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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • To: Michael Morrissey <mmorrissey AT fastmail.fm>, Orange Co Beekeepers <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Winter and slow death?
  • Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2015 14:12:37 -0500

Michael,

Honey bees die at the same rate as they are born, mostly. When they are out foraging, the old, worn-out bees will croak going to or from the hive. When it is to cold for them to get out (below the low 50's for foraging, below the high 40s for quick poop flights), they die in the hive. The carcasses are dumped outside by undertaker bees, often just right outside the entrance. Usually we don't notice them because they are lost in the grass or even carried off by ants.

In the winter, far fewer bees are born and the ones that are raised in the fall and winter live for several months, not just several weeks as in warm months. Primarily they live longer because they aren't foraging -- foraging is extremely rough on bees. Their wings will only last about a week and a half of intense foraging, leaving the poor bee dead on the side of the road somewhere when they do finally give out.

So... seeing a dozen dead bees in front of the hive isn't surprising at all. If there are something like 20,000 bees in the hive right now and all of those individuals are expected to be dead by the end of March (4 months), that means that around 166 would die every day (if my math is correct). Those are very gross assumptions but you get the general idea.

Hope this helps.

Randall Austin

On 12/10/2015 1:35 PM, Michael Morrissey wrote:
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Hi,
Since this is our first season, I'm not sure how normal it is to find 10 or 12 bees dead in front of the hive. It seems they are dying at that rate daily. The few that aren't quite dead are sluggish, barely able to fly. I picked one up for close inspection and she looked normal -- 2 good wings, no mites, etc.
 
Overall, the hive seems healthy--lots of activity lately, perhaps more so due to the unusually warm afternoons. They have a candy board, cedar blanket and some 5:3 syrup occasionally when its warm. They also appear to be finding a bit of pollen from somewhere.
 
I'll do an inspection this weekend, as it's supposed to be in the 70s. Anything special I should be looking for?
 
Opinions and advice welcome.
Thanks
--
Michael Morrissey
 


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