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alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:00 am Post subject: bees
I went up to check the hive yesterday, to have a peep, and all my bees are dead. Last week we saw them on cleansing flights. Now they were still clustered, but definately dead. There is still food available. They were a strong nuc last summer, having lost my previous hives earlier on in the year. Non requeening due to the weather in the summer. Was it just the cold? What so you think.

SarahB

Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 869
Location: South Wales

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:11 am Post subject:
Oh no. No ideas, sorry, but big hugs.

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:13 am Post subject:
Mine were all out on cleansing flights before last week--- now it's too cold still to check---but after last week I'm scared to. What has happened to you happened to a bee club member here after christmas last year--hives fine, plenty of food then all died suddenly end of jan/start of feb---he sent some in a matchbox for testing for nosema etc but there was no obvious cause.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:14 am Post subject:
how awful, we lost ours last year and I havent yet had the heart to restock. There are some odd bee ailments going round, seem to have been a vast number of hives just drop dead in the last couple of years

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:19 am Post subject:
P.S. really sorry if that's all your bees---but if you know anyone near you who sells nukes get in quick ,cos they are going to be like gold dust next year----it's enough to make a person give up bees altogether

woodsprite

Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 2943
Location: North Herefordshire

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:22 am Post subject:
Yup we lost both of our hives too. Not sure if we'll be able to restock, nucs are becoming as rare as hens teeth.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:38 am Post subject:
Alison - I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say..

lizardwyn

Joined: 07 Jun 2008
Posts: 20
Location: Oxfordshire

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:39 am Post subject:
So, so sorry but please don't give up on beekeeping.

chortlepinkpants

Joined: 03 Feb 2009
Posts: 10

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 10:43 am Post subject: Much sympathy!

Hi!
Current thinking is that a lot of these sudden winter losses are due to bacterial/viral infection such as Nosema, or one of the Bee Paralysis viruses. I wouldn't clean the hive out, but leave it as it is, and contact the National bee Unit (NBU) to see if one of their inspectors can visit and take samples etc. There is scant reliable evidence as to whats going on, and they are desperate for keepers to provide hives to assess. If you have cleaned them out, but still have access to the dead bees, send in as large a sample as you can to the lab.
https://secure.csl.gov.uk/beebase/

I have the deepest sympathy with you, any further advice, please get in touch.

Best wishes

Steve

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 11:37 am Post subject:
What is the pattern of the clusters, Alison? Apparently, a typical Nosema pattern is for a small number of dead bees clustered in a circle about the size of a cup, around the queen.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 11:48 am Post subject:
Oh bum Better go have a look at mine.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 11:51 am Post subject: Re: Much sympathy!

chortlepinkpants wrote:

I would send off a sample for analysis but make the hive bee tight if you aren't going to destroy the contents.
If the weather warms bees from other colonies will take advantage of some free food & might carry nasties to their own.
If there was food in the hive then the cold is definately not a problem.
Bees will survive much lower temps than the worst UK winter as long as they are dry & have food to cluster around.
Sometimes a cluster will get separated from its food & although they have stores they starve but its not common.
Sorry to hear your news, & like has already been said don't give up.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 11:52 am Post subject:
Nosema doesn't have to be CCD, though. It's too cold to check ours .

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 11:55 am Post subject:
Oh Lordy - I'm so sorry to hear that Alison...and everyone else who has suffered similar. I can't contribute anything useful because I haven't got my bees yet.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 09 12:01 pm Post subject:
Is getting re stocks of bees going to be more difficult ?

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