I winterized a full strength colony up for the winter in October for the winter. It starts snowing up here around Halloween.
I left the colony and returned this spring, only to find a hive full of honey (65lbs) and no bees? No bees seen in the snow during the winter, which suggested they died. So I assumed when I opened the hive it would be full of dead bees. imagine my surprise. any thoughts or similar experiences?
I've heard a lot of that lately in the bee keeping circles. On another thread we were talking about mites and looking for crystals in the cells(mites defecating). If you can't find the thread I'll post the link about the crystals in the cells.
I lost 4 hives to absconding last fall. So did a lot of beekeepers here.
Jim