Maybe put them into a different hive? Sounds like something they really don't like in that one.
Update:the queen died this morning--no bees tending her (maybe stung through her cage?)... Bees still falling instead of flying or balling up in the bottom of the box... No evidence of K wings or mites anywhere... Bunch of hive beetles, but I have heard they are attracted to dying/dead bees, not to mention the full frame of unprotected brood and comb. Gonna let them live out their days 'cuz I don't have the heart to kill them. (Sigh) This sucksMost likely pesticide.
You might already be thinking this, but just in case... I would get rid of anything those bees touched. Box, frames, feeder, whatever. Some will probably say that's drastic, but why take the chance of killing more bees?Update:the queen died this morning--no bees tending her (maybe stung through her cage?)... Bees still falling instead of flying or balling up in the bottom of the box... No evidence of K wings or mites anywhere... Bunch of hive beetles, but I have heard they are attracted to dying/dead bees, not to mention the full frame of unprotected brood and comb. Gonna let them live out their days 'cuz I don't have the heart to kill them. (Sigh) This sucks![]()
Oh definitely, I already isolated the remaining bees. I am also sending a sample for testing. What I THINK happened is they either swarmed because of pesticides, and it was already too late when we rescued them OR someone tried to eradicate them and they swarmed in response... No symptoms of any virus I'm aware of--I thought I saw some K wings but I really checked today and there wasn't a single bee with separated wings. No mites, no hairless bees, no swollen abdomens, no feces all over (plus, living here, we never have to winterize)...I'm pretty confident it's pesticides... Poor bees.You might already be thinking this, but just in case... I would get rid of anything those bees touched. Box, frames, feeder, whatever. Some will probably say that's drastic, but why take the chance of killing more bees?