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What is wrong with my hive

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  guitrman1 
#1 ·
A little background;

I am not sure what exactly is going on with my hive. It is located on an organic farm. Within the last two weeks we have had some severe wind and rain. I checked the hive today and within the last two weeks the bees have eaten (or done away with) nearly a super and two deeps worth of honey (the deeps were brood boxes so maybe 4 frames each full of honey). There are plenty of bees and brood. What is bothering me is that there are tons of wildflowers out and for us here in central Texas this is basically spring. The bees should be storing honey right? Also, on the inner cover on the underside there was a small covering of mold. I attribute this to the heavy rain and humidity. At this point I just don't know if I should start supplementing them with sugar water or what may have caused this. I had planned to split this hive soon as by the numbers it is quite large. Now I don't know. I visually observed a steady stream of bees returning full of pollen for hours this morning.

Some other information; The hive is a year old, last year I harvested 60lbs of honey from it and left it close to 100lbs of honey for winter which they hardly put a dent in. The queen is marked, clipped and still laying. Thanks for everyone's help.
 
#2 ·
Welcome to Beesource!

It doesn't sound like anything is wrong with the bees, IMO. They are raising brood, and using their stores to do so. If you have enough bees and brood, I'd continue with your split plans.

You should plan to do something to prevent mold, however. It sounds like that hive needs a top vent, at least in the winter.
 
#4 ·
it has been said that the queen will stop laying when you have less than 10lbs of honey in the hive, if you see no nectar in the hive, and you are down to a deep frame or less of honey I would think about feeding, and check them often until they get more than a frame of honey in the hive.
 
#5 ·
We had a very rainy spring one year that pushed back blooms and harvest was poor. Could be the rain knock off pollen etc. making forage light.

I suggest notching your inner covers. Winter moisture comes from the hives, not the winter and often condenses if not relieved. Beyond that, I suggest letting the bees deal with the mold during their spring cleaning. One year I found my hives severely molded in early spring due no notched cover and leaving the feeders on top. Before I could figure a remedy, the girls cleaned up as if it was never there.

My girls ignore the feeder when forage is available. If the rain stops, any effort could go wasted.

Like above, I don't see a problem.
 
#6 ·
Thanks everyone for the quick (and more importantly) helpful responses. I am searching for how to notch an inner cover and also don't feel quite as confused as to where all the honey went. I must say it is quite a relief. Most literature for the care of bees paints a picture that bees are constantly on the verge of death and if the apiarist does one thing wrong the hive is doomed. Maybe they are a touch more resilient than all that. Thanks again.
 
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