My bees need more workers.

Luckyparrot · June 05, 2009, 03:14:56 AM

I took this picture few days ago. As you can see, there are not much bees in the box, and today I look at it again and there seem to be about a hundred bees left. This colony started about two weeks ago, so the broods are not ready to become workers, yet. The reason that the population has reduced so tramatic was that I did that cut out when the colony was about 2 weeks and I can't save any comb because the ants had ate them all. So now the workers are at least 4 weeks old and they are dying at very fast. Is there any way that I can save this colony, like introduce some more bees inside the box? Will the bees from a different hive accept this hive?

http://picasaweb.google.com/Luckyparrot2009/UntitledAlbum02#

G3farms · June 05, 2009, 11:30:42 AM

Are they in an observation hive or window??

Have you seen the queen in this hive?

If there is a queen in this hive you would have to remove her and then introduce them to another hive, I like using a sheet of news paper between the hive bodies.

Others will chime in with more brains than me.

G3

Luckyparrot · June 05, 2009, 12:03:50 PM

G3farms, yes that is the observation window, and yes there is a queen in there. I can see her clearly because there are only a few bees left.

Luckyparrot · June 06, 2009, 03:25:43 AM

Guys, I know there is a colony in a giant tree not too far from my home. The tree belongs to the city so I can't do anything about it. The entrance is bout the size of a penny. I'm thinking about put a trap( some thing that bees can only enter but can't exit) at the entrance, and then use the captured bees as workers. Will those bees stay if I put them in the hive for a day or two before letting them out? This hive is the only one that I have, I don't really want them to perish.

Natalie · June 06, 2009, 12:32:17 PM

Do you know of anyone in your area that you could buy some frames of brood and workers from?
I just did that with one of my hives.
It seemed that one hive drifted over to another, leaving a small group in the other hive.
I contacted the guy I bought them from and asked to purchase some frames of brood and he gave me 6 frames of brood and workers.

Luckyparrot · June 06, 2009, 11:33:18 PM

Natalie, I don't know anyone that has bees, so tonight I'll go to that tree and put a trap there. I'll only take some bees because I don't want to hurt that hive either.

Natalie · June 06, 2009, 11:49:17 PM

Bummer, I hope it all works out for you.

doak · June 07, 2009, 01:20:29 AM

Luckyparrot, if and when you can get another or two more colonies going.
That way you will have some help from a "hopefully" strong colony to use for a weak one when and if this should occur again.
If the queen is laying at a rate faster than the natural die off rate it should be O.K.
You should have some workers starting to take to the field.
If it is at the point of no return, it may be doomed with out more bees or brood. They have to have a set amount of bees to begin with to survive.
Sorry to have to come to the blunt point.doak

Luckyparrot · June 08, 2009, 02:10:24 AM

Bad news, guys. I trapped about two hundred bees in a plastic container, but after only few hours most of them are death. Why do bees die in plastic container? By tomorrow I think they will all gone. I did make some little holes for air.