Lost three hives to flood waters, three others may live...Pictures

[Lburou]

@ Iddee, one of those would fill in no time today! 

@ Dunkel, Thanks for the encouragement...I lost the entire hives in the flood (now four).

Lost the tall one in the pic above during the high waters today.  The fence and hive shown below are gone.  Water rose to the top of the fence, tore the fence down and that hive is gone too.  Won't know what remains until the water recedes.  Aside from that, it is a wondrous thing to watch as huge trees (24 inch trees) float across our field of vision behind the house.  The river is 400 feet wide now, it is normally 125 feet or so.






Hindsight is sooo good.   

[Dunkel]

It is amazing what water can do.  Saw a chicken coop go by on the last big flood.  I hoped no chickens were in it .   Keep up the good attitude. And stay safe.

[Bakersdozen]

And to think I was complaining about working the hives in soggy, standing water.
Lee, this just makes me so sad.
Keep up the positive attitude.  It will help.

[lazy shooter]

@Baker:

Lee is a soft spoken, quintessential gentleman.  He will lose some bees, but he will not lose his composure.  He is as calm and cool as anyone I have ever met.  Dang, I hate that he has lost some of his beloved bees.  He truly loves bees and is a master beekeeper.

lazy

[Lburou]

When all things are considered and I want to blame the river, I remember it was my bad decision to place the bees there and take the risk.  If that is the worst thing that happens to me this year, I have a good life.   

[Lburou]

Thanks Dunkel, we have watched trees the size of pickup trucks floating by today.  Your concern about my family, home and vehicles is my first concern, and they are all safe and sound.

Baker, it is all a matter of perspective. 

Lazy, you are too kind.  I've been careful only to show you my good side. 

[riverbee]

wow lee, thanks for the updated pix...........
sorry you lost your hives. 

[Wandering Man]

Forecast doesn't look promising for you.

Stay prepared, and stay safe!

[neillsayers]

Lee, you Texans can't catch a break! You go from praying for rain to flood level. May god bless you and your little bees.

[Michelle]

Oh my this is heartbreaking.  I send out my best of wishes to you. Stay safe.

[Lburou]

Well, The River has spoken: A before and after.

This was after the first night of high water.  One hive lost overnight and we saved the two short hives shown.  The tall one was lost in the night that was coming.



This morning...



I lost two hives from the perch shown below on the first night of flooding...You can see the size of the 'debris' floating by, and this trunk is on the very edge of the floodplain in the shallowest  water (our home is behind me taking this picture, and about 30 feet above this spot).



Jumpstarting the hives after water ruined the brood nest:
Another thing learned.  I texted tec and asked for advice about the two hives we did save.  The bees were definitely stressed after two nights out in the rain and clinging to the top cover.  They just didn't go into the hives at their new location shown here.


Tec recommended I freeze the brood frames to keep SHB under control.  So I took the brood frames out and replaced them with foundation.  I had supers with mostly drawn comb and they were placed on each of the hives.  The bottom boards were literally covered in dead larvae and dead bees, with SHB crawling in the muck.  The water soaked Brood frames were full of SHB too. No wonder they didn't want to go back in the hive!  Tec also recommended feeding them.  I put sugar water with some Honey Bee Healthy and electrolytes in a top feeder on both hives.  One hive would fill a five frame NUC and the other fills about a super and a half (probably a stronger queen pheromone, they were equal before the flood).

I'll probably rob some brood frames from stronger hives to get them going again. 

Thanks to all for your support and kind words! 

We will not be placing any hives in the floodplain again...well maybe, a mating NUC that can go under my arm...

[Barbarian]

I'm sorry to read of your losses.

If you decide to put a hive/nuc on the same spot, it might be worth considering using a pontoon-like base under the hive. During flood conditions, a tethered base would rise on the water. In dry conditions, you would have firm surface to walk on.

I have seen pics of a domestic garden with such a device under the hives. I haven't been able to find a link.

[Lburou]

Yes Barbarian, I need a different plan altogether!  For the first time, I saw huge tree trunks coming down the river.  One of those would doom a pontoon boat for sure. 

My good wife of 49 years suggested a trailer of some kind that could be brought to higher ground in minutes.  If we ever put anything down there again it will have wheels on it! 

I have the materials in my shop to build another bench up with my other bees (You can see an aerial view of that rock circle by clicking HERE -Then scroll down to the map showing my location, and zoom in. I put the pointer in the white circle we made for my bees). I'm going to start the new bench this week.  Let the contractors get stung.  I waited for them and paid a big price for trying to be considerate of their having to work close to the hives...No more mister nice guy! 

[lazy shooter]

Wheels sounds like a great idea.  I have thought of putting a few colonies on a trailer so that I could move them locally for pollination purposes. For instance, I could place them in one of my pals watermelon and cantaloupe fields and then later move them to a cotton patch.  Cotton blooms for a long time.  It has a major bloom of three or so weeks and then lesser blooms until frost.  Most years cotton blooms from July one until about mid October.  Let's hear it for wheels.  I think that woman has a good idea.

I see some small trailers for sale from time to time for five to six hundred dollars.  I've got a really well built trailer that some FFA boys built.  It's seven feet wide by 10 feet long.  I bought it a few years back for six hundred bucks, but I think it is rated to haul 3.,000 pounds.  You don't need that much trailer.  If you look around a bit, I bet you can find one for less that 500 bucks.  You have me thinking again.

Again, sorry for your loss.  Keep us posted.

lazy