Bees All Gone.

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Bees All Gone.

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gardening-girl

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 8:23 am Post subject: Bees All Gone.
Totally gutted We did a very quick inspection on Bank Holiday Monday,lots of bees, didn`t see the queen, thought we saw some uncapped brood. Checked hive again yesterday, no bees flying, just a few on the frames. I only had the one hive.So if anyone local gets a swarm that is surplus, please think of me.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 9:19 am Post subject:
That's sad news. Hope you find another swarm soon.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 9:22 am Post subject:
I'd be gutted as well. Hope you find replacements soon. What happened do you think?

gardening-girl

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 9:30 am Post subject:
I am at a loss. Someone on the beekeeping forum recons that my queen died over winter and the other bees died off.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 9:59 am Post subject:
I had this 2 years ago its very upsetting, I hope you find a nuc somewhere. I'll never keep less than 2 colonies again for this very reason.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 11:10 am Post subject:

gardening-girl wrote:

I am at a loss. Someone on the beekeeping forum recons that my queen died over winter and the other bees died off.

You wouldn't have had any brood if that was the case.
It could be starvation, varroa or pesticides IMHO in that order.
Often what seems like plenty of stores soon disappear once brood rearing gets under way. More bees starve in April than December.
It's possibly a little early for a varroa collapse, although if they where heavily infested & the queen also they can collapse anytime. Usually though varroa problems tend to arise when there are most bees in the colony, May & June. If it was pesticides I'd expect to see a lot of dead bees, inside & outside near the entrance.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 11:20 am Post subject:
My nerve went and although the topbar had taken no sugar all winter I put some in again about two weeks ago. They had been very busy but there are not that many flowers within easy reach at this time of year. They do not tend to fly towards us and the sea where there are loads of primroses and wild daffodils and quite a few trees flowering.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 11:43 am Post subject:
Like Tavascarrow says, its spring that can be the killer. Ive lost loads in March. Now I feed at Christmas and again in mid Feb. I have a huge colony which Im going to split. Like Joanne says Im never going below 2 colonies again.

gardening-girl

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 15 12:01 pm Post subject:

They were fed in Oct, bit of candy at Christmas.When we inspected, there was LOTS of food available to them.
There were quite a lot of dead bees on the hive floor.
I wonder if the estate had been spraying, there is lots of corn/wheat planted around the orchard.

I had hoped to get another colony last year, but didn`t.
I`me going to speak to the local chap who does swarm collections,he may get one I could have, funds are low atm, and I can`t afford to buy.

We think we can find a space nearer to home to keep them.That would make life a lot easier.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15996

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 6:07 am Post subject:

Sorry to hear you lost your colony. As Joanne says, it is better to have two if you can. It might be worth finding if the local estate has been spraying. They have to take reasonable care not to affect bees, and if they find they were the cause, changing their spraying regime may help them avoid bigger trouble in the future.

It is most probably some other cause. Check the dead bees and check any brood left for obvious disease, but even if you feed bees, they don't always take the food, and sometimes they expand so fast they run out of stores before you are aware.

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