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Offline Mosti

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dead bees
« on: December 02, 2014, 08:33:01 am »
Hello, I had my first honey extraction this week, I uncapped the supers with an uncapping fork.

The day after I placed  the empty cappings in a bowl and put them on top of one of my hives whilst I put the super with frames from which I did extract the honey on top of another hive.

I left them there for 2 days and went to collect them on the 3rd day. They were cleaned allright but I did find a lot of dead bees both in the bowl and in the bottom of the super, on the top cover that is. I guess there where +/-100 dead bees at both locations. Is this normal? Did they work themselves to death?!

Thanks

Joseph
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Offline iddee

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2014, 08:37:30 am »
Congrats on the harvest.  Yes, it is normal. They get covered in the sticky honey and some survive and some don't. The depth of the drained honey will have a bearing on how many drown.
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Offline Perry

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2014, 09:04:17 am »
Not at all that unusual. No, it wasn't working them selves to death, more like a bit of drowning, maybe even a little fighting, but that many bees is not unusual.
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Offline Barbarian

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2014, 04:17:35 am »
Nice to hear from you again, Joseph.

How are you going to store your supers of cleaned comb ?

How is Malta going to react to the Small Hive Beetle in Italy ?  I think I read there was an affected apiary in Sicily as well as mainland.

Colin
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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2014, 07:34:32 am »
Open feeding honey will start some robbing and fighting.  Also, they become victims when they get covered in thick honey and can't get out. It's kind of like quicksand.
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Offline Mosti

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2014, 07:26:15 am »
Quote from: Barbarian on December 04, 2014, 04:17:35 am
Nice to hear from you again, Joseph.

How are you going to store your supers of cleaned comb ?

How is Malta going to react to the Small Hive Beetle in Italy ?  I think I read there was an affected apiary in Sicily as well as mainland.

Colin

Hi. At the moment, it was just one super, I put it aside in a locked up garage. I hope that it will not be taken over by moths but there arent any I can see. Earlier this week I think I read somewhere (in here?) that they can be treated so as wax moths will not invade them.

As with regards to shb, we currently have an import ban of bees and queens from sicily. Fingers crossed it will not affect us but I really doubt it.
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Offline Mosti

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2014, 07:27:56 am »
Oh and thanks for your replies to my question...all of you guys ;)
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Offline Paul Reyes

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Re: dead bees
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2014, 03:44:47 pm »
Bees dying this way is normal and there's nothing to worry about. Congratulations on your harvest, thats the nice thing about this hobby, the fresh honey.
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