Only queen left...what to do?

Bush_84 · September 13, 2015, 07:57:08 PM

So I went to harvest honey on my three hives today, but instead found two dead outs. One still alive and seems to be in the top deep. I think it was yellow jackets as they have been bad this fall. I have been busy with a house remodel and two jobs thus reducers never got put on. There is really multiple layers of bummer here.

1. My strongest hive died.
2. Two words-wax moth.
3. Loss of honey. I had 7 supers on my hive and lost 4 of them. The other three weren't completely full either.

So my question is what do I do with this queen I found? I wintered 3/3 hives last winter in my heated bee shed. The last hive again in only in my top box. I run three eight frame deeps. Do I steal bees from my remaining hive along with a honey and pollen comb and put in a three frame nuc or just off her?

GSF · September 13, 2015, 10:22:18 PM

Wax moths are usually an after the fact pest. Something brought the hive down bad enough for them to thrive. Like you said, yellow jackets maybe.

I still have at least 2 months of decent weather down here. If it were in my yard I'd take a chance with the queen and new bees. I don't really know the extent of what your saying but be careful when throwing bees together, a newspaper combine may be in order.

sorry for your loss.

Bush_84 · September 13, 2015, 10:33:17 PM

Here in Minnesota we don't have much of a season left.

tjc1 · September 13, 2015, 10:50:39 PM

Wow - really sorry to hear that - I know what it feels like. It's such a disappointment. Hang in there and I hope that your remaining hive thrives into next spring.

hjon71 · September 14, 2015, 02:28:19 AM

They might make it if you just condense the resources they already have into 1 box(in your case 8frame deep) and if you need to, steal enough to fill in any gaps. I'd probably feed 2:1 simple syrup too if you are sure the flow is over for the season.
At least this way you have a shot at overwintering the hive. That isn't an option if you pinch the queen and combine.

Edit- Just an idea.
It might be a good idea to put that new condensed box where the one strong hive now sits to boost the population quickly.

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk

Dallasbeek · September 14, 2015, 11:27:23 AM

Your best bet is to do as you suggested -- move them into a 3-frame nuc and start feeding them. Pinching the queen gives them no chance. The nuc gives them some, particularly if you have a heated shed. How warm is the shed? Will you be able to feed liquid syrup through the winter? If not, look at fondant or just what's called the Mountain Camp method (that's easiest). Just don't give up. Good luck. In the spring, maybe you can do a split or two if you get your bees through the winter.

Dallasbeek · September 14, 2015, 11:30:57 AM

Actually, a 5-frame nuc might be best, with the frames of honey you have left going on the sides and being replaced as needed by the other frames that you freeze until needed. Even if it's not capped, they'll still use it. Where you are, you'll be able to freeze those frames in a chest outdoors before long, right? You won't need pollen until spring, when she starts laying again.

I'm a bit confused by your question, though. Are you saying you have some bees in one hive and a queen in another? Bees and queen maybe in one hive and queen in another? Small number of bees, or a sizable ball of them?

Bush_84 · September 14, 2015, 12:29:01 PM

I don't think I explained my situation well. I have two fully dead hives. Only found the queen meandering on a frame of one of the fully dead hives. I still have one alive hive. It's not super weak but not as strong as it was. I was wondering if I should spelt my existing hive to utilize the nuc but unfortunately she died overnight. So that decision has been made for me. So now I have to maximize my existing hive. So ya lots of 2:1. Mite and nosema treatment. I always mountain camp. Reducing down to two deeps isn't a bad idea either. Probably shouldn't go much less than that. I didn't really inspect that lowest deep either. It may be full of pollen. The others were. If that is the case I will leave them all three.

Dallasbeek · September 14, 2015, 02:55:52 PM

Put her in a small bottle of alcohol. Those pheromones can be useful for a swarm trap.

Michael Bush · September 14, 2015, 04:13:07 PM

>1. My strongest hive died.
>2. Two words-wax moth.

Wax moths don't kill healthy colonies. They just take advantage of weak colonies.

This time of year, in MN, I'd drop her in a jar of alcohol for swarm lure later. It's getting late to spend a lot of effort on just a queen and you'll have to weaken some hive to do it...

Bush_84 · September 14, 2015, 11:28:47 PM

Ya I'm aware the moths didn't kill the hive. It was just a bummer that I also have to deal with wax moths. I'm not certain but I suspect yellow jackets. Then the wax moths came in. The hive with the queen seems devoid of moths but the hive that was the weakest has them. Plan on freezing the combs.