# All My Bees Are Gone!!



## FarmerGreen (Dec 11, 2007)

Just went over to the property where I keep my bees and they have all vanished. They were there just a few weeks ago. There are maybe 100-200 bodies in 3 hives. Lots of honey still in all 3 hives. The weather has been warm all winter. We had a hard winter last year and lost 1 of 4 hives. But there were lots of dead bees in it. Just really bummed out, I thought they were doing well going into the winter. :Bawling:


----------



## Treewhisper (Nov 24, 2010)

Its varroa mites. The mites will start killing off bees starting late fall into winter which knocks down the cluster size. The bees needing to keep warm will not break cluster so they're usually found scrunched up together in a small ball of 200 with alot of honey stores 1" away. They may have tried to start raising a little bit of brood in that cluster to get their numbers up but they still wont break cluster to lose heat from the brood. Eventually they start to starve and end up eating the brood and the cells get cleaned out. 

Completely close up the hive now and take what honey is left and extract it for yourself. Come the next warm spell moths, ants etc will go in through the mouse guards and tear up an empty hive.


----------



## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

I hate it when that happens. Rock along there and everything is going peachy and the next hive check reveals a total loss. Only two choices, dust off your britches and start over or give it up..... I'm hoping you choose the first option.


----------



## FarmerGreen (Dec 11, 2007)

Not giving up, but it certainly is disheartening. And expensive.


----------



## WildBillTN (Feb 1, 2006)

Sorry to hear that bad news, neighbor.


----------



## parttime (Jan 8, 2012)

Did you treat for mites in the fall?


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

You don't know it is due to mites or they starved. With the crazy drought weather last summer, then the wet warm fall they were more active when there were not stuff to gather so used up honey. during the winter with so many days with temps high enough the bees were active they ate more stores. 
My friend a bee keeper of 56 year says there was a dumbing of the bees also. they stay clustered in the same row of frames despite weather warm enough to move to another set of rows with plenty of honey.

We have had syrup on just about the whole winter. We have even moved the cluster on a few hives. 
When in doubt collect a sample of bees and send it to the bee lab in Belts Ville Maryland, It only cost you the postage some thing like $4.95 over night USPS. the service is free other wise.

 Al


----------



## mare (Aug 31, 2006)

i had pretty much the same thing happen. i have frames full of honey--most of them. so i brought them and put them in the freezer. from what i can find to read freezing them will kill them but am wondering if it kills the eggs too? the bees i had left in the hives were just laying around--i thought i read that if they starve they will be face first in the cells?


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

This is the web site for the USDA bee lab in Beltsville Maryland. 
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/psi/brl/beehist.htm

You will see a menu on the left that tells you how to submit a sample of your dead bees for them to see why they died.
Untill you get the results from them every thing else is spectuation.

You will also find information there on pest and disesees of bees.

It is a worth while site to visit.

 Al


----------



## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

-i thought i read that if they starve they will be face first in the cells?

Mare ,, yes this is what I have been told ,, but I watched a podcast by mike plamer ,, and he said they do this to regulate the heat in the cluster ,,
might be one of those thing that ,,,ask 10 keeps ,, get 15 answers

I sent a pm


----------



## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

I don't believe in dusting my bees. I am sort of a convert to the Michael Bush philosophy: http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm

You are going to lose hives whether you dust or not eventually, so why help create stronger mites? Its better to constantly split hives and have a wide 'net' so when you lose hives you are breeding back from the hives that survived. These are the stronger, naturally resistant genes that you are propagating, not chemically dependent weak ones.

When you dust you encourage weak bees to live and propagate and you ensure that only the strong, chemically resistant mites survive to pass their genes on to future mites that will eventually be immune.


----------



## Cascade Failure (Jan 30, 2007)

Funny, I just posted on a different thread about Bush's philosophy. I seem to have adopted it as well.


----------



## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

Darntootin said:


> I don't believe in dusting my bees. ... You are going to lose hives whether you dust or not eventually, so why help create stronger mites?
> 
> When you dust you encourage weak bees to live and propagate and you ensure that only the strong, chemically resistant mites survive to pass their genes on to future mites that will eventually be immune.


"Dusting" refers to use of powdered sugar. It is not a chemical. It will not lead to stronger mites or chemically-resistant mites.

If you've gone completely treatment-free - good for you. But for many beekeepers (especially newer beeks), with only one or two colonies, use of powdered sugar can be an effective part of an IPM strategy while still remaining chemical-free.


----------

