advice needed for a hive with dead bees

[4Rser com]

I am wondering if someone can explain what happened to my hive and what I should do next.
I had a bee hive for about a year and half. We check the hive for every two to three months to see if there is any honey to harvest. We are not experienced enough to check the queen and the brood frames. Most of time, we just leave them alone. If we harvest honey, we only take out only one frame.

About a month ago, we noticed something unusual around the hive. There weren’t many bees going in and out of the hive and some bees seemed to hover around the hive and not go in. We thought maybe they are robber bees. A couple of days later, we then noticed hundreds of dead bees next to the hive, near the entrance. There were some bees flying around the hive but they seem to be robber bees and not the members of the hive.

It’s been a month since and I don’t see any bees around the hive any more. I do see some ants trails into the hive.

My question is:
1) Anyone has an idea what happened to my hive and why they were dead bees around the hive?
2) what should I do with the hive? Specifically, what do I do with the frames in the hive? is it OK to leave the frames or do I need to clean and/or store them outside the hive? Do I have to worry about something spoiling inside the hive? (leftover honey, nectar, eggs, dead bees…etc)

Would like to know if anyone had a similar experience.

Thank you for reading this.

JK

[susan rudnicki]

Hi, Kim—I am the moderator, but was away for the Holiday, so just seeing your note now. I will try to answer within your note—this is a huge and complex question, so my remarks will only skim the surface.

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I am wondering if someone can explain what happened to my hive and what I should do next.
I had a bee hive for about a year and half. We check the hive for every two to three months to see if there is any honey to harvest.

This interval is much too long and cursory. The proper inspection should be very concerned with assessment of the brood nest, to look for eggs, open brood, the brood pattern, and food stores. Taking honey from the hive can not be fairly done (fair to the bees and what they need to survive)
if you do not know what is really going on.

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We are not experienced enough to check the queen and the brood frames. Most of time, we just leave them alone. If we harvest honey, we only take out only one frame.

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Unfortunately, this is not beekeeping. I urge you to come out to some of the mentoring sessions HoneyLove conducts at the Moorpark learning site and come to some meetings at the Sunday monthly meetings—-you need guidance. Our website also has some very good links for basic books to read. It is very important to learn the skills to check the brood frames (it is NOT necessary to find the queen, but the evidence of her work—-the eggs) One other important reason to be able to assess the vigor of the broodnest is to avoid swarming of the colony in the urban environment. If you live in the city (you don’t say where you are) the majority of citizens are not beekeepers and do not appreciate bee swarms emanating from other people’s gardens. To keep good neighbor relations, you must manage your colonies appropriately. This means no “leaving them alone”, which is called negligence by responsible apiarists.
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About a month ago, we noticed something unusual around the hive. There weren’t many bees going in and out of the hive and some bees seemed to hover around the hive and not go in. We thought maybe they are robber bees. A couple of days later, we then noticed hundreds of dead bees next to the hive, near the entrance. There were some bees flying around the hive but they seem to be robber bees and not the members of the hive.

It’s been a month since and I don’t see any bees around the hive any more. I do see some ants trails into the hive.

My question is:
1) Anyone has an idea what happened to my hive and why they were dead bees around the hive?
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It is a good guess that they had a queen problem, and since your management skills are rudimentary, the signs that would have alerted you and allowed a remedy, were missed. It is also possible they absconded.
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2) what should I do with the hive? Specifically, what do I do with the frames in the hive? is it OK to leave the frames or do I need to clean and/or store them outside the hive? Do I have to worry about something spoiling inside the hive? (leftover honey, nectar, eggs, dead bees…etc)
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You should open the hive and see what can be learned from what is still there. I recommend you get a experienced bee mentor to help you do this assessment and pay them for this service, since you are learning a skill that requires time and committment and can not be done quickly. In general, the experienced beeks here believe it takes about 2 years of concerted time and effort to become a competent beek, with good problem solving skills.
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Would like to know if anyone had a similar experience.
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YES, this happens all the time. We here at HL are a resource to help new beekeepers learn and advance and network with others. Stay in touch with us!

Thank you for reading this.

JK

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