Lost my hive

[chris8126]

I lost my only hive that I caught as a swarm.  I caught them in early June I think, and only fed them a little.  All the comb was empty with no capped honey or anything, just dead bees and lots of bees dead in cells.  I cleaned as many dead bees out as I could but my main question is I have bees in a shed that I want to move to this hive now thats its empty, when do I do it and what should I do with old comb.  The hive was 2 deep bodies and most comb had been drawn out.

[schawee]

I LOST MY FIRST BEES LIKE THAT.THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH HONEY TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE WINTER.A FRIEND TOLD ME TO PUT THE FRAMES IN THE FREEZER FOR 2 DAYS .HE SAID IT WILL KILL THE WAX MOTH EGGS IF THE WERE ANY.I DID THAT AND HAVE A GREAT HIVE                                                                                                                                                                                                          SCHAWEE

[chris8126]

If I use the frames again I guess the new bees will clean any dead ones out or is there any other things to get them ready

[JP]

Chris, generally speaking, when you start seeing drones in your area (and you will have to validate this by asking other beeks in your area or checking on the colony in the shed) you can do your removal.

Reason is that if you don't get the queen yet transfer comb with eggs/young larvae from your cut out, the virgin queens will be able to get mated with available drones.

As for your deadout, the new colony will clean house to suit their needs.

Try and always have at least two hives if you can. This way you can pull and transfer resources if need be.

Best wishes.


...JP

[CBEE]

Everybody loses hives :'(   Sometimes they have plenty of stores and just don't move to it and sometimes they run dry. I caught a swarm last year and had to feed the tar out of them just to get them to the point of having enough to overwinter on.

[donm]

Yeah, that's what happened to me CBEE.  Had three full medium supers on two of my hives.  The bees never moved up to feed.  The odd thing, they were my two strongest hives.  I just don't understand why....someone suggested that the lack of burr comb might have prevented them from moving up. :?

[Highlandsfreedom]

Thanks JP you answered one of my questions on a thread I just started.......

[doak]

I don't understand how the "lack" of burr comb would "prevent " them from moving up. Too much could have played some part but I doubt that too. :)doak

[donm]

Not sure I understand either Doak....never heard that before.  Something someone mentioned on one of the posts.  I guess the theory was they would not or could not move up with the gap between the frames.  I didn't stop any of my other hives from moving up. 

[tct1w]

My thought is that there was brood and the cluster wouldnt move off of it. I had that problem but discovered it and put two frames on either side of the brood. Scratched them open. They made it. Just a thought

[Highlandsfreedom]

humm.......
My colony that died had a few cells on the frames with un hatched brood as well I wonder if thats why they would not go up to the top?

[Michael Bush]

It's surprising how little they eat through the cold part of winter and how fast they start at the end of winter when they start rearing brood... and of course how they get stuck in one place with stores in other places...

I would give the old comb to a either an existing colony or put a package on it. depending on wht you want to end up with...