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Sometimes they just die. This will be my 5th year keeping bees and this winter I have lost 3 of 8 colonies. These are my first winter losses ever so my number finally came up. Frankly, I'm not troubled terribly by it.
One colony was a queen that laid all winter keeping a huge population, Every time I checked sugar blocks it was hot and had a gadzillion bees, not good genetics for here in Montana. I did fall varroa treatments and it's just possible with continuous brood the mites re surged during the winter and killed that hive. I didn't get out this year for the OAV in their Christmas stockings. She just never stopped laying.
The other two were going to get re queened this spring so I'm not shedding tears over them. I have a side by side that looks good so I'll have my production colonies all set to go this spring.
As an experiment I have a single 8 frame deep I overwintered as an experiment, very swarmy bloodline so I thought I'd try it, she did well. I'll probably kill her, buy a couple queens and divide that box into my side by side.
Thank goodness for the side by side, best support for my little apiary I could hope for.
Cheers all,
Lee
One colony was a queen that laid all winter keeping a huge population, Every time I checked sugar blocks it was hot and had a gadzillion bees, not good genetics for here in Montana. I did fall varroa treatments and it's just possible with continuous brood the mites re surged during the winter and killed that hive. I didn't get out this year for the OAV in their Christmas stockings. She just never stopped laying.
The other two were going to get re queened this spring so I'm not shedding tears over them. I have a side by side that looks good so I'll have my production colonies all set to go this spring.
As an experiment I have a single 8 frame deep I overwintered as an experiment, very swarmy bloodline so I thought I'd try it, she did well. I'll probably kill her, buy a couple queens and divide that box into my side by side.
Thank goodness for the side by side, best support for my little apiary I could hope for.
Cheers all,
Lee