Hive absconded

Tyro · July 12, 2009, 08:50:25 AM

So, one of my hives absconded. Left in the hive were 2.5 newly drawn frames (they started out foundationless), eggs (so the queen was there 3 days ago), brood of all ages, and about 30 workers along with some nectar.

We are on a canola flow right now and I can not figure out why the hive took off. They were established from a package this spring (late May), requeened about two weeks ago (all looked well with that) and were not bothered by pests (that I could tell). There were 3-3.5 frames of bees, 2 frames of brood and some stored nectar/pollen/honey at last check about 10 days ago. It looks like they waited for the bulk of the brood to hatch and then took off.

Any ideas as to why? I would like to learn if there is something that I missed or did wrong so that I can do more to prevent this in the future.

Thanks

Mike

asprince · July 12, 2009, 12:32:56 PM

Very strange. No dead bees? Just an empty hive with brood and eggs?

Steve

Tyro · July 12, 2009, 01:57:41 PM

that is correct - no dead bees. The whole box looked perfectly normal with eggs/brood/some nectar - just no queen or cluster.

asprince · July 12, 2009, 02:21:41 PM

No further questions from me. We will have to wait for the more experience experts to respond.

Steve

Kathyp · July 12, 2009, 03:23:25 PM

can you stick the brood in another hive and at least save that? sometimes it happens and there is no reason found. they just take off. i had a hive do that this earlier this year, but they were kind of puny. i requeened them and they left. no reason that i could find.

Tyro · July 12, 2009, 06:48:40 PM

Kathy,

That is EXACTLY what happened in my case as well. They certainly weren't the strongest hive, but I requeened them about 10 days ago and, now, gone.

I did take the brood and put it in another hive. I don't know if I got to it in time though, although my understanding is that once the brood is capped - it does not require bees covering it anymore. Is this correct?

Mike

beryfarmer · July 13, 2009, 12:10:13 AM

see link

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.59.2869

Tyro · July 13, 2009, 12:36:06 AM

good article - I would classify my event then (according to the article) as a 'disturbance' induced absconding event, as brood was left behind. I hadn't been into them since 2 July (when I checked to see if the queen had been successfully introduced), so I don't think it was my disturbing them - maybe ants?

Oh well - the hive has been baited with Lemongrass oil - maybe I will get lucky and get them replaced!

wayne · July 13, 2009, 07:47:12 PM

Why did you re-queen? Not sure I see the reason for that. Every swarm I've lost that way was due to me poking my nose in the hive too often. I now give them at least a month before I open the box.

Kathyp · July 13, 2009, 08:08:57 PM

i'm not sure to whom that question is directed.

QuoteWhy did you re-queen?

in my case, it was not a swarm. it was just a hive that was not doing as well as it should have been. it was requeen or combine. i had a queen and it was early enough for them to build up, so i requeened. a couple of days later, they were gone.

i do not give swarms a month. i give them at least a week, sometimes two, but you need to know that you have a laying queen in there. if you wait a month and you don't have a good queen, you are apt to have a hive drifted away, or laying workers. i do agree that they need to be left alone long enough for them to get a good start on comb building and hopefully for the queen to have done her thing for a few days.