What went wrong?

[SmokeyBee]

We finally had warm weather yesterday and I discovered that my last remaining hive was dead. I went into winter with a 1% mite count, single deep plus 2 mediums. Probably had 80-lb of honey.

There was a thin film of mold on the inside of the hive bodies and lid. Based on this, I think it was a moisture issue. I have a screened bottom board with the plastic "mite board" thing in place. I used an entrance reducer with the smallest hole and had the inner lid with an upper entrance exposed.

I thought this was a pretty standard setup. They barely touched the honey, so they didn't starve. There were 6 SHB on the bottom board but no slimy mess in the honey...

Why did this hive have mold in it? Should I have left the screen bottom board open?

[SmokeyBee]

I also want to add that this hive was boiling over with bees when I last had it open. I had every intention of splitting it in the spring.

No idea where the bees went. There were maybe 200 dead ones in the hive and 100 dead bees on the ground.

Grrrrrrr!!!!!!

[apisbees]

First a question, when the hive was last inspected and was boiling over with bees, What time of the year was that (month)? and did you notice the amount of brood? Depending on these answers the following could or may not be relevant.
If it was an late summer check and shortly after the queen went missing the bees would not have been winter bees. The population of bees in the hive now are the bees that were raised as winter bees. Over feeding and a plugged up broods super will limit the winter bee population.
On most colonies that have died you will find excess moisture in the hive. A lot of the moisture comes out the bees as the start to decompose. but while they are alive they can keep it under control. If it was a moisture problem you would have found a large cluster of dead bees.
You can not rule out viruses neither, when did you do your mite treatments? Early enough to have the mites Knocked down before the winter bee larva were capped over in their cells? This in my area is the middle of August. There is also research into some of the viruses introduced by the mites that are spread bee to bee once they are in the hive through feeding of the larva.
Sorry to hear about your losses. and provide as much information as so our responses can be pinpoint the timing and conditions of the hives.

[SmokeyBee]

The last time I really got in it was about the third week of November. I was surprised at what I thought was a large amount of capped brood. This is my first season so I have nothing to compare it to, but it was about 80% of what it was in the summer. I opened the top briefly the first week of December to remove a top feeder which they were ignoring. After that we had that stretch of crazy cold weather, then they were dead.

There's plenty of empty space in the brood box frames. I've never treated for mites, since I've never had more than 7 per 300 on an alcohol wash. Last one of those was in mid November.

I can post pictures of the frames later, maybe that will help. I'm hoping to learn something from this. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[Bakersdozen]

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There's plenty of empty space in the brood box frames. I've never treated for mites, since I've never had more than 7 per 300 on an alcohol wash. Last one of those was in mid November.

7 mites per 300 bees is high.  The threshold is 3 mites per 300 and recommendations for mite treatments has been lowered in this part of the country.  Two summers ago we were hearing that we should treat if we see 1 in 300. 

[CBT]

The mites are bad enough by themselves sucking the life out of the brood and weaker adult bees can’t do there job at 100%. Then all the viruses they bring. They are the rats of the bee world.

[SmokeyBee]

Well I guess that's the answer. I had read that 5% was the treatment threshold. At least I learned something.

Thanks very much for the help.

[Mikey N.C.]

SB,
Sorry to hear. I've found that it's almost impossible to keep bees with out treatment, with that said this year i purchased the varrox wand and treated hives. I lost all hives that i purchased this year the only hives that are still going are feral bees that i caught in traps and haven't been treated. I'm thinking it's my management skills and not having enough resources to try a different approach. I knew i had some weak hives going into fall but thought their was enough bees (wrong). I will defiantly be using a new approach this year. I'm still learning what i could of should of done.

[SmokeyBee]

I have no objections to treatment, I just thought I was good to go where I was...there's always next year. I have a swarm trap ready to go and I've ordered a nuc to be picked up in April.

Santa Claus gave me a small extractor so I get to try that out on Saturday.

[brooksbeefarm]

Putting bees in a box and trying to keep them alive and at the same time trying to control them to do your bidding, like making excess honey, to me is called beekeeping management. I still do this,but i quit using anything but essential oils and brood breaks to control mites, shb is a different story! Keeping hives in full sun and keeping them strong is the best defense, then the screen bottom boards, with the oil pan under them, swisser pads, ect. next. Other than that they are on their own. I can't really see much difference  in my hive loses over the years i have quit doing mite counts? i have several hives that have gone 10 years plus without any mite treatments and some without shb treatments. I am in know way telling anyone not to stop mite treatments or how ever they keep their bees! I'm from the old school of beekeeping  (since 1965) and find it hard to change,but sometimes we have no choice. I'm thinking maybe i'm just LUCKY!!! Jack

[Mikey N.C.]

From Jack, keeping them strong is the best defense !

That's where i made mistakes in my management , not understanding how strong is strong enough. After one hive swarmed 3 times and some splits to prevent swarming,  those Queens were laying good and built up good (I thought). Should I have moved swarms & splits to another yard ?
To keep all hives in each yard equal or keep a mating nuclei in yard for resources?
Like i said 3 years and still learning.

[Jen]

Hey Jack    Something like a whisper tells me that we are not going to win the war on mites, that maybe the bees and mites will have to learn to cohabitate together somehow, like a mutation things or something. But it gives me the major willies to have mites sucking the fluids out of my bees. So cohabitating together isn't going to happen on my watch. Also, the last couple of years I haven't had near the mite problem as before, so I'm hoping that I'm developing more hygienic queens. That would be Awesome!

Mikey    Eight years and still learning buddy

[efmesch]

Mikey    Eight years and still learning buddy

Come on Jen, be realistic.  With your open mind you'll still be learning when you reach the proverbial 120! 
Bees will always have another secret "up their sleeves" to surprise us.

[Jen]

Hi there Ef, and boy don't I know it! Just when I think I have the timing down with the bees, they give me another something to learn. Never ending