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chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 12:17 pm Post subject:
Definitely, because everyone is in the same boat.

joanne

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

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 12:47 pm Post subject:
Oh Alison I'm really sorry - I've been keeping my fingers crossed that mine are going to make it through the winter - Hope you decide to restock

Tavascarow

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

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 1:42 pm Post subject:

Andy B wrote:

Is getting re stocks of bees going to be more difficult ?

Yes because a lot of bees are dying & a large percentage of the young queens being bred are not getting mated, so are of no use.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 4:14 pm Post subject:
Made a worried visit to mine this afternoon. Still got the fondant on the top, only taken down about half a yogurt pot full. Seven dead bees on the varroa floor, and plenty of fresh looking debris. No flying going on, but when I put my ear against the hive I could hear buzzing, so I left them to it.

lizardwyn

Joined: 07 Jun 2008
Posts: 20
Location: Oxfordshire

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 4:34 pm Post subject:
Ours were flying today Saw evidence of bee poo in the snow around the hive ! Don't eat yellow snow!!!

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:15 pm Post subject:
Sorry to hear of loss - Alison, and others. A.

Ginkotree

Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 2956
Location: south west wales

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:23 pm Post subject:

Thats a terrible shame, I really hope there are some queens in the spring, that why it was so trajic to have the local beekeepers hives vandalised at the museum gardens, they were all doing well. The lids were ripped off and sticks put into the entrance, so they are starting again here.Its more important than ever not to give up but the risks seem greater than ever.....there are quite a few beginners at our group all hoping for queens..

chortlepinkpants

Joined: 03 Feb 2009
Posts: 10

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 09 4:57 pm Post subject: Re: Queen Bees
I would encourage every beekeeper to look at the 'Bee Improvement & Bee Breeders Association' (BIBBA) website and, if you have a few local friends/beekeepers, you look at rearing your own queens. At the end of the day it's in all our interests to try to rear as many 'local' colonies as possible, and help each other out in times of crisis. https://www.bibba.com/

beesontoast

Joined: 01 Feb 2009
Posts: 21
Location: Devon, UK

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 09 12:46 pm Post subject: Re: bees

Nosema would be my first guess, but you don't say how many bees were in the cluster, and they can only survive severe cold if there are enough bees to generate heat in the cluster. If they had already dwindled beyond that point, they were doomed.

I would like to know:

- what type of hive you use
- what you fed them down with in the autumn, or
- if you left them plenty of honey
- did you use cane or beet sugar

Better luck this year!
Phil

alison wrote:

I went up to check the hive yesterday, to have a peep, and all my bees are dead.

Last week we saw them on cleansing flights. Now they were still clustered, but definately dead.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 09 1:00 pm Post subject:
What difference does cane or beet sugar make?

Tavascarow

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

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 09 1:07 pm Post subject: Re: bees

beesontoast wrote:

- did you use cane or beet sugar

I know my local supermarkets don't stock cane sugar any more only beet.
Don't know whether that's prevalent in the rest of the country but I imagine so.
I only leave honey for mine & would rather go without myself than feed syrup.
Good to see you posting here to Phil.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 09 1:15 pm Post subject: Re: bees

beesontoast wrote:

I would like to know:

- what type of hive you use
- what you fed them down with in the autumn, or
- if you left them plenty of honey
- did you use cane or beet sugar

I use a national hive. The bees were a large nuc I installed in August.
During the autumn they had sugar syrup to start with, made with whitworths granulated, then they went on to have renshaws fondant.
unfortunately there was little honey on the hive, but I left all they had made.

Tavascarow

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

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 09 1:19 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

What difference does cane or beet sugar make?

Sugar beet seed is treated with the insecticide that many suspect is linked to CCD
here & even before that I was always led to believe that beet sugar (Silver spoon) caused intestinal problems in bees unlike cane (Tate & Lyle).

beesontoast

Joined: 01 Feb 2009
Posts: 21
Location: Devon, UK

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 09 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: bees

alison wrote:

As Tavascarrow says, UK beet seed is treated with Clothianidin, a powerful systemic neonicotinoid that is highly toxic to bees. Whether or not it is a contributory cause for CCD is not yet proven, but that is why the Co-Op is funding reseach. Whether or not that may have caused your bees to die, I cannot tell, but watch out for this year's oilseed rape - much of it will have been treated with the same stuff.

I am not familiar with Renshaw's fondant, but does it have any additives, such as tartaric acid?

The BBKA is now owned by Bayer, and refuse to make any connection between bee deaths and pesticides.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 09 2:11 pm Post subject:
And there I was thinking I was doing a good thing by buying British . I only got a nuc last autumn so they had very little of their own honey but next winter I will leave them with enough of their own to see them through. If they survive the winter. Thanks for all this info. Our local club is very good and helpful, but they're very traditional.

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