Hives Are Dissapearing?

Bee Boy · August 17, 2007, 04:30:39 PM

Hi All! Its been a long time since i've been here but i really need everyones help.

So today i was collecting supers to do my honey harvest. And I got to the location that produces the most honey year after year and always has the healthiest hives etc....The first hive i opened, all the bees were gone, all of them. This has happened to a few of my other hives but i figured that they died off. This was a second year hive!! I checked it about 3 weeks ago and it was fine. I know all the bees get up and leave only when there is a major problem. But i couldnt detect any 3 weeks ago or now. They had lots of brood, a good queen, and the other hives right next to it are doing great so its not the location. Could this be CCD?

Thank you all!!!

Bee Boy

JP · August 17, 2007, 04:40:24 PM

Perhaps they abscounded. Were they honeybound? Did they have honey? Perhaps you were in a dearth and they went where they could find nectar.

Potlicker1 · August 17, 2007, 05:01:45 PM

I think you should report this to the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture or the appropriate dept.

Bee Boy · August 17, 2007, 06:27:28 PM

They had tons of honey and brood as did the hives right next to it (6 inches) away. I am going to report it to the Department of Agriculture in Illinois however these hives are right over the border in Wis. Does anybody know if the Department of Agriculture in Wis. has a similiar beekeeping program as Illinois? I looked and i didn't see anything. Perhaps somebody from Wis. would know?

Michael Bush · August 18, 2007, 11:05:56 AM

Are there dead bees around indicative of pesticide kills or Varroa losses?

You might want to read up on CCD.

Bee Boy · August 20, 2007, 11:37:11 PM

No theres not one dead bee around its really weird, its like they got up and flew away.....Whatcha guys think?

MrILoveTheAnts · August 21, 2007, 12:11:25 AM

Could they have... for some reason, combine with your other hives? Did you recently move or rotate the hives, perhaps something in your yard?

ronbert · August 21, 2007, 02:47:13 PM

Take a frame of honey or brood from the empty hive and replace a frame in a "good" hive.
If bees in "good" hive "flee" the frame then this is a result beekeepers with CCD have seen
in their empty hives. If honey from the frame is dribbled on the top bars of the "good" hive
the bees will eat the honey. (Problem is in the wax?)
It appears that once the hive has been empty 2-4 weeks; bees can be placed in the hive
with no problems.

Michael Bush · August 21, 2007, 10:21:41 PM

They could have absconded or they could have swarmed or it could be CCD.