lost my bees

[Beewhisperer]

I did my first hive check on the first day that it got nice and warm...yesterday. I had been feeding with sugar water in a top feeder for a little while, and had noted bees climbing in to get some so I felt they were probably okay. WRONG. I opened the hive to find a little pile of bees on top of the frames, with the queen inside the middle of them. The hive doesn't smell very nice, either. I checked and found that there was a lot of capped honey, but I did find hundreds of dead varroa mites in the bottom board, so I guess that's what did it. I guess my herbal remedies didn't work like I'd hoped.

This was my first hive and my first year. I have already ordered my nuc to replace this hive, but I need to know how to clean out this hive to prepare it for the new bees? How do I make sure that it's varroa mite-free, as well as other diseases that might be a left-over problem.

What sort of chemicals do you use to wipe out the varroa mites? I have heard there were pretty heavy casualties from the bugs this year in Indiana.

It's sad, but I'm not giving up, yet.


Cara

[BerkeyDavid]

I need to know how to clean out this hive to prepare it for the new bees?

Clean off the dead bees as best you can, try to avoid damaging the drawn comb. If there is a moldy mess though you will have to scrape it off.

How do I make sure that it's varroa mite-free, as well as other diseases that might be a left-over problem.

Was there any brood within the cluster? If so try to look at it carefully to make sure you don't have foulbrood. If you have foulbrood best to just burn the hive. But the most likely cause is probably varroa damage with maybe viruses that got going because of weakness caused by te varroa. If all the bees are dead the varroa are no doubt dead too. So simply cleaning out the hive and the bottom board should do it.

What sort of chemicals do you use to wipe out the varroa mites?

There is no magic bullet chemical. Many people on this board try to avoid chemicals and instead go with IPM (integrated pest management) options. THese may include SBB, perhaps drone removal, Oxalic Acid, using sumac or something else in your smoker. There are lots of other options but these are the ones that I use.

IMO you should start with a screened bottom board (SBB) and then monitor and choose from other options. Lots of information here on that.

Welcome to the Board!

[Troy]

Beewhisperer, I assumed you were asking how to be sure the empty hive has no varroa in it to infect the new nuc.

You do not have to worry about that. If you do a fair job (as others suggested above) of cleaning out the mess of dead bees and get it dry so no fungus gets going, then there won't be any varroa either. Basically if there are no bees in the hive, then there are no varroa either.

Good luck with your nuc when spring comes to Indiana.

It will be 80 here today and I caught a prime swarm the day before yesterday. The season is in full swing in Florida already.

[Beewhisperer]

Okay, I will get the dead bees cleaned out. Also, there is quite a bit of capped honey. Is it safe to eat it?

There are some uncapped cells that seem to contain something foamy/crystalized and white. I'm not sure what it is....I guess it might be dead brood, but I took some of it out and it did have crystals to it...like wet sugar.

I'll probably just replace any frames that I wonder about their contents...just to be sure.


Thanks!

Cara

[Hobie]

The white crystally stuff is most likely crystallized honey. I had a bunch of this in frames last fall, and (to this newbie) it looked really weird and I wondered if I had some sort of beetle-larvae infestation (having never seen any of this stuff before.) I'm not going to tell you what to do with it, because I don't know myself. I put my frames out in fall and let the bees clean them. The bees took the honey but seemed to avoid the white crystals and they piled up below the frames.

[Drifter]

Just checked my 2 yards that can get to . Sad day lost 10 out of 12 . All still had honey too , lots of it . They were dead below it and had even started to eat into some . I am guessing the new CCD has come to my area . I know it is in the Joliet area .

From what have been reading they still are not sure if it is passed by the stores or what it is for sure . I am thinking of getting all honey not robbed away from them and maybe extract it . All new foundation to replace their comb too on the honey supers . Am I over reacting ?


Drifter

[BjornBee]

Overreacting..Yes.

[newbee 101]

Drawn comb in your supers, is what will give your new bees a great jump start.

[George Fergusson]

>I am guessing the new CCD has come to my area . I know it is in the Joliet area .

Are you sure? The main symptom of CCD is that the bees are just gone. Not dead, but dead and gone as in not there. Often there will be a very small cluster of bees remaining in the hive, usually with the queen, but there is no appreciable accumulation of dead bees in or in front of the hive.

Many of us don't need an exotic new disease to explain our deadouts. Good old varroa mites, inadequate or insufficient stores, and a hot-n-cold winter allowing them to brood up too early is plenty enough to do them in.

[Jeffzhear]

George, I agree with you...Today was the first warm day here, and I too found five hives dead, but they were deadouts, not this new disease....

I cleaned the dead bees out, closed the hives up and will move them in the near future to a dry location until I put swarms and splits into them this spring...in another six weeks...

[newbee 101]

I am suprised I didnt lose this one. They are hardly any bees left.

[George Fergusson]

That's a small cluster.

Jeff, hang in there. Spring is just around the corner

I checked mine today- listened with my stethescope. They're all alive! 12 doubles and 2 singles. Dunno about the nucs- they're too small to hear anything, the clusters are undoubtedly small and hanging together in the middle of the box.

I couldn't believe it- with the brutally cold windy weather we had this past week, I expected more casualties. Ain't outa the woods yet though.

[BerkeyDavid]

I spent the afternoon cleaning up my deadouts. lost 3 hives and 2 nucs. But I still have 8 big hives. Six were wintered on 3 mediums one on 4 mediums and the other is my old TBH that just doesn't know how to die!

I took some pics but having trouble getting them posted right now.

[russbee]

Was a little warmer today and was able to check hives briefly. Out of all the hives in 1 yard only 1 was lost. Appears to be mite related in cause. No sign's of ccd here and a few other beekeepers I have talked with both lost some hives (mites) but no ccd signs.

[Michael Bush]

>What sort of chemicals do you use to wipe out the varroa mites?

Nothing will wipe them out. Some things will kill a lot of them though.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#varroa

[Drifter]

All I know from the Joliet area beeks as some thought their bees were being stolen . They would open the hives up find a queen and some brood but no field force when they were strong a couple weeks before .

Mine were dead in the hive some burried in the empty cells with honey in the next cell . All hives had lots of stores left some as much as 30 lbs still in there with no breaks between .

One in particular was of course my best hive that had been very strong for the last 3 years . All had some brood going in all stages and recently dead on my best hive . I did make a nuc from that hive last year . It was the sole survivor in that yard .

When I checked yesterday there was no robbing of the dead hives at all . The live hive had lots of activity and let me know they didn't like me being in their flight path . I went today and took away all the dead hives and brought them home .


Drifter