First Winter Loss 2017 - Honeybees Starved, Probably!

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First Winter Loss 2017 - Honeybees Starved, Probably! #Beekeeping Basics - The Norfolk Honey Co.
It's a warm, late February day and the sun is shining but I discover some bad news in one of my apiaries. One of my colonies has died out over the past two - three weeks.
Initially it doesn't look like starvation as there is plenty of food in the hive but as I investigate further it become apparent that the cluster of bees appears to have become isolated from the food stores and has actually died out due to starvation.
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16 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 66

@shaunbarker9201 7 лет назад

Great video Stewart,I think it's very important for up and coming new keepers to feel the lows re the dead hive. We lost one hive this year but the others are doing great. The highs are also fantastic as well,plenty of flying bees today in Somerset at our hives. We only have a few hives but the numbers are growing steadily 6 in total to date. Clearing out the dead hive is a sad sight but part of beekeeping for those wanting to take up beekeeping. Helping nature is our main reason for why we started.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Shaun, Thanks for commenting. Yes, I did say in a recent video that I would show my mistakes and failures as well as all the good stuff, I think it's really important not to make it seem like everything is easy and nothing ever goes wrong. Sounds like you have some strong colonies coming through Winter, same here with the sunny weather we had today they were going crazy for the local pollens. I have to go collect the dead hive this week and clean it out, not a nice job but I can't wait to get some more bees in the cleaned hive and see them thrive into the Spring and Summer. Stewart

@veragiles981 7 лет назад

Thank's Stewart. It was very helpful for me as a beginner to see the frames shown slowly as it made it easier to see the honey and pollen stores and the way the bees had clustered in the middle frames and used the honey from the centre outwards. I was squeaking the other day when I saw the bees flying into my only hive with bright pollen!! Here's hoping for another brood this year!

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Vera, I'm glad the video helped. Yes it's getting exciting being so close to the new season, I just wonder if we might get another cold spell just to remind us who's in charge! Stewart

@paullevine8565 7 лет назад

Vera Giles n

@paullevine8565 7 лет назад

I've just seen the video and it is ( as they all are) very informative. Thank you. There are always more questions when you learn... you closed the hive which I totally understand however at some stage you need to clean it and what did you do with all the frames? Thanks

@jayl8813 7 лет назад

Sorry to hear. My first year 1 hive starved. I was really disappointed. So it seems even when they have everything they need it's no guarantee they will come out of winter. I'm happy to say my 2 hives were out flying about. Will be checking there stores today just to make sure. Thanks again Stuart for your videos

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Jay, I think some colonies just get themselves in a difficult position and can't then cope regardless of what we do. I have a colony that should have failed by now, it's on two frames and has little food apart from some fondant I gave them and they appear to be doing fine! Just glad I have plenty of colonies so the loss is not too painful. Stewart

@TimS366 7 лет назад

One thing that I have found helps is to put the fondant directly on top of the bars, it is surprising how difficult the bees find it to cross the gap to the crown board. I use a polythene sheet for a crown board and cut a hole in it with the fondant directly over. That said we all lose bees occasionally and just maybe they were not meant to survive. Enjoy this channel immensely even though I have been doing this for a few years now.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Tim, Thanks for your comments. Regarding the fondant on the top bars it may well have helped with this colony, yet all the others are doing really well with fondant above the crownboard. I haven't tried the polythene sheet as a crownboard over winter so I may well give that a go next year, although the vast majority of my bees come through without a hitch so it may be as you say, they were just not strong enough for whatever reason. Stewart

@honeybeeasian7718 7 лет назад

Yes it is such a sad sight. Of my 3 hives, 2 made it but the other one looked exactly like yours. There was honey stores all around the cluster. We had a cold spell as well and i think they just weren't able to break cluster to move to the stores. Always sad to discover this. Much luck to you with the rest of your hives.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

I'm fortunate that I have plenty of hives that losing one has no big impact on my numbers. Sorry to hear you lost one too. Stewart

@menace2584 7 лет назад

Good video and tips. Every new beekeeper should watch this as it happens to everybody at times. Some get discouraged after expending large sums of money in first year, or second, and call it quits. Keep the videos coming. Hello from across the pond. Dennis

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Dennis, thanks for your comments. I agree, it's all too easy to show all the great things that happen in beekeeping and hide the bad things. Whether it's my beekeeping mistake or simply there bees weren't strong enough I think it's important to show both sides as you say. Stewart

@MrFergusferret 7 лет назад

it is interesting how the nucleus was not central not below where the hole for the fondant. I always insulate the top of my hives with several squares of old carpet which I believe encourages the bees to the top of the hive where the food is

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi MrFegusferret, thanks for the comment. I've never bothered with insulating any of my hives and the vast majority make it through the Winter every year. Now that I am using poly hives for the first time it will be interesting to see how they cope having the insulated as the roof. Stewart

@conorcoughlan6881 7 лет назад

Peeked under the crownboard of one of my hives today... I was very pleased to see there was bees on every frame and they still had lots of stores

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Conor, that's great news, I have a lot of colonies just like that but I did promise I would show the bad ones too. I think it's important that new beekeepers get to see what can go wrong sometimes for no apparent reason. Stewart

@conorcoughlan6881 7 лет назад

I'm glad that my hive is going well because if you only have one hive and you loose it it can be very disappointing

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Yes indeed, It's why I always recommend a minimum of two hives.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Yes Tariq, March can be a fickle month, one minute glorious sunshine and then back into Winter. Stewart

@lintonmacnamara1469 7 лет назад

Good stuff Stewart. Liked the way you analysed it all. Gives one an idea of another aspect of beekeeping. Here in One part of Qld we are experiencing heatwaves and dry conditions. Not much of a season as yet.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

I'm just lucky I have enough hives that losing one doesn't hurt as much as it use to. Stewart

@BobSell 7 лет назад

Great video! What, if anything, could you do as a beekeeper to prevent this? Sounds like you except the fact that this happens occasionally and move on. Thanks for all the effort you're putting into your videos. Great Channel!

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Bob, Thanks for commenting. The colony was quite large and appears to have had enough food so as you say it happens occasionally. Stewart

@eastsussexbeesandwildlife5801 4 года назад

Thanks Stewart, have only just subscribed. The same thing happened to me last winter, of course really sad, but just one of those things, thanks again. Peter

@juliuseaster243 7 лет назад

good video, I've had several that looks exactely like that one with honey and pollen and bees were elsewhere with heads in comb and a handful on the surface.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Julius, It is a sad sight but I suspect they were just not able to get through the Winter for whatever reason. Stewart

@soufianesabaa8014 7 лет назад

hi stewart, 1/ i think fondant has been put so late, 2/ the hive should be covered with idolater to keep warm inside. thanks for this video

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Soufiane, I'm always open to suggestions as to how to improve my beekeeping, I may have been a bit late with the fondant but all the other colonies I have including nucs had fondant at the same time and are all doing fine at the moment so I suspect it's a combination of reasons. I never insulate any of my hives, we just don't have cold enough weather and I suspect it creates more condensation which is a major problem. Hopefully my other colonies will all make it through and the loss of one colony is manageable. Stewart

@soufianesabaa8014 7 лет назад

thanks for your reply and open-minded attitude, i learn from your video a lot.good luck.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

I always find that with an open mind you can learn so much more from others, especially beekeeping. I'm glad you are enjoying the videos, good luck with your beekeeping. Stewart

@munibungbeeking1719 7 лет назад

Did you mention see you next week I love a new beekeeping video keep it up at least one a week.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Munibungbee King, I publish three beekeeping videos each week so stay tuned for more beekeeping fun! Stewart

@tamarriontaloness8895 7 лет назад

hi, im a 10 year beekeeper in the usa, from what you showed us it looks like they may have died from moister not starvation, i had a hive die 2 months ago from moister, and it looked identical to yours! moister is the worst enemy to a wintered over hive!

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Tamarrion, Thanks for commenting. I agree moisture is a real problem especially in our climate where we don't get really cold prolonged periods of Winter just a few days at a time and then more cold damp days. I'm guessing it's a combination of issues. This colony was on an open mesh floor so ventilation shouldn't have been a problem and the colony at the end of the row is on a solid floor and are doing fine. If this is the only hive I lose all Winter I'll be happy with that. Stewart

@tamarriontaloness8895 7 лет назад

Ya i dont like losing hives, it breaks my heart, my hive also had a screened bottom board, but we recieved way above average rain and snow then freezing temperatures! It was rough on the bees this year! The whole farm was miserable, thats why im pretty sure it was moister that killed my hive! Thanks for getting back to me.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Yeah it's never nice. When does your season run from? Where about's in the USA are you? Stewart

@tamarriontaloness8895 7 лет назад

We are in southern utah in the rocky mountains, I live next to Zion national park,( search for pics, its beautiful) our season starts in april and goes to september october!

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

You are a very lucky beekeeper to be living in such a stunning landscape. I live in Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Flat as a pancake by comparison but non the less beautiful. We have some stunning wetland areas (search pics of Norfolk Broads) with lots of wildlife to view. We are also very close to the coast so can be on a sandy beach within 30 minutes. We have a wide range of forage for our bees too so I consider myself a lucky beekeeper also. Stewart

@billmclaughlin8438 7 лет назад

In looking at your hive it seems plenty of stores in the outer frames but not where the bees were clustered as you mentioned. So a couple of questions. Why so many frames (I counted 12)? If the box was narrower, say 8 frames, then with the same amount of stores would have been closer to the cluster and above them were the heat of the cluster would rise to. Do you also use a 12 frame deep for a honey super? If so what does it weigh? As I get older, 61, I'm not inclined to want to muscle around even a 10 frame honey super, 80-90 pounds.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Bill, thanks for commenting. The commercial brood box will take up to 12 frames, I normally have 11 plus a dummy board but probably ran out of dummy boards so used an extra frame to fill the space. The bees had taken up quite a large brood area and had started to expand so I don't think they would have benefited from a smaller brood box but you could be right and it might have made a difference. I use British national supers which are shallow honey boxes so I don't lift these larger boxes full of honey I'm glad to say! I'm also not inclined to lift heavy weights as I suffered a spinal problem a couple of years ago and caqn't lift really heavy weights anymore. Got to take care of these ageing bones too! Stewart

@millwoodservicing9434 3 года назад

Hi Stuart, great video as all yours are and I'm a big fan. May I ask why you don't add Supers on any of your Nucs or full sized Hives please?/as I've always been informed to ensure the bees have at least 20lb of stores for winter? Many thanks Matt.

@jonohooper4555 7 лет назад

I'm a novice, but just looking at that location, do you think that they might have been better in a sunnier position? As opposed to being right next to the bush in the shade? Or it wouldn't have made any difference?

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Jono, Thanks for commenting. I think in this instance it wouldn't have mattered. The colony was unable to either move position in the brood box or dwindled in a couple of weeks until they were not strong enough to survive the cold. You can see in the apiary there are other colonies doing well and the hive at the very end of the apiary was just a three frame nuc in a full size hive. I think whether I made a mistake or the bees were just not able to move to the food it was just one of those things and not the location. Stewart

@paublusamericanus292 5 лет назад

one of my hives has had a lot of dead bees on the bottom board. I have given them sugar on paper, and for a month haven't checked, but I was going to clean it out for a dead out a month ago and was happy they still clustered. Afraid to check now, as I only have four hives, and this was a good one. I left them everything they made. Must be nosema. december 17

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 5 лет назад

Hi P.A. Always tricky to know what might cause this type of situation but you won't know unless you have a quick look. Generally, Nosema won't kill out a colony this early in the Winter so I would check them and see what they are up to. If they are still alive, make sure they have food stores close by and if not make up some fondant and place it on top of the coverboard close to them. Good luck, let me know how you get on. Stewart

@deborahjordan1689 7 лет назад

AS I'm preparing my 2 hives for winter, would you consider wrapping with insulation. my hives are in a copse off of a field facing outwards and I don't know what weather conditions will be like - thanks

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Deborah, I am in Norfolk, UK and don't ever wrap my hives in insulation. The biggest problem we face is damp and not the cold so our bees generally get through the Winter without any additional support which is how I prefer it. Stewart

@pjmullin8309 7 лет назад

Was it cold enough for them to freeze? I thought when they were dead in clumps like that it was usually a sign of high humidity and a temp drop leading to a freeze.

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi PJ, It's a bit of an odd one because they did have a lot of bees, certainly more than some of my nucs which are currently ok but I think it is probably a case of the cold and inability to get to the stores. The weather wasn't really cold but we did have nights below freezing for a continual period of time for a week or so. All the other colonies appear fine across the other other apiaries so to lose one is not a huge issue for me. Stewart

@azzedinekacimihassani2139 6 лет назад

Hi ,very interesting video ,I had the same problem and my colony couldn't break the cluster .Can I reuse the old frames with honey to my new NuC ?

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 6 лет назад

Hi, Thanks for the comment, Only reuse the frames if you are certain they are pest & disease free. I tend to clean mine just because of the risk. Stewart

@samanbehnam7359 7 лет назад

what do you do with this hive now? do you clean and reuse the box or worried it may have a disease ?

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi, The box is taken away from the apiary, all the frames removed, the wax is cut out and rendered down. I then use a gas torch to scorch the inside of the hive in to sterilise just in case of disease. Once all of that is done I can then reuse it for another colony. Stewart

@samanbehnam7359 7 лет назад

Thank you

@kenthompson6539 7 лет назад

What about the old beekeepers who would cut a hole 1" square in the center of each comb to save the bees from going over the top or round the sides

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 7 лет назад

Hi Ken, I've never tried it to be honest but you would think it might well be of some use to them overWintering. Is this something you have personally tried? If so, how did you get on ith it? Stewart

@dalesman4530 6 лет назад

I’ve found that the bees leave holes through foundationless frames: maybe this is why?

@colincourier 6 лет назад

hi stuart i lost a colony what do i do with the old frames please,

@TheNorfolkHoneyCo 6 лет назад

Hi Colin, Sorry to hear that you have lost a colony. I would cut out the wax comb and render it down. The frames I would boil in a washing soda solution and reuse. Check out my videos on both topics to see how I do it. You can always adjust your method depending on scale. Stewart