spring hive behavior

Grid · March 14, 2010, 11:30:06 AM

Just trying to get a feel for what is normal and what is not. :)

I have two hives that so far have made it through the winter. I put dry sugar and 4% pollen patties on 3 weeks ago. Both hives ate about 25% of the sugar and one pollen patty over the first two weeks. The Russian hive is still eating sugar and pollen patty at the same rate. My Hawaiian hive has stopped. They seem to be in there - I can hear them, and there are a small number of bees alive at the top of the hive. Also, there are dead bees on the sugar and pollen patty in the Hawaiian hive (about 20) but none on top of the Russian. There is still snow on the ground here in Ottawa, and the temperatures have been between -5C and +5C (23F - 41F) or thereabouts, so I have not really opened up the hives to look. Also we might get a last cold snap, maybe more snow, so I am trying to leave them be.

Is that normal for a hive to take sugar and pollen sub for 2 weeks and then just stop for a week at this time of year? Not much I can do one way or the other, but I want to learn.

Also, there are quite a few "bee-holes" in the snow. Pretty much everywhere I look around the hives there are holes melted in the snow about 4 inches deep, about the diameter of a bee with a dead bee at the bottom. Again, is this normal?

Thanks!
Grid.

Kathyp · March 14, 2010, 11:40:15 AM

yes, and each hive will take differently. if there is natural pollen around, most will not touch the pollen patties. a few will. they will take syrup if they need it and until they run out of room to store it.

you should check inside as soon as your weather permits and make sure they are not overfilled with food. if you are, you'll need to fix that so that the queen has room to lay.

this year i started feeding early as i guessed that the mild winter and early spring would leave them light on stores. i guessed wrong. on the first check i found that they were pretty stuffed with food.

Grid · March 14, 2010, 12:15:22 PM

Thanks Kathy. Middle of this week is supposed to be a high of +12C (54F) and sunny. Looks like I'm taking my lunch hour out at the bee yard. :)

Grid.

CBEE · March 14, 2010, 12:16:40 PM

Yeah, It seems every hive is a little different and every year is a little different. I have one hive that is taking all the feed I give them and another hive that could care less about it being there. Our day time temps here have been between 50 and 65 deg F during the day the last couple of weeks and they are both dragging in the pollen like mad. Dead bees are normal and dont freak out if you see a couple hundred or so piled in front of the hive when they start spring cleaning :-D

Grid · March 17, 2010, 04:59:54 PM

Well, today was nice and sunny, no wind, 15C (59F). I did my first thorough inspection of my hives. Opened them all up, looked at every frame.

- The Russian hive is doing well. There are lots of bees, eating pollen patties and dry sugar, eggs and brood in all stages so we have a laying queen. About 4 frames of brood all together in the upper super.

- The Hawaiian hive has lots of bees, but I saw no queen, no eggs, larvae or capped brood. Could she just be a late starter, or is it more likely that she is dead?

Grid

Kathyp · March 17, 2010, 05:16:03 PM

as mild as our western weather has been, you should be seeing at least a little brood. can you swipe a frame of eggs and very young larvae from the other hive? put it in the slower hive and then check it again in a couple of days. if they have started building queen cells, you are probably queenless. this will also hold them while you order another queen. you should be able to find one pretty soon even here. you may not be able to let them requeen themselves. don't know about you, but i have no drones here yet.

Grid · March 17, 2010, 06:23:04 PM

Good idea Kathy. I have two queens ordered, but don't expect them until mid May at the earliest. Swapping in a frame of brood will at least tell me if she is there or not so I will know how to proceed. I'll let you know. :)

Grid · March 19, 2010, 08:44:44 PM

Got the frame of eggs into the egg-less hive. I will check on Sunday for queen cells.

hankdog1 · March 19, 2010, 09:09:08 PM

now i'm just curious about this but what are you calling a Hawaiian hive? never have i heard bees designated as Hawaiian. Sounds like your getting some good sound advice from Kathy there though. I don't see anything that i might do differently.

Grid · March 20, 2010, 10:06:48 AM

http://www.konaqueen.com/

I have an Italian queen from Hawaii. So technically you are correct - they are Italian. But certainly not local to Ontario, so I call them Hawaiian.

hankdog1 · March 21, 2010, 04:28:36 PM

Pretty interesting stuff right there. Hehehe nah i wasn't trying to be correct you just sparked my curiousity up. Pretty interesting though i must admit. Hope all is coming along well with the bees and thanks for passing along the info always interesting to see something different. Wasn't even sure if they had bees down in HI the way they are about bringing other animals in to the state.

Grid · March 22, 2010, 04:19:53 PM

Well! 3 days later, and no queen cells. I guess I have a late starter.

:-D

Grid

Grid · April 04, 2010, 08:44:45 PM

:( Oh well. I was wrong. It took a couple of weeks, but there are 3 queen cells on the frame of eggs, and no eggs/larvae anywhere. The queen did not make it somehow. I put another frame of eggs in the hive, and will see if they recover or not - I am not taking any more frames of egg/brood from my good hive. If they are not able to raise a queen, I will shake them out, and split when my ordered queens are available.

Grid.