# 100% loss



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Only had 2 hives going into the winter but they had plenty of stores.

They were doing fine in mid-January when we had a warm up. 

(I detest January warm-ups!!)

Looks as though they didn't bunch back up when it dipped below zero and I lost both hives. Still plenty of honey to get them through.


----------



## makeitdolou (Dec 6, 2005)

Oh, I am so sorry. What a bummer. Do you have packages ordered?
Rosie


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Yup, a couple 3# packages of All-American - an Italian strain with quick build up and varroa resistance. Better warn my PO!!! They love when we get in poultry but aren't as happy when bees come in!


----------



## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

I have been told by a local bee keeper who has been keeping bees for over 50 years here on the Iron Range, that bees can't survive here: firstly, becuase they can't store enough honey in summer to feed themselves throughout the winter, and secondly because they freeze to death in winter. So..., even if they had enough honey, the weather will kill them, and if the weather should remain warmish, they will starve.

100% loss of bees is gong to be a yearly norm here, on the other hand, there is no reason to give them any honey to keep through the winter; may as well kill them in the fall, and order new bees.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Sorry to hear of your losses. We had real warm weather all fall and into the winter till the first week of January. In January we turned cold and even colder in Febuary. We have lost 22% of our colonies due to starving. Bet you couldn't get a tea cup of honey from any dead out. Was strange to what died and what lived. Single deeps (6) I was doing an expermint with 5 lived. Super strong colonies I had on doubt would live thru winter died. I blame it on a few things starting with the fall daily floods which started in Mid Sept. and didn't end till January. It was an avarage day time temp of 45F and the girls couldn't fly due to the rain. Wouldn't have did any thing flying any way as there was nothing to gather.

We have a fellow in Alaska that keeps bees in real low temps. Listened to a speaker in fall of 2005 on over wintering bees. He keeps colonies alive out doors at -45F in B C.

 Al


----------



## rainesridgefarm (Dec 1, 2002)

Stop buying those southern italian bees and they might make it. I have only gone with carniolians and never have had lost a hive to starving. If they can keep hives alive in N.D. they should be able to keep them in Minn. I have 6 inches of insulation on top of my hives and wrap them in quads so they are toasty but will not starve. You need a small brood nest in winter.


----------



## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

I read this post yesterday & decided to open the hive yesterday as it was a decent day (65 & sunny). Being a newbee, I've been watching the outside of the hive all winter to see what goes on. Unfrotunately, same situation as ML.

The winter was mild through most of January & I was would see dead bees moved to the outside meaning they were keeping their house clean. I could also hear activity if I put an old stethescope on the outside of the super. All was well, or so I thought.

The bitter cold hit in February with lots of snow. I didn't wander out to check on the state of the hive with the weather so cold. Yesterday was the first time I have checked on things in a bit. My first clue that something was up was the lack of dead bees near the entrance...there were none.

With no activity near the opening to the hive, I wasn't surpirsed that there were only a hand full of workers. I'm thinking that some of the bees may have been out with the warm weather but my guess is there are not nearly enough left to keep the hive going. I didn't see the queen, then again I didn't take out all of the frames because the sun was starting to go behind the trees. The top super which was full of honey in the fall still has 2-3 full frames left.

I planned to expand this year & already started the woodenware for the second hive (new) & a third (possible split from the first). I ordered a 3lb pack & a queen for the new hive so at least there will be one hive this year.

Being a newbee I have lots of questions:

- Did I do something wrong or was it a bad year? I know, loaded question since you don't have all the details. The bee package came from Georgia...is it possible that the strain can not handle the northern winters? Would I be better off looking for a local source? I checked with one of the NY bee suppliers...their package bees come from an apiary in the south too.

I plan to clean out the dead hive - 
- since I'm not postive why the hive died, should I re-use the supers & foundation? 
- If I use the supers & foundation, should I harvest the honey or leave it to give the new residents a head start?

Any advice will be sincerely appreciated. Thanks folks.


----------



## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

> Did I do something wrong or was it a bad year?


Not knowing what you did or didn't do, from what I've read on the bee-boards, and what I've heard here in Indiana, it's been a bad winter for bees. Heavy losses. I think the extended cold spell that hit in mid-Jan did in a lot
of hives. Even if the hive had adequate stores, if the queen was laying at all during early Jan when it wasn't so cold, then the cluster would stay with the brood and starve rather than move to where there was food.



> The bee package came from Georgia...is it possible that the strain can not handle the northern winters?


You'd get lots of debate on this. My personal opinion - and I'm only in my 3rd year - is that you'd get better
odds of survivability if you had bees & queens raised locally. Recently heard a talk by Marla Spivak of the 
Univ. of Minn, and she discussed the Minn Hygienic lines... how surviving Minn winters was a major factor in their breeding. Cold-weather survivability is definitely one factor in genetics.



> I plan to clean out the dead hive


 I'm a bit confused, you talked about seeing workers but not the queen, is that right? You said you "guess"
there's not enough to keep the hive going? I've read where a "teacup sized" cluster has been nursed back to a strong hive, so perhaps it's not to late?



> since I'm not postive why the hive died, should I re-use the supers & foundation?


Generally, yes, unless the hive died from Foul Brood.



> If I use the supers & foundation, should I harvest the honey or leave it to give the new residents a head start?


Your choice, depends on how much honey there is versus the effort to extract it. I borrow an extractor when
I have honey, so for a few frames, I probably would leave it (if I had new bees coming soon).


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

These were carniolians. I've had Italian varieties for the past 4 years and only lost 1 hive. I requeened with carniolians last year since I heard such great things about them. This is the first time I've had 100% loss. I don't keep a lot of hives, usually 2-4.


----------



## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

Oh man, that's bad news. I got a gallon of clover honey yesterday at the Amish store and the price had gone up a dollar from last year (was last year's stock, I'm sure, so d'uh!). I know local producers are down to one or two only - due, I was told, to mite problems and illness a few years ago. I guess the others just gave up.

Haven't heard yet the status of the hives around here. I hope MO bees had a better winter than yours - guess we'll see.

~Falcon


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

DANG, that bites! 

Last spring, between severe robbing in the fall and a SPRING infestation of mice, I was down to 1 small hive last year. 

It does hurt! 

I set up one old hive and a swarm moved in, so I now have 1 big hive and the swarm wintered over in a nuc. 

That is the thing about bees: sometimes you lose them in spite of everything you have done, but sometimes you are blessed when you expect it the least!


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Cowboy Joe, I would THINK that if your bees raised a queen she would mate with the local boys. You could get local blood into your hives that way.


----------



## beaglady (Oct 7, 2002)

So far, I've lost 3 out of 8. It might end up being 4, since its hard to tell about the one hive without tearing it apart. 

We had a very poor fall flow, followed by a unusually warm December, followed by severe cold in January. I had expected this, but am still disappointed. Mine are Russian/Carni/ferals.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

D. what a disappointment. We also had a light fall flow and strange winter weather. 

I was hoping to start switching over to small cell foundation this year, but the cost of package bees has put that further down the wish list...

Of course, we can always fall back on the farmer's motto, "There's always next year!"


----------



## beaglady (Oct 7, 2002)

I may have to rely on the 'next year' motto more than I'd like. I was hoping to get a few complete beehives from a retiring small scale commercial beekeeper, but he had pretty many winter losses, and found a buyer for a large quantity of hives at once, so no bees from him. 

Then I contacted the guy I've gotten nucs from for the past few years & he has already stopped taking orders. He's going to try to squeeze my order in, but can't promise. I sure hate to buy packages, so I may be stuck making a few splits from the bees I already have. Sniff!


----------



## Timber (Jun 15, 2003)

Well, I got hit, ten hives, it's 100% now. Saw this in the fall what is now called ccd. We had a very wet fall to warm winter noticed this decline around late Oct. There was honey and pollen stores, and they even started to honey pack the brood. I thought 4 would have make it. As they had cleansing frights, but were too all small to endue the many freezing cycles we had. The one that was the front runner had the top lid blown off, brick and all. Then it drop to single digits. Found it the next day with frost on the top frames looking through the intercover hole. Go figure.

And here I was planning for this year to be increased by five with the start of queen rearing. 

Looking into the declined hives is like driving up to the pasture with two cows standing and twenty-eight missing. The same feeling. 

Timber


----------

