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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Phil DeGuzman <phil.deguzman AT gmail.com>
  • To: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Die-off?
  • Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2012 13:30:03 -0400

Randall,
 
Thanks! I will be inspecting more closely this weekend, but your thoughts related to the undertakers heaving the bodies out the door makes sense.
 
Phil

On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 12:45 PM, Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com> wrote:
Hey Phil,

I can't say anything definite without pictures etc. but one perfectly innocent explanation that may apply here is that bees die at the same rate they are born. Normally they die going to and from flowers, but any that do die in the hive are carted off by undertaker bees and dumped a fair distance away. But the past couple of days have been too cool and wet to fly, so undertaker bees have just dumped the dead out the door. We often don't notice a hundred or so dead bees outside the entrance because they are hidden by grass, carried off by ants, etc. A hundred or so doesn't constitute a noticeable die-off.

Honey bees are rare among insects because their populations don't die off during the winter. Bee populations decrease for winter because the queen cuts back on laying, not because the workers succumb to the cold. Winter losses are typically due to starvation, not cold, so keeping an eye on honey stores (as you are doing) is critical.

Randall


On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 10:04 AM, Phil DeGuzman <phil.deguzman AT gmail.com> wrote:
Greetings all. First year, new beekeeper, two hives. I fed syrup for th e first few months and then the bees seemed to stop taking th syrup so I stopped. I noticed a month or so ago that previously capped honey was no longer capped, so I have been feeding syrup every other day since then (they drain about 1/2 gallon per hive every other day, sometimes they don't drain it all the way).
 
This morning I went out to feed and noticed there was no activity at all in the hives (and there were probably 100-200 dead bees at the entrances of both hives). I don't go into the hives during the week, but simply swap out Boardman-feeder jars. I knocked on the side of the hive to see if I could hear the cluster react, and they did react - I could hear the cluster buzz.
 
I know the last couple nights have been down in the 40s. So I am wondering, is this an example of die-off as the seasons change and the bees prepare for winter? Or is it possible the cold affected the bees somehow? Anyone else seeing similiar die-off over the past couple days? 

--
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” - Helen Keller


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--
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” - Helen Keller




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