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Offline tedh

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dead bees
« on: August 04, 2014, 07:02:11 pm »
Hi Everyone,
Two hours ago I went out to have a smoke and watch the bees for awhile.  All looked well with bees coming and going and several on the porch washboarding.  I just went back out and now there are 24 dead and dying bees on the cement in front of the hive!  As I sat there looking, smoking, and worrying two dying bees and one dead bee appeared on the porch.  Any ideas?  Wow, HELP!!!!!   Ted
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Offline iddee

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2014, 07:16:32 pm »
Neighbor dusted their garden.
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Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2014, 09:31:16 pm »
Ted... it wouldn't be the OA. I'm thinking like Iddee  :sad:
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Offline ablanton

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2014, 10:23:05 pm »
When is the last time you popped the top to take a look?  I had a similar experience with one of my hives last year, right about this time.  Turned out it was starving to death.  By the time I noticed, it wasn't 24 dead bees.  It was more like 20,000.  Luckily, I got some feed on the hive and managed to save it.
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Andy

Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2014, 10:38:37 pm »
Ab, did you find out what killed those 20,000 bees? Yikes
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Offline ablanton

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2014, 10:45:05 pm »
yeah, they were starving to death.
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Andy

Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2014, 10:53:02 pm »
Interesting.. as to why bees would be starving in the middle of the summer, very curious indeed. So glad you found this situation before all was lost  :)
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Offline ablanton

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2014, 11:09:48 pm »
I am in North Carolina.  We have a dearth in July & August.  They make honey from April thru June and then eat in July & August.  If you pull too much honey and don't feed around here, they will starve before the goldenrod starts blooming.
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Andy

Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2014, 11:33:13 pm »
Yes! I just learned that from Iddee on the other thread, I think "Gone". Now I understand. Thanks for explaining that  :)
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Offline apisbees

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #9 on: August 05, 2014, 12:08:12 am »
The conclusion is in part, the no brood not even a laying worker that would happen in a normal queen-less hive but the hive stopped raising brood altogether over 3 weeks before because no or little nectar was coming in.
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Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #10 on: August 05, 2014, 12:11:54 am »
Holy Cow! So that means because of our drought here in upper Cali, that if I wasn't feeding... my bees could die in July and August?
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Offline apisbees

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #11 on: August 05, 2014, 12:15:04 am »
It is a possibility that can happen almost anywhere depending on the year.
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Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2014, 12:23:54 am »
Daaang! I had no idea that bees might not be able to find anything to eat... Crazy!
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #13 on: August 05, 2014, 02:31:46 am »
Strange that I am not seeing a lot of posts until I click on ALL unread posts..  Sorry I missed it, but I cant add much more than Iddee did.
   Seeing ten or twenty dead bees in front of a hive doesn't concern me a lot. Seeing 200 or more would make me a little nervous. The fact of the matter is, if they did get into pesticides there is not much you can do about it.  Cross your fingers and hope they did not get too much of it.
 
  My bees make it into town regularly, and they do manage to get into stuff I wish they would not. To date, I have not lost a hive to garden pesticides. A neighbor spraying his field on the other hand can be bad when the bees are foraging the wildflowers and clover in the fence rows that were covered with overspray. When that happens you will see the 200+ dead bees. If it ends there, they will still recover. If there are 2000 dead and dying bees, well, get on the radio  "Houston, we've had a problem here"   
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Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #14 on: August 05, 2014, 02:26:10 pm »
Scott- "My bees make it into town regularly, and they do manage to get into stuff I wish they would not.

   Dang... just like teenagers ~

    I live in town, so when I go to the farmers market on main street, I see my bees on the bouquets of flowers for sale  :)
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Offline apisbees

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #15 on: August 05, 2014, 07:14:52 pm »
Jen has a super full of red honey as a testament to bees getting into things that they should not be.
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Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #16 on: August 05, 2014, 07:54:40 pm »
No Pooh Pooh Sherlock! I'm in the process of posting my 'Hive #4 Inspection' which is full of hummer food! Still have the deep pics to post, which isn't too exciting.... well it's just more hummer food... 

   What's a girl beek to do for cryin out loud!

     
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Offline apisbees

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #17 on: August 05, 2014, 10:38:53 pm »
Pull any good frames that have honey and extract them and leave the red ones for winter feed.
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Offline Jen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #18 on: August 05, 2014, 10:45:49 pm »
Apis, there isn't one single frame with just honey, check out the pics on 'Inspection Hive #4'
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #19 on: August 06, 2014, 10:12:16 am »
Take your baseball bat and go have a talk with whoever has the leaking hummingbird feeder would be my solution..    Nicer folks tham me might go buy them a new one.. fill it, take it to their house, hang it up where the old one was.. and SMASH the old one on the sidewalk for them to clean up....     ;D
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