I caught in the port of Tacoma last summer.
I don't know what to do. I'm pretty down right now. Loosing a hive is like loosing a pet. Ugh.
Sean Kelly
QuoteLoosing a hive is like loosing a pet. Ugh.
It's worse, it's losing a food source.
Sounds more like your queen died during the winter.
Best thing to do right now is get a package on order, several locals are selling them on craigslist if your local store has sold out
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on April 08, 2009, 12:27:09 AM
It's worse, it's losing a food source.
No kidding. :'(
Quote from: oldenglish on April 08, 2009, 12:53:23 AM
Sounds more like your queen died during the winter.
Best thing to do right now is get a package on order, several locals are selling them on craigslist if your local store has sold out
Something went wrong, whether the queen died or whatever. Sure seemed like CCD to me. It's like they all dissapeared! Nothing left. Abandoned. Totally weird.
Can't afford packaged bees. If my other two hives survive, I'll do splits. Plus I have a cutout to do in my church's steeple. Not to mention swarm calls this summer. It just sucks cause this hive was my very first beehive ever. I've done 2 splits off of her over the last 3 years. I guess it's what I get for not requeening last fall. :-\
Sean Kelly
CCD seems to affect the entire apiary. There are many factors that could have contributed to your hive loss. Could just be you lost your queen. Did you do an autopsy on the hive? Any swarm cells found?
Sorry for your loss, it always hurts.
...JP
Oh Sean, I feel for you, losing a colony is saddening, so many of us know that exact same feeling. BUT....keep you chin up 8-) :lol:. This is another year. You are having that nice spring weather that I am having right now, I know that. Your colonies will build up. If you haven't lost any more by now, I doubt that you will. You have left them lots of honey. That is what can be the problem now in the PNW is spring dwindling (they call it that). The winter bees will be dying off. BUT...your queens that came through the winter will be laying small patches of brood now. Mine have just begun, totally late, but there is two softball patches of brood, capped, open brood. THese days will make the queen really get going. So Sean, head up, chin up, things will be OK. You will hopefully have strong colonies that you can make a split later (I personally would do it after the blackberry flow, unless they are getting into swarm mode, then you may have to split them before blackberry). I think the blackberry flow will be late again this year. Last year it was one month behind...I clearly remember that, and no blackberries that were sweet to harvest, too little of that waning summer sun to make sweet berries. Oh my apology, I am ramblin', truly, sorry. Have that wonderful, most awesome day, health. Cindi
PS. Good luck with the cut out in the steeple, smiling.
Sean I'm so sorry, that totally sucks! My green girls had very little capped brood & larva, so am a bit concerned about them. Blue girls had way more & orientation flights yesterday. J
Quote from: Sean Kelly on April 08, 2009, 12:10:11 AM
I lost another hive today. I think this time it actually was CCD. Totally weird. There were maybe a dozen bees in there alive and that was it. I think that dozen were just from my other hives robbing the honey left behind since they were accompanied by a whole bunch of black house flies. I found about a 2 cups of dead moldy bees on the bottom board and that was it. Nothing else. What's weird is they had plenty of room, zero brood, and TONS of honey! Just dissapeared!
So what should I do? I moved the entire old colony including honey away from my apiary and disposed of the dead bees. Should I send wax samples somewhere?
Last I knew, one of the key markers for CCD was that no other bees would touch the honey from the hive with CCD (no robbing, even when the hive is left open, or frames are left out). So if any robbing is taking place, you can probably rule out CCD as a factor.
Quote from: Sean Kelly on April 08, 2009, 12:10:11 AM
Loosing hives sucks. Every year since I started keeping bees I've lost hives. I was hoping this year would be different since I left extra honey on each hive and made sure to keep good records and medicate. My other two hives are doing great, especially the swarm I caught in the port of Tacoma last summer.
I don't know what to do. I'm pretty down right now. Loosing a hive is like loosing a pet. Ugh.
Sean Kelly
I totally know what you mean.
I had the same thing happen to me this year.. It was really wierd. 10 or so dead bees in the entire hive. There was plenty of honey and on warm days bees from another hive were robbing it out so I pulled it and stuck it in the freezer before they got it all. I thought maybe they lost the queen sometime during the winter but I would think there would be a pile of dead bees not 10 or so. This hive was clean as a whistle. No bees , no brood , no obvious reason that there would be no bees. ???????????? Well ,, not to me anyway