freezing frames

rober · January 04, 2014, 07:41:20 PM

I have a friend who has a couple of dead hives. since there are no bees to warm up the hives would the weather of the last couple of weeks & that it's going to be in the teens & single digit temps. & below zero at night next week would y'all consider that enough freezing to kill off any critters?

BeeMaster2 · January 04, 2014, 08:17:42 PM

If it isn't enough, nothing would be. :-D
Jim

rwlaw · January 04, 2014, 08:49:57 PM

Shut the entrance up to keep the mice out & it'll be good nuff till the weather warms up.

edward · January 05, 2014, 01:11:10 AM

No!

Why did the hives die?

Wax moths generate heat once they get going, if they haven't started the Cold will stop them.

If the hive died from viruses, efb afb, or nosema the Cold wont get rid of the diseases.

Why did they die?

rober · January 05, 2014, 10:52:37 AM

we're not sure why they died. no signs of nosema or foul brood. could be mite overload as he was not monitoring for them. since they died after cold weather set in I doubt moths would be an issue. I suspect beetles depend on the bees for heat.

edward · January 05, 2014, 01:28:57 PM

How did they die, were in the hive were there dead bees, if any, did they die head first in the frames?

rober · January 05, 2014, 10:15:52 PM

the owner is in Hawaii. i'll continue this when he get's back

GSF · January 05, 2014, 10:20:14 PM

Hawaii? I don't want to call any names out but did the owner's first initial start with Barack Obama?

BeeMaster2 · January 05, 2014, 11:06:38 PM

Quote from: rober on January 05, 2014, 10:52:37 AM
we're not sure why they died. no signs of nosema or foul brood. could be mite overload as he was not monitoring for them. since they died after cold weather set in I doubt moths would be an issue. I suspect beetles depend on the bees for heat.

Rober
The beetles do depend on the bees for heat but in my OB hive they just stay in crevices above the bees even though the there are not enough bee in the upper area to keep them in the crevices.
During the summer, the bees have to keep them under constant harassment to keep them in the crevices. When the hive swarms or I open the hive, the beetles act like they own the hive for about 2 to 3 days, laying eggs everywhere. For the next week the bees are removing eggs and SHB larvae every day.
Jim