Dead bees on floor of hive

[Grant]

A buddy called and said his hives had about 1" of dead bees on the floor of his hive. The hive was alive and well, but this layer of dead bee carcasses was unnerving. He asked me what was wrong. I didn't know, but for some reason the healthy bees failed to keep the hive clean of these dead bee bodies.

Anyone have any ideas?

Grant
Jackson, MO

[MountainCamp]

Most likely nothing. There is one pile of bees that die over a winter.
Bees fall to the bottom board many times when they die.
With time and temps, the colony will get their house cleaned up from winter.
The other option is cleaning the dead bees out for them.

[Grant]

That's what this guy did, he just swept the dead bees off the floor and reset the hive. But he wondered if there was something wrong that needed treating or further attention.

Thanks,

Grant
Jackson, MO

[Michael Bush]

There is usually a shortage of housekeeping bees in the spring as they are busy rearing brood. When the population catches up and there is enough "division of labor" then they will get to work on cleaning the bottom board. Of course, I usually try to get this done for them in a spring inspection.