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It would be nice to see some facts rather than the conjecture and wishful thinking that was in the op. if so many colonies died, any sensible bee farmer would want to know why. I would have thought...

I'm sorry to learn of your loss.

If you saw varroa in drone brood in the summer, then there's a good chance that varroa is the cause. As the season goes into fall, bee numbers reduces and varroa...

Dead hives should be closed up so they are not robbed. If they died of varroa, then maybe the combs are safe to re use. If you don't know why the colony died, then the combs should not be re used....

For Varroa I know my hives have varroa therefore I treat with thymol in late summer/fall when the honey supers have been removed. As slide-in boards need to go in for thymol treatment, I naturally...

When there are drones flying of course which will usually mean there are plenty of bees.

If you see queencells then that's a good time too!

A friend has a 6 foot high fence about 3 feet from the front of two hives. Bees are fine, they just fly over the heads of everyone. Neighbours are happy too. Happy neighbours means happy beekeepers!

Your declining hive is throwing out larvae and eggs. Maybe these are drones as the workers don't want to grow drones - this might indicate a drone laying queen - perhaps one that didn't mate?


As...

In my part of the world I expect that my bees will start to rear brood a few weeks after the shortest day.

You have to ask yourself why you are inspecting and if there is any benefit to it. I've...

Ask your supplier if the bees have been treated with anything. A reputable supplier will answer any questions you have and give advice if any is needed. :)

seal62.
This is what I do and it works for me.

http://www.norfolkbee.co.uk/beekeepers-resource/winter-preparation

Note that a UK "National" hive is smaller than a Langstroth - the frames are...

In many cases in the autumn as bees are fed they move downwards as they add more stores above the brood area which is why bees may be found at the bottom of the hive in fall and then they'll move...

If the hive is light, my vote would be to feed fondant/candy at the top.

I would be concerned about feeding the deadout stores unless you are certain that you know why the colony died and that...

With a screened bottom board, there's no need to tilt. If you have condensation in the hive, consider where the condensation is coming from. If it coming from the inner cover it's because that's the...

Why feed honey when it's more valuable than sugar syrup. Also it may contain disease which is harmless to humans but is harmful to bees. Heating (pasturising) will increase HMF which is harmful to...

Your smaller nuc may have just warmed up in the sun quicker than the bigger boxes. Sometimes you think a colony must be dead as they haven't done anything in ages and then the next day that are...

I leave my bees alone over winter until the weather is getting to around 14 Centigrade. A small colony could then go into a small polystyrene hive at that time which will allow it to grow more...

I guess your weather isn't too different from what we get here in the UK.
With an open mesh floor the bees will get plenty of ventillation so this is what I and many UK beekeepers do. condensation...

DWV is associated with varroa so treat the varroa would be my advice. A thymol treatment would be what we would use in the UK. Oxalic Acid is used during broodless periods. Thymol treatments will...

There's a difference between queen cups and queen cells which you SHOULD know! :)
In simple terms, queen cups are small acorn shaped wax cups -sometimes called play cups (here in the UK anyway). It...

I can write with experience from England where the general rule is to keep the varroa boards out from under the hives unless monitoring varroa. We do this if it is 10 degrees Centigrade below...

RAK,
You don't need to worry yet! I've had 22 - 23 days.

Maybe I shoud have said "don't split the brood" As is often the case there's more than one way to treat a colony. However it can sometimes be a good idea to ensure simple instructions for beginners.

Wait 'till the nuc is good and full and definitley don't split the frames - make sure that are put in the new hive in the order they came out of the nuc.

However you should have a bicycle at least 8 feet from a hive. It's just the law! :)


If you want to do an artificial swarm, then you do need a few feet.

Seems like what you've done is not much different to dumping a swarm in a box or a hive. Chances are se'll be fine.