All of my hives absconded!

Draginol · February 20, 2016, 02:23:59 PM

Warm day today in Michigan.

I checked my 5 hives, all in different locations on my property. All 5 absconded. Almost no dead bees. Each hive full of money (two full hive bodies of it). A number of boards with dead brood that were still coming out (no one to feed them).

I've never had anything like this happen. I might lose 1 have in the Winter, usually due to them running out of honey or rapid freeze (lots of dead bees) but never anything like this.

For the first time in a decade, I'll have no bees at the start of Spring. I'm pretty devastated.

Kathyp · February 20, 2016, 03:50:43 PM

That sucks. Sorry to hear it. Is there anything you can think of that might have contributed?

Michael Bush · February 20, 2016, 07:37:34 PM

When do you think they absconded? Last fall? This month? This month seems unlikely...

tjc1 · February 20, 2016, 11:49:31 PM

Very sorry to hear it - but you've got plenty of company this winter, it seems.

BeeMaster2 · February 21, 2016, 09:03:50 PM

I feel for you. I lost several hives to absconding last fall. I really think it is genetics from African genes. Absconding is normal behavior in Africa.
Was it rather warm for a week or more? I'm sure there is nothing blooming yet where you are. This is what can trigger it.
Jim

KPF · February 22, 2016, 12:01:18 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on February 21, 2016, 09:03:50 PM
I feel for you. I lost several hives to absconding last fall. I really think it is genetics from African genes. Absconding is normal behavior in Africa.
Was it rather warm for a week or more? I'm sure there is nothing blooming yet where you are. This is what can trigger it.
Jim

Jim, how likely do you think it is for Italians from Georgia to have significant amount of africanized genes? Our club (based in Massachusetts) gets packages from Georgia every year, and this year we had a ton of abscondings in late fall, early winter. A bunch in December and some even occurred in January (or at least were detected in January).

BeeMaster2 · February 22, 2016, 01:17:10 PM

Quote from: KPF on February 22, 2016, 12:01:18 PM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on February 21, 2016, 09:03:50 PM
I feel for you. I lost several hives to absconding last fall. I really think it is genetics from African genes. Absconding is normal behavior in Africa.
Was it rather warm for a week or more? I'm sure there is nothing blooming yet where you are. This is what can trigger it.
Jim

Jim, how likely do you think it is for Italians from Georgia to have significant amount of africanized genes? Our club (based in Massachusetts) gets packages from Georgia every year, and this year we had a ton of abscondings in late fall, early winter. A bunch in December and some even occurred in January (or at least were detected in January).

About 95% or maybe higher.
Remember most of your commercial beeks winter their bees in the south then ship them all over the country where they swarm and mix with local populations.
Jim

Kathyp · February 22, 2016, 09:41:17 PM

Check with your club members and see if any have had the same issues.

little john · February 23, 2016, 05:01:17 AM

Sorry to hear about your losses.

There's certainly something very odd going on, which looks like it's specific to your country, as there's no word of anything similar happening anywhere else. Bummer.

LJ

capt44 · February 23, 2016, 12:54:03 PM

Sorry to hear about your loses.
Here in Central Arkansas there have been several beekeepers have hives abscond.
They would have plenty of food but would just leave.
No dead bees to be found, just gone.
I know one man that lost 15 out of 20 hives.
It is still a mystery as to why it happens.

Acebird · February 23, 2016, 05:02:58 PM

Ouch, I'd be pretty bummed if I had 5 hives and lost all of them. Absconding in February would be odd but apparently this is when you noticed them gone. Did you treat and if so how? I am trying to guess on what happened. My thought is that the queens died and the colonies dwindled to nothing. I am not discounting genetics but all five? Even if there was a high percentage of the africanized gene I doubt it would be 100%. Certainly it could be mite infestation but I am not convinced you would have 100% lose with that either.

KPF · February 24, 2016, 03:06:42 PM

Quote from: Acebird on February 23, 2016, 05:02:58 PM
Ouch, I'd be pretty bummed if I had 5 hives and lost all of them. Absconding in February would be odd but apparently this is when you noticed them gone. Did you treat and if so how? I am trying to guess on what happened. My thought is that the queens died and the colonies dwindled to nothing. I am not discounting genetics but all five? Even if there was a high percentage of the africanized gene I doubt it would be 100%. Certainly it could be mite infestation but I am not convinced you would have 100% lose with that either.

This is happening in a lot of places (I'm in Mass). We have had hives abscond a lot this year and can't figure out the thread. Happens to master beeks and novices, and to beeks who treat and don't treat.

Acebird · February 24, 2016, 05:22:22 PM

It is a hard thing to nail down as the cause because the specimens are gone.

Oblio13 · May 03, 2016, 07:44:49 PM

Quote from: Draginol on February 20, 2016, 02:23:59 PM
Warm day today in Michigan.

I checked my 5 hives, all in different locations on my property. All 5 absconded. Almost no dead bees. Each hive full of money (two full hive bodies of it). A number of boards with dead brood that were still coming out (no one to feed them).

I've never had anything like this happen. I might lose 1 have in the Winter, usually due to them running out of honey or rapid freeze (lots of dead bees) but never anything like this.

For the first time in a decade, I'll have no bees at the start of Spring. I'm pretty devastated.

Very few dead bees, plenty of honey left, and brood that died while emerging - that sounds like a varroa collapse to me. Were there white crystals that looked like sea salt? That would clinch the diagnosis.

Johnny · May 03, 2016, 09:45:16 PM

Can Africanized bee genes be diluted enough so the bees will act like European bees instead of mean bees.
The bees around me in west Texas do not seem as aggressive as when Africanized bees first showed up around here.

BeeMaster2 · May 03, 2016, 10:08:27 PM

From what I have read, diluting AHB with European bees does not work. Selecting the gentlest AHB bees works a lot better. Our beekeeping predecessors did just that with itialian bees.
Jim

Jim134 · May 04, 2016, 02:25:54 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on May 03, 2016, 10:08:27 PM
From what I have read, diluting AHB with European bees does not work. Selecting the gentlest AHB bees works a lot better. Our beekeeping predecessors did just that with itialian bees.
Jim

From things I have read about drones AHB. They do show up at drones congregation areas about a half hour before European drones. Plus AHB drones are faster on the queen then a European drones.

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

GSF · May 04, 2016, 08:14:11 AM

Were there white crystals that looked like sea salt?

good article referencing this & 3rd picture down;

https://beeinformed.org/2016/03/08/why-did-my-honey-bees-die/

BeeMaster2 · May 04, 2016, 12:40:56 PM

Quote from: Jim 134 on May 04, 2016, 02:25:54 AM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on May 03, 2016, 10:08:27 PM
From what I have read, diluting AHB with European bees does not work. Selecting the gentlest AHB bees works a lot better. Our beekeeping predecessors did just that with itialian bees.
Jim

From things I have read about drones AHB. They do show up at drones congregation areas about a half hour before European drones. Plus AHB drones are faster on the queen then a European drones.

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

On top of that, the AHB queens hatch out a full day ahead of the European bees which means they kill the European queens.
JIm

Johnny · May 04, 2016, 04:48:45 PM

Thanks for info