Lessons learned (read as "OUCH!)

[Happy Chooks]

It is heartbreaking to see an empty hive. I always feel like I failed them somehow. This last year I bought all new wooden ware as I didn't want to take a chance that there was something lurking in my old hive. I always grow plants for the bees, leave weeds the bees like, never spray, make sure they have a source of water, have some shade in the summer, and they still die. I was just getting ready to treat for mites...

Bee keeping in CA is tough right now. I know a beekeeper that lost 40% of his hives last year. @Happy Chooks is doing well though so there is hope. CCD may have been the cause...great...what caused the CCD? The age old question, right? I think that next year I will just have to feed year round if we are still in a drought.

I will try again and if that mean hive is still alive I will treat it for mites and just leave it for the winter. The other hive at my friend's house swarmed this year so I don't how much stores they were able to save up as they were a pretty small hive. Next week our weather is supposed to be in the 80's so I will go and check on them and take winter patties and Hopguard.

That is just so odd, I'm sorry you are having a difficult time.

This drought certainly isn't helping. You can requeen the mean hive in the spring, and then maybe they won't be so mean after 6 or so weeks of requeening.

I opened my 2nd hive (1 deep right now) to refill sugar water, and had a bunch of bees come out at me. I've never had that happen before. My main hive was fine when I changed the waterer. I think something is bothering the 2nd hive, but not sure what. There are no dead bees laying around, I don't see any evidence of robbing. Double checked to make sure they still had a queen and on the first frame I pulled there were eggs. They both have SBB's, but the mite tray in in right now. Entrance reducers on both - 2nd hive is at the smallest opening, main hive at the largest opening.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Wow Babs... seems your "luck" w/hives is on a multi year roll... Sorry about the bad end. If you are going to try again next year, I would take those frames with capped/uncapped honey and stick them in the freezer now like Chooks suggested. No sense giving it all to the neighbors bees. That will give your package a HUGE head start next year when you install them.

I lost one of my hives in a similar way... no dead bees, just gone. It obviously went queenless somehow and I didn't catch it soon enough to fix it. I watched the hive deterioration over time and I let it die out. When I went to break it down, there was a mouse inside it. It had done some damage to the remaining comb, but it will still be usable next year when I split the hive I have left (if IT survives the winter) It's a very strong hive.

OK, on a better note, I finished the honey today and have 12 full pint jars and a full 1.5 pint jar. The honey is delish! This coming weekend, weather permitting, I will suit up again (with gloves!) and take out the honey super frames and add in the double sugar water feeder. I HOPE to also take apart at least the upper deep and powdered sugar dust all frames.

The wax is all floating in cool water right now to clean the honey off it. I will rinse it one more time in a strainer before putting it in a pot to boil/melt. Out of 26 pounds total weight, the wax portion was significantly less weight than I anticipated. It's all very clean virgin wax, used only for honey. It's never had brood in it. Nearly white. Should be excellent for lip balm or hand cream. We'll see.

Hens, that's a SPLENDID idea! I would talk to their wood shop teacher and see if they can make that their project! How beneficial would THAT be?! Brilliant!

Have you seen this? Some information on sugar dusting. Randy does a lot of scientific experiments with beekeeping.
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/simulation-of-sugar-dusting-against-varroa/

 

[babsbag]

I need to go and grab the uncapped honey but there are still a few bees hanging out in the hive and I hate to steal what is left for them to live on. Maybe I will take the honey and give them a winter patty to chew on until they inevitably die. Why do I get so sentimental about a little insect. ?

 

[Happy Chooks]

I need to go and grab the uncapped honey but there are still a few bees hanging out in the hive and I hate to steal what is left for them to live on. Maybe I will take the honey and give them a winter patty to chew on until they inevitably die. Why do I get so sentimental about a little insect. ?

They may be the start of robbing the hive.

 

[Latestarter]

I know summer is over and all that, so I wanted to share some pics I took of my girls hard at work this afternoon. This is wild alfalfa in the swale at the front of my property by my mail box. I haven't cut it as it's really one of the last sources of pollen/honey for my girls before the frosts/freezes come. Another really drought tolerant plant I've been trying to identify, I have finally! It's Russian sage! Babs, you should check it out! The bees LOVE it and it blooms heavy from about mid July till first frost! The time when virtually nothing else does.

Look closely at #4 as I believe I see a varroa on the back of her head between her eyes.

 

[babsbag]

I took the honey tonight. I popped the lid as I wanted to see what was there at night...2 bees, one yellow jacket, lots of ants, and some abandoned brood; maybe 40 or 50 cells and they were alive.

It is just weird where they went. There is no major agriculture of any kind within 10 miles of my home so no major crop spraying and there isn't really even a lot of gardeners. I have one of the few patches of lawn and probably more flowers and fruit trees than most of my neighbors combined. Next year when I buy a package I will treat for mites right away and I will be aggressive about checking the brood pattern and requeen if needed. We have a lot of queen producers in my area so easy to get a queen pretty much any time.

That alfalfa looks pretty and my 4-legged ladies would like it too. Good thing I have better luck with goats than I do with bees. I just looked at a picture of the sage and I think we have some of that growing here too. I should plant some in my yard. I have zinnias that just reseed themselves and they bloom until frost and the bees were all over them a few weeks ago. Also wild mustard is blooming again.

I talked to a neighbor today that has 10 hives in his yard. They aren't really his, just on his land. He said the bees filled the supers in a matter of weeks. i don't get it. Next year I am going to buy a split and not a package. I have had better luck with that but they aren't cheap.

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry Babs... I know that sinking feeling well Had it when my 1 hive died out. Maybe you should get the name of the owner of the 10 hives and see if he'll sell you a split (or 2) out of some of those hives... They are obviously well adapted to that locale... Maybe ask him/her for some pointers as well. I know I'd help another bee keep in any way that I could... Not that I know all that much myself as of yet...

 

[Happy Chooks]

I took the honey tonight. I popped the lid as I wanted to see what was there at night...2 bees, one yellow jacket, lots of ants, and some abandoned brood; maybe 40 or 50 cells and they were alive.

It is just weird where they went. There is no major agriculture of any kind within 10 miles of my home so no major crop spraying and there isn't really even a lot of gardeners. I have one of the few patches of lawn and probably more flowers and fruit trees than most of my neighbors combined. Next year when I buy a package I will treat for mites right away and I will be aggressive about checking the brood pattern and requeen if needed. We have a lot of queen producers in my area so easy to get a queen pretty much any time.

That alfalfa looks pretty and my 4-legged ladies would like it too. Good thing I have better luck with goats than I do with bees. I just looked at a picture of the sage and I think we have some of that growing here too. I should plant some in my yard. I have zinnias that just reseed themselves and they bloom until frost and the bees were all over them a few weeks ago. Also wild mustard is blooming again.

I talked to a neighbor today that has 10 hives in his yard. They aren't really his, just on his land. He said the bees filled the supers in a matter of weeks. i don't get it. Next year I am going to buy a split and not a package. I have had better luck with that but they aren't cheap.

I'm sorry. I hope you find out what is going on, so you can prevent it in the future. How frustrating. Maybe offer to "help" the beekeeper next time he is getting into the hives.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Lovely alfalfa blooms! Borage and rosemary are big hits too.

 

[babsbag]

Rosemary is popular here and crepe myrtles. Trying to find a hive to buy right now so I will have one here for early spring.