Bees dying - whats my problem

[castlebee]

I am an amateur keeper. 5 years of single hive success. Over the last couple of weeks I have noticed a large number of dead bees on the bottom board. Never had this before. I work late, and with bad weather (6300' elevation in Colorado), I have not been able to get in the hive. Dressed in my business suit tonight, I walked up to the hive and scraped over 100 dead bees from under the hive on the bottom board. About 55 degrees weather. Bees were stuck in honey and what appears to be wax chips (like sawdust). No guard bee emerged. I lifted the supers, and no bees were in them. I could not see any activity in the top hive body. Too dark to plow into the hive tonight, so will have to wait until the weekend, but I really do not know what to look for. HELP ANYONE!!

[BjornBee]

You are seeing the remains of the last bees in a dying or dead hive. The sawdust is the cappings from robbing.

[castlebee]

Thank you. Is there a way I can tell why they died. Our winter was not that severe. I have not medicated the last two years. I had an excellent honey crop last season. In fact, I probably should have added one more super, but figured that that would just let them insure they had enough stores for the winter.I fed the hive (like I always have done) with a two gallon jar of sugar water under two hive supers in the fall. If my hive is dead or dying, I want to order a new package right away, but I do not know what equipment is safe to reuse.

[power napper]

When you "plow into" the hive this weekend check out the brood nest real close, if the cells are all clean and no signs of foulbrood maybe your queen expired, the evidence or lack of evidence of queen cells etc. may prove that all is fine with your equipment, you just may need a new colony of bees. Hoping for the best of luck to you.

[Michael Bush]

Look in the debris on the bottom for Varroa mites. Sometimes, once you realize what they look like, you will see thousands. If you weren't treating and you weren't monitoring and you weren't doing anything to control the Varroa they would be my first suspect.

[castlebee]

Thanks. If it is Varroa mites, can I reuse the equipment. I'm afraid my hive is totally dead. It was alive in the early spring, but due to weather and other complications, I had not checked it on the inside for a couple of months. I suspect all the activity I saw on the outside were robber bees rather than my bees. As I got more and more suspicious, I lifted the supers and saw no activity in the hive bodies last night. I will tear into it this weekend, but if totally dead, can I order a package and reuse the hive? Thanks.

[Michael Bush]

>If it is Varroa mites, can I reuse the equipment.

Absolutely. No problems at all. The Varroa can't live without the bees.

>I will tear into it this weekend, but if totally dead, can I order a package and reuse the hive?

Of course.

[Axtmann]

When you start with a new package that is the best time to vaporize with oxalic acid. One treatment and you start mite free into the new season. But don’t forget at least one treatment during late fall or winter when no freezing temperatures to make sure almost all newcomer mites are killed.
In my opinion you should go for two colonies, one for honey and the other to play with.
Always monitor mites on a sticky board during the whole year.

[castlebee]

Thanks. I am having no luck in locating a package of bees. I may have to try to locate a swarm, but am not sure how (or who) to contact. I would love to have multiple hives, but I am really not allowed to have a hive in my development. The one I have is painted camouflage and well hidden from neighbors and the street. It is actually in a great location, but I do not think I can push my luck.

[Michael Bush]

Try a hive and a nuc or a hive and an observation hive. You really need some resources in case of problems.

[beebarf]

Castlebee, call some local pest exterminators. Have them give you a call when somebody calls them for a honeybee swarm removal. If you do it for free, they will let you.(Most of those guys dont like to kill honeybees.)

[castlebee]

Thanks - I may have found a package in utah. If not, I'll call the fire department and give them my name. They often get those panic calls. I actually would prefer a swarm, but if I can get a package right away, I can get going. I did tear into my hive today. They did have varroa mites, but I think they must have swarmed in late fall. I have a great crop last year. My hive was full of honey and pollen, thus they couldn't have used much over the winter. There were a lot of dead bees, but still only a 1000 at best. With such a good crop, they hive was surely 40,000 + in early fall.

[scsasdsa]

possibly a combination of varroa and trachael mites. with the trachael mites the bees just seem to dwindle quickly for no apparent reason leaving lots of honey and pollen a few capped emerging brood and very few dead bees inside hive.