Winter losses so far, How's yours??

[Zweefer]

Thanks tbonekel.  I'm chalking it up to first year learning curve... Trying to stay positive during the wait for the snow to go, and my packages to arrive...

[electroman277]

Temps were 67 here today. Checked 2 hives here at the house. 1 dead other growing. I took the pollen stores from the dead out and put it in the one growing. checked the three in an out yard. All 3 are booming added a super to one that had a full deep of honey. the hive box that died is 0 for 2 for winters. The colony in that box died last year as well.  :'(

[LazyBkpr]

Dang Zweef, sorry to hear that..   See if you can find local or northern queens for those packages once they are well started..   at the least, you have drawn comb so they will have a great start..

[Zweefer]

Dang Zweef, sorry to hear that..   See if you can find local or northern queens for those packages once they are well started..   at the least, you have drawn comb so they will have a great start..

That's the general plan.   This year will start much better than last year!  In the mean time, I have my mead, and you guys to help pass the time 

[Barbarian]

Found 3 dead-outs today (30%).

2 were starvation and one looks like Q failure.

I hope to replace them from the survivors.

[Perry]

Historically, 10 to 15% have been considered "acceptable" or "normal" winter losses.
Seems like 30% has become the "new" normal lately!

[mamapoppybee]

Well my thoughts on what was up with my hive were correct.  That week and a half of warm weather had them ramping up and the bees froze trying to cover brood and then there were not enough to keep the queen warm. Even saw some babies that were trying to emerge froze in place. There are still other bees in the area for they got really excited when I started to clean and put up frames. Maybe I can get a swarm trapped this year. Good news is I have another nuc coming in may and am not giving up on the venture. I suppose it was those two stings this summer that bit me hard with the bee bug lol. Mean time I will keep building my gardens for their food and playing with the chickens.
 

[LazyBkpr]

Awwww...   that stinks. Sorry to hear that, but am glad your not throwing in the towel.

[brooksbeefarm]

Went to my northern outyards today and brought home 7 deadouts , but the other hives are still heavy with stores and lots of bees with frames of brood. I'll have to keep an eye on those girls. I have been treatment free for the last 5 years on all my hives now, and have some hives treatment free for 12 years. So i wasn't to surprised. Jack

[pturley]

I went into fall with four hives but due to neglect (robbing and SHB), had to combine down to two for winter.

Now if you ask my wife, I lost both of them and had to buy two packages of bees this spring...          ...if you walk into the yard, I have two hives flying right now (packages don't arrive until May!)

[LazyBkpr]

Now if you ask my wife, I lost both of them and had to buy two packages of bees this spring...         

   NICELY done!  A man with Fortitude, Foresight, Intelligence, determination, and most of all... cunning!
  My respect!  (Bows)

[brooksbeefarm]

17 hives here at home all strong and heavy with stores 3 weeks ago, inspected them today and had 8 deadouts  . there is still supers of stores on them and alot of dead bees with heads in the cells, so the late snow and cold weather i'm thinking was the cause, when i checked them the last time there was alot of bees coming and going, so i'm thinking some of them were dead then and was being robed out. This has been a strange winter and the worst hive losses i've had, guess i might start treating some of them again to see if that helps. The good thing is, i'll have enough drawn comb frames, empty ready for the queen to lay, with pollen, and with honey, for starting the 15 queens i have coming April 15 and any splits i start,and swarms i catch this spring. Jack

[riverbee]

hard winter for most of us, weather wise. us here in the midwest were hammered with extended and unusual temps well below zero for a month last month. the past week we are once again in unusual high temps for this time of the year. 60's into 70's.
the last standing hive i have had, is still standing. 
we had very little snow this year, so blooms may not produce. i sure hope not.

[Bakersdozen]

I attended the state beekeeping association's meeting this past week.  A rare moment in conversation, with two beekeepers I greatly respect that both live within 10 miles of me, led to a discussion on winter losses.  Neither stated exactly how many hives they lost but they had significant losses.  The conclusion was that the winter in this part of the country was pretty brutal on colonies.  Long cold spells that came early in winter and stayed late attributed to our losses.

It seems that my queens are doing the same as theirs.  Not much egg laying yet as the temperatures have been too cold.

I have come to the realization, in this part of the country, that we depend on fluxuations in temperature for winter colony survival.  The ability for the colony to move through the hive to eat stores and cleansing flights are part of the key to over wintering success.  Maybe that is true everywhere.