View Full Version : Vanished Colony - Best Care for Frames?
sansabar
11-12-2009, 12:31 PM
I've had one of my older colonies "disappear".
No honey or brood in the frames. Starting to get pests in there.
What is the best way to care for/keep the frames/foundation for future use?
I want to make sure nothing can harm new bees that may use it.
SwedeBee1970
11-12-2009, 02:49 PM
Sounds like CCD. Make checks for Foulbrood. In this case, BURN them. Not sure what to do with CCD. May be a simple cleaning. Is there any wax foundation on the frames besides the coating ?
Most pests, (wax moth, Hive beetles, Varroa mites or other) can be eliminated with freezing or heating to a certain temperature. The mouse destroyed frames/foundation if any must be replaced. Bees don't like rodents and remains inside the hive. Too much cleaning.
jesuslives31548
11-12-2009, 03:40 PM
Just a small observation, but I lost several hives to symptoms of CCD. Just vanished. But I just put a few things together and notice several beekeepers from Ga are saying the same thing. Hmmmm I called UGA but they were not interested in a few hives that disapeared. Just an observation from Ga
sansabar
11-12-2009, 08:34 PM
Ants, roaches are in. Looks like moths are starting. Some of the frames are black - guessing foulbrood. All of the frames have been drawn out and are ready for honey/brood.
Only solution to burn? Just the frames/foundation?
I have another hive within 10 ft. Anything I should do?
JonEdangerousli
11-12-2009, 08:38 PM
Just a small observation, but I lost several hives to symptoms of CCD. Just vanished. But I just put a few things together and notice several beekeepers from Ga are saying the same thing. Hmmmm I called UGA but they were not interested in a few hives that disapeared. Just an observation from Ga
I had the same thing happen with my one hive. They just up and left. No signs of disease though.
Should I get rid of the equipment?
I would call your extension agent and have them check the hive for AFB.
Does the hive have a unusual smell, do you see scale in the cells. Your extension agent will check for these and send a sample off to be tested.
I would hold everything in place until the agent can do the inspection. If its going to be weeks before he can make it out (hopefully not) then I would put the frames in plastic bags and put them in the freezer, if possible.
If it is AFB I would burn everything, its not worth the risk. IF there are other hives I would not destroy anything until the agent has completed the inspection.
Ski
JonEdangerousli
11-12-2009, 09:46 PM
I would call your extension agent and have them check the hive for AFB.
Does the hive have a unusual smell, do you see scale in the cells. Your extension agent will check for these and send a sample off to be tested.
I would hold everything in place until the agent can do the inspection. If its going to be weeks before he can make it out (hopefully not) then I would put the frames in plastic bags and put them in the freezer, if possible.
If it is AFB I would burn everything, its not worth the risk. IF there are other hives I would not destroy anything until the agent has completed the inspection.
Ski
I hadn't thought about the county agent. Being in a metro Atlanta county (Dekalb) it never crossed my mind. I'll give them a call tomorrow. Thanks.
*ring*ring* "County extension office?"
*clears throat* "May I speak to Mr. Kimball?"...
/sorry, growing up in the sticks we always called the extension agent Mr. Kimball...
Ravenseye
11-13-2009, 07:22 AM
If you can diagnose it, then go ahead but if you want to be sure that nothing will harm your new bees then just get rid of the frames and foundation and start with new stuff. I love to reuse equipment but it dramatically reduces your chances of "being sure".
Gene Weitzel
11-13-2009, 11:40 AM
There are many reasons for a hive to abscond, which is what sounds like happened here. I really hate to see people start talking about CCD like this. Go and look up the symptoms of CCD, they are NOT that the bees and honey just disappeared. Bees there one day and gone the next is classic absconding behavior. No honey left in the hive means they either took it with them, or it was robbed out, again NOT a symptom of CCD. Also black comb does not mean foulbrood, brood comb gradually turns black with repeated use. All it means is that the comb is a number of years old and may or may not need to be cycled out. Personally, unless you have strong evidence of disease, if it were me, I would spray the comb down with BT to keep the wax moths from destroying it and store it inside a shed or garage for use next year.
JonEdangerousli
11-13-2009, 12:05 PM
...I would spray the comb down with BT to keep the wax moths from destroying it and store it inside a shed or garage for use next year.
BT?
*shows ignorance of what is probably a common term
sansabar
11-13-2009, 12:06 PM
I should probably know this but - BT?
Maybe because I never use chemicals with my hives?
Gene Weitzel
11-13-2009, 12:19 PM
BT is not a chemical, it is a bacterial spore that when injested by a wax moth catapiller gives them a deadly infection. Kills them in less than 24 hrs. It is the same thing that is marketed by Safer as "Catapiller Killer". There is a specific variety for wax moths, check the For Sale forum, Sundance sells it in small quantities:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225796
tecumseh
11-14-2009, 06:52 AM
what gene said (with enphasis on not blaming every dead hive in the us of a to ccd) plus...
rather than use bt I would freeze the frame which essentially accomplishes the same thing which is to limit the destruction of the wax by wax moth. freezing for 24 hours kill everything including the eggs.
if there was no signs of robbing (LOTS of wax debris on bottom board) then the hive likely was a starvation absconding event.
Gene Weitzel
11-16-2009, 03:22 PM
If you have the freezer space, freezing the frames works as an alternative to BT on a small scale. Just remember that if you don't use them when the weather warms up, you better have room in the freezer to store them. I like BT since it is easy to apply to a large number of frames and I don't have to worry about them for quite a while. Its pretty cheap too, only takes a few teaspoons of the powder to mix up a gallon of spray (the spray only has a shelf life of about 48 hrs, so don't mix up more than you need at a time).