Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: Kevin Goats on July 11, 2009, 08:56:45 PM

Title: Hundreds of dead bees
Post by: Kevin Goats on July 11, 2009, 08:56:45 PM
Howdy, just a quick question. I have 3 established hives all with first year queens. I just harvested 22 gallons of honey from them. Then, I put the supers back out in the yard to get cleaned up. When I went out to check how clean the supers were, I found (50-75)dead bees in front of one of the hives. I searched inside the hive and found hundreds of dead bees on the bottom board. There is a ton of live bees still in the hive along with fresh brood (saw a little girl coming out of her cell), also alot of the frames have nicely capped out honey. The other 2 hives are within 1-2 feet of this hive.  It is in the mid 90's in the day and high 70's at night with very little rain here lately (but ,we have several pools and a river close by). Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank y'all, Kevin
Title: Re: Hundreds of dead bees
Post by: Natalie on July 11, 2009, 09:12:06 PM

Sounds like putting the wet supers out to be cleaned up incited a robbing incident.
Title: Re: Hundreds of dead bees
Post by: Kevin Goats on July 11, 2009, 10:12:03 PM
I kind of was thinking that. Thanks
Title: Re: Hundreds of dead bees
Post by: TwT on July 11, 2009, 10:26:06 PM
Quote from: Natalie on July 11, 2009, 09:12:06 PM

Sounds like putting the wet supers out to be cleaned up incited a robbing incident.

i agree, I always put mine wet super about 100 feet from the hives and let them work them over about 2 days, then put them in trash bags and then in a freezer for 20 hours, then I store unless I need them for other hives.
Title: Re: Hundreds of dead bees
Post by: benny on August 16, 2009, 08:12:50 PM
Could it be from a crop duster?  What do the bees do if they got into that toxic stuff?
Title: Re: Hundreds of dead bees
Post by: iddee on August 16, 2009, 09:00:12 PM
They died of a broken heart because their whole summer's work was taken away from them...   :'(     :'(

It sounds more like pesticide to me. If it were robbing, they would still be doing it. They don't stop once they start.
Title: Re: Hundreds of dead bees
Post by: Jim134 on August 16, 2009, 10:00:52 PM
Quote from: iddee on August 16, 2009, 09:00:12 PM
They died of a broken heart because their whole summer's work was taken away from them...   :'(     :'(

                                                  LOL



Quote from: iddee on August 16, 2009, 09:00:12 PM
It sounds more like pesticide to me. If it were robbing, they would still be doing it. They don't stop once they start.


  diitto



                                BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)