Good news and bad news>

RangerBrad · February 18, 2011, 04:12:58 PM

Thankfully because of reading this forum I got 2 hives 2 years ago. They produced 8 gallons of honey even after one of them swarmed. Today i discovered that one of the hives died this winter. I noticed bees from the other hive comming in and out of the dead hive and also bringing out the dead. The hive was full of honey and the bees died in a very small tight cluster high in the upper hive body. I am just guessing but feel that the queen died and with record low temps they couldn't have a big enough cluster to survive.

In yals oppinion should I simply buy a queen and 3-4 pounds of bees and introduce them in the dead hive early this spring or go with a split from my surviving hive? I am concerened that a split early in the spring will destroy my chance for a honey harvest from either hive.
With the hive being full of honey should I still feed?

Or could I just run 1 hive till I collect my honey in June before a dearth then split the hive and feed weel up til late fall?
Sorry for all the newbie questions but I still have alot to learn. Thank's for yals response. Brad

D Coates · February 18, 2011, 04:22:00 PM

Buy a package and add them to a deep with the surplus honey or buy a queen and split your remaining hive along with the surplus honey. They'll know what to do. I always recommend having at least 2 hives in case something happens to one. At this point you're down to one (hang in there!). If something happens to that queen you'll end up in panic mode, toast, or both. You might want to consider creating a nuc or two this year for overwintering as this will give you back ups with fresh queens if something like this happens again.

RangerBrad · February 18, 2011, 05:17:58 PM

Thank's Coats, I found it very unusual that bees were bringing out the dead( is this normal?). I've watched them do this now for a couple of days and opened the hive today and found the above sight.
There were only about a dozen bees or so inside the dead hive which I also found unusual as I figured that the thriving hive would really be working the dead hive over with all that unprotected honey.
The thriving hive is really active and they are also bringing in pollen from somewhere. Brad

RangerBrad · February 18, 2011, 05:22:14 PM

There were bees in the clusters buried head first in empty cells sorrounded with honey. Others looked a snapshot frozen in time.(Didn't break the lower hive body loose but upper had appx. 40 or more pounds in it)
Would yal think I made a pretty good assesment of the cause? Brad

Michael Bush · February 19, 2011, 04:35:37 AM

All dead hives over winter will have many bees with their heads in cells. That's how they cluster tightly for warmth. I would read more into whether or not they are on contact with stores.

Acebird · February 19, 2011, 10:09:25 AM

QuoteI would read more into whether or not they are on contact with stores.

There is something I don't understand here. If the bees are flying around bring in pollen, why would they be in cluster? What would stop them from getting the available honey?

T Beek · February 19, 2011, 10:44:36 AM

The original post describes TWO colonies :)

thomas

Acebird · February 19, 2011, 11:54:10 AM

Quote from: T Beek on February 19, 2011, 10:44:36 AM
The original post describes TWO colonies :)
thomas

I noticed that. I also notice it was Feb. 18th, yesterday in Booneville, AK I am assuming. If the bees can fly around they can get the honey I would think. So starving doesn't make sense to me unless it happened a while ago and it wasn't noticed until yesterday.

T Beek · February 19, 2011, 12:56:16 PM

That was also my assumption, that they'd succumbed awhile a go. There wasn't alot of info provided so assumptions are to be expected.

And YES Rangerbird, you should expect to see undertakers carying out their dead on warm days, they can travel quite a distance too.

thomas

Michael Bush · February 20, 2011, 08:58:28 PM

Robbers don't bring out the dead in a hive that isn't theirs. Are you sure they aren't still alive?

T Beek · February 21, 2011, 10:21:12 AM

Ohhhh Michael, its why I love ya man. That is such a good point (and just an assumption on most of our parts probably). can't wait for the answer.

thomas

Bee Happy · February 21, 2011, 02:30:50 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush on February 20, 2011, 08:58:28 PM
Robbers don't bring out the dead in a hive that isn't theirs. Are you sure they aren't still alive?

Glad to see I'm perceiving along the right lines - when I read about the dead being carted out I wondered about exactly that.

RangerBrad · February 21, 2011, 04:59:24 PM

The dead hive died some time during the winter. The adjacant hive is the one flying and bringing in pollen to the live hive. There are definantly bodies being brought out of the dead hive and that throws me, also as i didn't believe the adjancant hive members would bring out the bodies from the dead hive, I don't know if it is just a remnant of the hive or what. There are a few dead clusters high in the top body. Dead being brought out and dumped in front of the hive(quite a pile now) and bees going non-chalantly between the 2 hives. Not in a frenzy type robbing situation. When I opened the dead hive there were no more than a dozen or so bees in it and I assumed they were from the live hive and in the dead hive collecting honey. And it is Booneville Arkansas not Booneville Alaska. I hope this makes it more clear. sorry for any confusion. Brad

RangerBrad · February 21, 2011, 05:05:33 PM

Also the dead clusters were small, about the size of your palm. they of course had there heads in the cells and completly surrounded by honey. Other bees werejust dead here and there like they died instantly. Brad

Brian D. Bray · February 22, 2011, 11:53:57 PM

Quote from: RangerBrad on February 21, 2011, 04:59:24 PM
The dead hive died some time during the winter. The adjacant hive is the one flying and bringing in pollen to the live hive. There are definantly bodies being brought out of the dead hive and that throws me, also as i didn't believe the adjancant hive members would bring out the bodies from the dead hive, I don't know if it is just a remnant of the hive or what. There are a few dead clusters high in the top body. Dead being brought out and dumped in front of the hive(quite a pile now) and bees going non-chalantly between the 2 hives. Not in a frenzy type robbing situation. When I opened the dead hive there were no more than a dozen or so bees in it and I assumed they were from the live hive and in the dead hive collecting honey. And it is Booneville Arkansas not Booneville Alaska. I hope this makes it more clear. sorry for any confusion. Brad

Only if there are still stores in the dead hive and it is being robbed by the remaining hive, in that case the robbing bees will remove the bodies of those bees that block access to the remaining stores.