What do I do now?

jmblakeney · January 22, 2012, 06:20:22 PM

Hello All,
I just went out and checked on my last hive and its no longer in existence. I started off with 2 (a bee tree and a package). The package died about a month ago due to me not feeding it enough to get it started off in the middle of spring. They didn't every thrive and died in Dec. My last hive, the bee tree hive, seemed like everything was going good. They had plenty of stores and in December had a good size cluster, big enough that I thought they could survive with. They were on a honey frame. We haven't had that bad of a winter thus far. As I checked on them today they were just gone. There were about 50 on the bottom board and approx 15-20 on the frame dead.

Anyway, whats done is done and I can't change it, I can only learn from it. However, what do I do now? There is about 6 solid frames of honey left. I have about three to four supers of drawn comb between the two hives. What should I do with these frames empty and full? I noticed that there were two bees checking the hive out as I was going through it today.

My plan was to just leave the two hives setup with a super each of drawn comb and hope to catch a swarm in the spring. Would this be ok or would the wax moth take it over? Also, the honey frames. What should I do with them? I really don't have much room to store them in the home freezer. Should I just leave them in there for the other hives to rob out in the spring and hopefully attract the attention of a swarm?

Any help is appreciated, this being my first year beekeeping I haven't started off well. I am a lil disgusted to say the least. But, I don't want to give up on it, I want to gain knowledge from this and be a better beekeeper this year.

Thanks you all.

James

Michael Bach · January 22, 2012, 06:29:35 PM

First things first.......find out why they died?

Were the bees head first in the cells? Are there alot of varroa mites on the bottom with the dead bees? If any brood, does it look normal? If no brood, could have gone queenless? Is there dark fecal staining?

Answers those questions first. If they died from starvation or varroa mites just freeze the honey frames for spring and the rest of the equipment is fine to use. If they died from a brood disease sanatize or destroy the equipment. If they died from nosema....sanatize or leave alone and feed anitbiotics in the srping.

Do your investigation and find out why they died first.

jmblakeney · January 22, 2012, 06:47:31 PM

Quote from: Michael Bach on January 22, 2012, 06:29:35 PM
Were the bees head first in the cells?

There were some small groups with there heads deep in the cells.

Quote from: Michael Bach on January 22, 2012, 06:29:35 PM
Are there alot of varroa mites on the bottom with the dead bees?

Yes but no more than normal. I have a SBB with pull out tray that I check about every two weeks.

Quote from: Michael Bach on January 22, 2012, 06:29:35 PM
Is there dark fecal staining?

None that I saw

Quote from: Michael Bach on January 22, 2012, 06:29:35 PM
If any brood, does it look normal? If no brood, could have gone queenless?

I did make it a point to check for the queen, but didn't find her anywhere. She was a marked queen and of an unknown age as she was from a beetree cut out in April 2011. The landowner said that they usually throwed a swarm every year but hadn't yet at the time I got them in the spring. So I'm guessing she would be around 2 yrs old. But IDK????

iddee · January 22, 2012, 07:02:33 PM

Honey frames... Freeze them for 3 days and seal them in plastic. You don't need to freeze them for a long time.

Unless you have brood with dark, sunken cappings and a brown, gooey mess under the cappings, I would reuse the dawn comb.

Fumidil in the spring won't hurt either way, so give them a dose when you get new bees.

Kathyp · January 22, 2012, 07:06:02 PM

was the bee tree hive still in the tree?

i'm not from your area, but i'm guessing that wax moths might be an issue in abandoned equipment. if it were me, i'd freeze the drawn comb then bag it up for spring, or treat it with BT and bag it for spring. the honey comb i would not leave out. it will attract all manner of pests. freeze it and save it for spring.

you can stack the comb together to freeze but use some wax paper between so they don't stick. in early spring whenever your swarm season starts, put some drawn comb out in supers and see if you can pick up a swarm or two. after you get the swarm, you can thaw the honey frames and add to the swarms.

if you had a hive in a piece of tree, i'd just haul that off across the property somewhere and let the critters clean it up. no way to really manage a hive in a stump.

jmblakeney · January 22, 2012, 07:15:41 PM

Quote from: kathyp on January 22, 2012, 07:06:02 PM
was the bee tree hive still in the tree?

Hey Kathy,
No, I did a cutout on the bee tree and had them in supers.

Thanks for the other info. When freezing, since I don't have much room, can I freeze a few frames for 24 hrs and then remove them and wrap them in some plastic stretch wrap. I am assuming that the freezing is to kill of any moth larvae that may be in them. And, the baging is to keep from reinfestation, if any?

iddee · January 22, 2012, 07:54:01 PM

""When freezing, since I don't have much room, can I freeze a few frames for 24 hrs and then remove them and wrap them in some plastic stretch wrap. I am assuming that the freezing is to kill of any moth larvae that may be in them. And, the baging is to keep from reinfestation, if any? ""

Correct, but I would change that 24 to 72 hours. 24 may not get all the eggs. That goes for both honey and empty drawn comb.

VolunteerK9 · January 22, 2012, 08:25:18 PM

Not sure how you are $$ wise, but if Spring packages are the plan, I would hurry and get on someones list. Sorry for the total hive loss, Ive lost one myself this winter.

jmblakeney · January 22, 2012, 08:28:59 PM

Quote from: iddee on January 22, 2012, 07:02:33 PM
Honey frames... Freeze them for 3 days and seal them in plastic. You don't need to freeze them for a long time.

Unless you have brood with dark, sunken cappings and a brown, gooey mess under the cappings, I would reuse the dawn comb.

Fumidil in the spring won't hurt either way, so give them a dose when you get new bees.

Iddee,
Sorry I just saw this post after my previous comment.

Great, thanks for you guys replies. I didn't have any sunken caps when as I checked today so I don't think there was any foul brood.

Thanks again,
James

jmblakeney · January 22, 2012, 08:41:46 PM

Quote from: VolunteerK9 on January 22, 2012, 08:25:18 PM
Not sure how you are $$ wise, but if Spring packages are the plan, I would hurry and get on someones list. Sorry for the total hive loss, Ive lost one myself this winter.

Yeah that's what I was gonna do for at least one hive. I was gonna try advertising for swarms again this yr as well.
One other thing I was gonna try is bee lining this yr. I've been reading the old book "Bee Hunting" by John Lockard and some other websites on the subject this winter. Not sure if ill be successful or not but i'll give it a try.

James

VolunteerK9 · January 22, 2012, 08:48:57 PM

Hardwood is the Beelining King on here-he has a video posted on bee lining. Call your local 911 dispatch center and give them your contact info. You would be surprised how many calls they get on swarms, and ususally don't know who to call besides an exterminator.

iddee · January 22, 2012, 08:54:09 PM

http://www.bee-quick.com/500/index.html

jmblakeney · January 22, 2012, 09:05:36 PM

Quote from: VolunteerK9 on January 22, 2012, 08:48:57 PM
Hardwood is the Beelining King on here-he has a video posted on bee lining.

I saw that video on here a lil while back. I think I commented on it on youtube, but I'm not sure.

Quote from: VolunteerK9 on January 22, 2012, 08:48:57 PM
Call your local 911 dispatch center and give them your contact info. You would be surprised how many calls they get on swarms, and ususally don't know who to call besides an exterminator.

I tried everything that I could think of this past year. I got a few calls for hives in brick walls but that was it. I did call the local 911 but they said they didn't do anything like that and wouldn't even take down my info. :-x :-X

Quote from: iddee on January 22, 2012, 08:54:09 PM
http://www.bee-quick.com/500/index.html

Iddee, That was one of the first sites I every looked at. It was where I got the general idea of how things were done when bee lining.

Thanks again for all the input.

James

Kathyp · January 22, 2012, 10:14:11 PM

if you don't keep the honey supers in the freezer make sure they are wrapped really well. maybe put them in a rubbermaid tub or something like that. it's amazing how ants and stuff get into the smallest opening!

jmblakeney · January 22, 2012, 10:18:46 PM

Ok, thanks Kathy.

Vance G · January 22, 2012, 11:17:03 PM

That is a nice cat! You can go to hell for bragging! I doubt seriously if you have any wax moth eggs in your combs this time of year or small hive beetles. Like the lady says, seal it up tight in trash bags or totes. I would put the equipment in a shed out of the sun so it doesn't get forgotten in the sun and get hot and melt some unseasonable day. One of you hives with your worst piece of comb would be just as good a swarm trap as the complete filling of frames. Do some reading on swarm traps and you may very well be able to get swarms. Your hive on the ground will not be first choice. If you put that deep super and bottom board and cover 15 feet up in a tree where the sun can shine on the entrance and reduce it to a couple inches wide, it will be a good swarm trap in itself. Good luck sir.