Lots of dead bees within 5 feet of hive.

[Cindy]

Well, I have been down with a ruptured tendon and unable to get to the south forty,
feet that is, where my two hives are, for 3 weeks.

Finally gimped my way back today and found lots of dead bees.
On the screen bottom covering about a third.
Saw a spot that looked like something wet stained the wood between the screens on the bottom.

Possibly a few larger pieces of comb on the inside of the screens.
Around the front of the hive only saw two bees alive.
Didn?t open anything up because it was in the low forty?s.

I?m a new beekeeper and just about a month ago they looked
happy, healthy, no beetles, no mites, one moth,
and busy collecting goldenrod with frames full of winter reserves and lots of bees.

Today I saw one die as it left the hive and fell to the ground.
There were 3 dead hornets too, but hundreds of dead bees. [attachment=1(whole bodies )

What could have caused this?
Is there anything I can do if they have been poisoned?
I hate that I'm thinking someone did this on purpose.

[iddee]

Neighbors using pesticide.

[Kathyp]

There were 3 dead hornets too, but hundreds of dead bees.

Late in the year.  collecting food for winter.  Robbed?  I had had entire hives killed by yellowjackets at this time of the year.  What kind of hornet?

[iddee]

I'm thinking more bee parts than whole dead bodies if killed by YJ or hornet. Someone correct me if I am wrong there.

[AR Beekeeper]

Without knowing the treatment history of the hive, I would guess that this is the beginning of the die-off of the summer bees.  If varroa numbers were high it could be a virus problem.  Usually in cool/cold weather the undertaker bees will drop the dead close to the entrance rather than far from the hive.

[2Sox]

The only thing that I have found that causes this is either pesticide, or the tracheal and varroa mite load is very high.  Happens every year here in NYC which does aireal spraying for mosquitos, and it's awful.

[Ben Framed]

I don?t know, but by reading what others have posted, I would hope Ar is right but kind of think iddee and 2Sox hit it, unless yellow jackets do not leave body parts as questioned by iddee. This is interesting, sorry for your heavy losses of this hive.
Phillip

[BeeMaster2]

Picture is too fuzzy to see if the bees are cut up but Yellow Jackets is my bet. They are in front of the hive and inside.
Are there still live bees in the hive?
Can you hear them when you put your ear to the hive?
Jim Altmiller

[FloridaGardener]

Usually in cool/cold weather the undertaker bees will drop the dead close to the entrance rather than far from the hive.

I think this is true, as our nights cool down into the 30s. Although we're still at 60-70 daytime, it's cold early in the morning.  Thought I'd better check to be sure, when I saw three dozen dead bees at the front of the hives today.  I used a jeweler's loupe to check the bottom tray for mites - none whatsoever.  I was hoping they weren't out of food because of the drought here!

The top frames were looking light, so I made them a sundae....sugar mush with vitamin C and zinc, a crush-and-strain goo topping, and a pollen patty straw. :) The kids seemed to love it.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eea.12342
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