Survivor Hives

[bwallace23350]

I only have two hives so I hope they find those wild bees .

[sc-bee]

b wallace... and you are locate where? Update profile 

[bwallace23350]

Central Alabama around Montgomery.

[sc-bee]

Central Alabama around Montgomery.

Do you know how to update your location in profile... I am sure you are aware, sometimes beekeeping is about location

[Joe D]

To the best of my recollection I bought my first hives in 2011.  The old beek that had them I had visited with the summer before.  The spring of 2011 I stopped by a few times with no answer at the door, I found out he had died.  I asked and got in touch with his daughter, she sold the bees that were still there to me.  There were three hives, I still have one of those Hives in the same spot as when they first arrived here.  They have never been queenless, and this past year was one of their best production years.  I don't know how long the older fellow had had them and I think he may have treated them, not sure, But I have not treated any of my bees for mites as of yet.  The three hives were single deeps  with a shallow super on top when I got them.  The brood boxes were in bad shape, I had built new ones before I picked the up.  When I got em home I put them in new double deep 10 frame brood boxes, using the frames they were in and 10 frames with no foundation just a paint stir stick cut down the middle as a starter strip. Every other one was foundationless and then their drawn out frames.  Got to rambling again.

Good luck to you all and your bees

Joe D

[wadehump]

6 hives that are in there 5th winter nothing done to them other than a coat of paint and steal the surplus. 13 swarms caught last year 1 dead as of today and it was the 1st swarm caught

[Michael Bush]

A year means they can get through the winter, which is a good quality.  It doesn't mean much about Varroa.  Two means more.  Three is more than the treaters say they can survive without Varroa treatments.  So three would mean something.  I haven't treated any of mine in 14 years...

[bwallace23350]

Interesting Mr. Bush. So when should an untreated hive crash in the 2nd year if Varroa is a problem? From my previous understanding Varroa killed the hives in the winter for osme reason or another.

[Michael Bush]

If they are going to crash from Varroa usually they crash in late fall or early winter.

[bwallace23350]

Why do they tend to crash around then?

[Jeff L.]

Large amount of brood all summer that allow the Varroa to breed, and as hive numbers are naturally reduced for wintering the Varroa overpower the hive.

just my best guess

[divemaster1963]

winner winner chicken dinner. you get the booby prize.

[Michael Bush]

>Why do they tend to crash around then?

If you plot the population of bees vs the population of Varroa over the bee season, the Varroa are increasing while the bees are increasing in the spring.  Then in the summer it levels out a little bit, meaning the bee population is staying steady and the Varroa population is increasing slightly.  Come fall, though the Varroa who have been hiding (and reproducing) in the capped cells have less and less brood to infest so they infest them at higher levels (several Varroa to a cell rather than one or none) and this damages the larvae being fed on and makes them shorter lived.  So while the population of bees is dwindling, the population of Varroa is about the same making a much higher ratio of Varroa to bees and an even higher ration of Varroa to brood.

[bwallace23350]

Well when put like that it makes perfect sense.