Lost colony

[Geohorn]

Went to check my bees this afternoon as it was feeling warm. I cleared a few dead bees from the entrance didn't see any sign of life. I decided to lift the lid and check the fondant that I put on the crown board a couple of weeks ago and there were no sign of bees investigating why their roof was removed. I shone my phone torch inside and still couldn't see any life. feeling very worried I decided to extract the frames so fetched my hive tool.
Dead bees littered the bottom of the hive and two frames had around 100 or so bees still clinging to the open cells. There were four frames with huge amounts of honey so they couldn't have starved to death. I am determined to start again in the spring but really need to know what I had failed to do to keep them alive and through the winter.

 

[Davelin]

Oh dear, sorry to hear this.

Were their heads in the cells, if so it is most probable that they have starved despite there being food in the hive. If they were only on two frames it sounds as though it might have been quite a small colony.

Might be worth collecting a sample of bees and get someone in your association to test for disease.

Sometimes helps to put fondant directly on top of the frame rather than above the crown board.

 

[Geohorn]

The few bees stuck inside cells with their tails poking out were only on two frames and there were about 30-50 max. Most dead bees were on the bottom of the hive or just clinging to each other. I will collect samples and get them off to a lab. I will contact my local society.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Could be a number of things. Does sound like a small colony. What were the numbers like when you "put them to bed" in the autumn? Did your queen lay enough winter bees...if any? If not then it might be just natural dwindle. Get them checked for nosema.
Did you find the queen,by the way?

So sorry....your only hive as well!
Chin up...clean up and aim for two colonies this season.

 

[Arfermo]

Did you treat them for varroa (Apiguard etc) in late August. Otherwise I suggest you may have had a poorly mated queen, one that didn't lay enough to provide young bees to do winter duties or a stressed colony that dwindled due to reduced resistance to nosema due to their stressed condition. I have lost a colony in the last month and severe nosema looks to have been the culprit for the precise reason suggeted above - a dodgy queen throughout the late summer.

 

[Geohorn]

The colony was small by the end of October. but I treated for varoa at that time and did oxalic acid on Boxing day, all seamed ok then with lots of bees taking flight and inside the hive.

 

[VEG]

Its always hard when you loose a colony but dont give up.

 

[richardbees]

only on two frames and there were about 30-50 max. Most dead bees were on the bottom of the hive or just clinging to each other

all my sympathies, it's rotten when that happens!

It looks to me that the colony just wasn't big enough to get through the Winter, presumably you bought a Nuc last Summer which didn't expand enough?

 

[Geohorn]

They had swarmed in May and a virgin queen was mated. The new queen was laying and the colony seamed to get really big up to around early October. New bees were orientating right up to mid October.

 

[MuswellMetro]

They had swarmed in May and a virgin queen was mated. The new queen was laying and the colony seamed to get really big up to around early October. New bees were orientating right up to mid October.

How was the hive set up for winter?, ie size of brood box, supers, omf, varroa board, insulation, , mouseguard, entrance block ,matchticks etc and was the hive level?

Stores where were the store frames in relation to the last bees on the frames, was the last bees in the middle or at the edge

 

[Hivemaker.]

Weak colony + nosema + oxalic = death.

For future reference.

 

[pargyle]

Is this the same colony that you had in 2012 ? Did they make it tbrough last winter, then swarm and build up to October.

What was the configuration going into Winter - you had a National hive last year and went into Winter without a super on and feeding them fondant in November ...

A bit more information needed about the history of the colony might help as well ...

PS:
Ahhh ... Looks like MM got there as I was posting ... HM I think is bang on the money - particularly if it was the same colony you were struggling with last year.

 

[Geohorn]

How was the hive set up for winter?, ie size of brood box, supers, omf, varroa board, insulation, , mouseguard, entrance block ,matchticks etc and was the hive level?

Stores where were the store frames in relation to the last bees on the frames, was the last bees in the middle or at the edge

I had set the hive up with the brood CB and roof. I pitched it slightly leaning fwd to make condensation roll fwd and to exit the entrance. No mouse guard fitted. No sign of the queen and I hadn't marked her from being new in May.
Didn't really have problems with wasps or other pests.
After the oxalic aid treatment the fall out of varoa was huge but died down after a week. I last saw flying bees only a week ago. I had matchsticks under the corners of the CB to help with ventilation. The outer frames didn't have much of stores but the centre two frames were very heavy and full of good honey.

 

[Queens59]

Hard luck - I lost hives for the first time last year...and it is a rotten feeling. They seemed strong when OA treated but dead a week later. Could be a number of things - but deep breathe and charge on...Good Luck

 

[pargyle]

I had set the hive up with the brood CB and roof. I pitched it slightly leaning fwd to make condensation roll fwd and to exit the entrance. No mouse guard fitted. No sign of the queen and I hadn't marked her from being new in May.
Didn't really have problems with wasps or other pests.
After the oxalic aid treatment the fall out of varoa was huge but died down after a week. I last saw flying bees only a week ago. I had matchsticks under the corners of the CB to help with ventilation. The outer frames didn't have much of stores but the centre two frames were very heavy and full of good honey.

Oh no..... he said MATCHSTICKS .... and no insulation. Bill Bielby will be rolling in his grave.

You can never have enough insulation and the best way to ensure a colony survives winter is to ensure that the hive is completely draughtproof. (Page 44).


And RAB:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=27698&page=5

Post #47

 

[REDWOOD]

Your not the first or the last, don't beat yourself up to bad, Failing queens are a big part of colony losses at winter

 

[Hivemaker.]

Your not the first or the last, don't beat yourself up to bad, Failing queens are a big part of colony losses at winter

Must get a bit depressing when it is almost an action replay of last spring though.
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=308792#post308792

 

[REDWOOD]

Must get a bit depressing when it is almost an action replay of last spring though.
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=308792#post308792

I see what you mean

 

[pargyle]

I see what you mean

Last year in February:

"I opened up the hive and remeoved the exluder and extracted frames with no capped cells or honey. There were lots of dead bees burried into the cells searching or eating their supplies, and the bottom of the hive was nearly an inch deep with dead bees. We found the queen also dead. From what I have read and heard, I can only conclude that they starved to death. I can't stop thinking what had we had done wrong, or what could we have done to prevent this from happening? It's been a terrible start to such an interesting hobby".

November 2012 Geohorn:

"This didnt seem to attract them so we moved it to the queen excluder.We have been worried as we have seen quite a few dead bees inside the hive on the mesh bottom and on top of the excluder, but we checked this afternoon and they were all over the fondant and quite active"

November 2012 - VEG, ITMA & others:

"you really shouldnt have the queen excluder on at this time of year, as if it gets very cold the bees will move up into the super the queen will be left behind below the excluder."

Some really good advice offered along with sympathy .... seems to have been disregarded.

As a one hive owner myself I really feel for the loss of your bees - but you must learn from mistakes and correct them.

 

[REDWOOD]

phew QE, no stores..........basics