Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Why would they keep her?

1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  TattooedBeek 
#1 ·
First year bee keeping and not having such a great time. From the beginning the hive has been weak. I started on plastic and thought maybe they weren't building because they came from wax so I switched out all the foundation to wax. Still no new comb. There are eggs and larva but the laying pattern is pretty sporadic and the bees are not very hygienic. The numbers in the hive have dwindled down to maybe two frames worth of bees and no new comb and little honey. I have even been doing some feeding to make sure it isn't an issue of no food no growth. I have came to the conclusion that the queen is rubbish but I don't understand why she wouldn't be replaced by the bees. I am getting a new queen tomorrow though it may be too little too late. At this point I want to just try to understand why what is happening is happening and at least try to get the hive built up enough to maybe make it through the winter.
 
#2 ·
are you feeding sugar syrup,it doesn't matter which foundation u use but i think bees build out wax better, i also think the new queen will help,but you might not get a really big buildup this year, also your not getting visits from racoon or skunks are u ,i'm definately no pro just things i've ran into.if you figure it out post it i can always use the info,also what about varroa count or disease
 
#3 ·
Yeah...1:1 sugar syrup. Not too worried about huge buildup...just hoping enough to survive the winter even if I have to move them to a nuc and feed all winter. We do have a lot of skunks in the area but I don't see any sign that they have messed with the hive. It's in my back yard in the garden so I see it everyday. No scratches on the bottom board and the foundation is all in good shape...not like a skunk or **** has been reaching up steal honey or larva and tearing up the frames or anything. I have not seen any mites or SHB. Not to say one or both aren't there...I have just not seen them during any of my inspections. I did find wax moth larva yesterday. I removed the affected frames and froze them and killed any straggler larva I found. Pretty sure I got them all but I am sure there could be some more eggs or really small larva I missed. I'll check every few days for the next couple weeks just to make sure. Also not sure about disease. None that I could really tell but I am new to all this...so I could be missing something.
 
#4 ·
It's in my back yard in the garden so I see it everyday. No scratches on the bottom board and the foundation is all in good shape...not like a skunk or **** has been reaching up steal honey or larva and tearing up the frames or anything. .
Skunks don't go after honey or brood-- they provoke adult bees to come out of the hive at night by scratching at the ground and making vibrations. If the hives aren't on some pretty high stands, then the bees can't sting the skunk's vulnerable belly. So the skunk gets to eat a whole bunch of adult bees every night.
 
#5 ·
Oh...that I didn't know. Well then...that would be a possibility. There are some dead bees around but I figured it was just the normal daily die off. I have actually seen bees carry dead about 15 feet from the hive and dropping them off at the "graveyard". The entrance to the hive is maybe 2 feet off the ground. Should I raise it a foot or two?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top