Bees Gone!

[gguidester]

Long story short.  Harvested 2nd week-end in Aug.  160 lbs off 3 hives sitting side by side in the sunny prarrie location.  Left super on each hive that was not full.  After extracting put another super on each hive of frames that had some nectar, maybe one side capped one side not. Had a great bloom of Goldenrod and some other flowers around for a month. went to take off supers and start fall treatments, late because of a couple of bad weather week-ends.  Noticed bee population in East hive seemed a little down. Put on entrance reducers and plastic top feeders no meds.  Waiting for cold spell to break. Went back in 10 days to see if more syrup needed. 2 Hives NO BEES.  A handful of dead bees on the bottom board. No eggs or larva, some brood seemed to have died emerging.  Very small amount of brood left at all.  Some cells seemingly opened and killed. Lots of pollen in the bottom brood box.  About 4 frames of honey in the top brood box and more nectar. Have left things alone since, but need to know.  Destroy frames? Harvest brood frames of honey? Can I just install packages as is next spring?  Weather supposed to get back to 60s in the next week but winter is near. 2nd year hives one from a swarn.  Other hive same lacation seems fine and is feeding well. Help!  Have 3 other hives at 2 other lacations all seems well.

[Scadsobees]

Ugh...sorry to hear about that.

Sounds like "CCD" whatever that is.  I'd recommend feeding fumigilin to the remaining hive.  Start out packages(or swarms or whatever)  in the new hive, but start them out without honey and feed fumigilin to them then also.

Disclaimer: I haven't experienced this, but that is what I'd do.

[BeeHopper]

Long story short.  Harvested 2nd week-end in Aug.  160 lbs off 3 hives sitting side by side in the sunny prarrie location.  Left super on each hive that was not full.  After extracting put another super on each hive of frames that had some nectar, maybe one side capped one side not. Had a great bloom of Goldenrod and some other flowers around for a month. went to take off supers and start fall treatments, late because of a couple of bad weather week-ends.  Noticed bee population in East hive seemed a little down. Put on entrance reducers and plastic top feeders no meds.  Waiting for cold spell to break. Went back in 10 days to see if more syrup needed. 2 Hives NO BEES.  a handful of dead bees on the bottom board. No eggs or larva, some brood seemed to have died emerging.  Very small amount of brood left at all.  Some cells seemingly opened and killed. Lots of pollen in the bottom brood box.  About 4 frames of honey in the top brood box and more nectar. Have left things alone since, but need to know.  Destroy frames? Harvest brood frames of honey? Can I just install packages as is next spring?  Weather supposed to get back to 60s in the next week but winter is near. 2nd year hives one from a swarn.  Other hive same lacation seems fine and is feeding well. Help!  Have 3 other hives at 2 other lacations all seems well.

Did you find a dead Queen in the hive ? if not, I suspect the hive absconded, darn things do that sometimes, even late in the season. I would not consider CCD just yet ( I believe CCD is a Commercial Beeks Problem ) You really have to ask many questions and investigate more thoroughly before you come to a conclusion. BTW, how did you make your "Syrup" ???

BH

[tandemrx]

I'd be interested in more thoughts on this.  I wasn't understanding that CCD is just a commercial beekeeper problem but that it can hit any hive.
And its been pretty cold in SE WI, so I would think that bees wouldn't be really anxious to abscond.

And pretty sure these were gguidesters productive (i.e. healthy) hives from this year.

Wouldn't think one would need to destroy frames unless foulbrood was diagnosed (I think the state apiary guy will test for this if he suspects it)

[weBEE Jammin]

Did you test the left over brood for AFB or EFB? Stick a toothpick in them and see if they pull out stringy? You probably do not have any problems with wax moths or hive beetles that far north YET.  I had a few hives do that when my neighbor pwdered her veg garden with Sevin Dust. Good luck to you.