My Bees Are Dead, Here's Why - Beekeeping 101 - GardenFork

Taking apart a dead beehive to see why the bees died. Watch More Beginning Beekeeping Vids: goo.gl/WpbTWL Sub here: goo.gl/3zM702
A dead hive is never good, but we can learn why bees die over winter. This time I think it was the queen starting laying eggs too early and there was a cold snap. There weren't enough bees to cover all the eggs (brood) and cluster for the queen as well. Its called chilled brood. The eggs are called brood in the beekeeping world.
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[@1d1hamby]

it was so brave and honest of you to make this video. we can sometimes learn so much more from failures. keep up the great work and showing the truth in bee keeping.

[@gardenfork]

thx!

[@ivanarydia6895]

It's only a failure if you fail to learn from it.

[@Beowulf-sd5gh]

Sorry for your loss. A concerned statement: I would not reuse comb from a hive that had disease, so you dont spread it.

[@gruntqueen]

This is one of the saddest posts I've seen lately. You appear to have tried everything to help the bees survive. Dammit. Thanks for posting this.

[@gardenfork]

i think its important to show that hives die more often than you think. a 30%+ mortality rate is not unusual. thx!

[@marvinlaird1971]

Looks like your frames are wet, I also noticed 3 small vent holes on your cover, too much insulation and not enough ventilation. I believe moisture killed out the hive, bees can get cold and live but they will die when wet and cold. The top peace of insulation should not be used with that setup, look into quilt tops with ventilation this may help more of your hives survive through the winters. Also I have seen fewer bees in a cluster make it through winters with the proper setup.

[@iclies]

Hail & respect. My father is a beekeeper in Missouri. Followed in the footsteps of my grandfather. He has active hives right in the middle of Kansas City & many more up at the farm in St. Catharine...he also welds, gardens & much more. Very active for 76 :)

[@tony2227]

iclies That's good old way life.... Irs a shame we lost that type of living .. more healthy and more connected to our Mother Earth...

[@unisol2287]

I’m from KC too, I’m going to start my first hive next month

[@couproduc]

dont know why im emotional right now, my friends keep Bees, what an amazing feeling to feel for creatures that are important

[@MrDavederave007]

Hi, thank you for sharing your video. I would like to give you my view which may or may not be 100% correct but is reflected against my own experience in Beekeeping. Look at the clues... You have Nosema and dead bees. Your dark sugar patty is a definite no for feeding in winter as the bees will require regular cleansing flights eating this. Secondly you have way too much sugar for winter setup. You should allow the bees to rely on their own honey for winter setup and rather feed in the fall if they haven't made enough. Bees need to be on the comb in winter to cluster and not spread out all over a pile of sugar. A full brood of honey allows them to cluster correctly and their own honey is the best food for them as their gut bacteria has adapted to the local flouna. Too much sugar will upset this delicate gut bacteria balance and the pH will be wrong. This can bring on Nosema on it's own. Sugar is also hydroscopic and can create too much damp in the hive but definitely the placement can cause your cluster to get confused and break up. Your better setup with the hive is complete top insulation to reduce condensation and keep your open mesh open, not closed. No top ventilation required just good insulation to prevent top condensation. Your mouse guard is bad design. Bees will battle to clear dead ones out of that mouse guard as they have to try climb up the smooth metal. You better to use a mouse guard that allows bees to easily exit the hive on floor level so dragging dead bees out is not a challenge. Too many dead bees on your floor rotting will spread problems to the rest of the hive. If the entrance gets blocked even worse. Your overload of sugar feeding means the bees will need water. If they can't get out to fly because it's too cold or entrance blocked then they can't digest the sugar properly because lack of water. This is not a problem with honey. You're basically dehydrating your colony on sugar and unbalancing the gut bacteria if feeding too much sugar. The last point and probably the most over looked.. Varroa. This is another chapter but it's usually the underlying reason for colony calapse. The viruses transmitted by varroa means your hive was already weak and many issues could cause the bees to die. It a bit like diabetes or HIV... it doesn't always kill people directly but by weakening the immune system, it allows diseases to manifest and take over. You need to really understand varroa and how serious it impacts the bees health or you will simply keep getting dead colonies and trying to guess why they died. Varroa kills bees by weakening their immune systems and it then appears something else has killed them. Either varroa or your placement of sugar confused the bees to brood in the wrong place or both. You need more honey stores in the hive and don't mess around with the frames come the fall as the bees have it setup they way they need it. Adding sugar around the hive can mess their design up. Good luck and we are all still learning.

[@markrivera4911]

Sorry for your loss. I just started beekeeping this year. I bet loosing that hive hurts a bit. I found a bee in my clothes after I came home for an early inspection and I put her in a queen cage and fed her till I got home from work the next day. She ran into the hive with no problems.

[@gardenfork]

yes, as long as it is warm, a single bee can survive for a bit that way.

[@BernyHi_CosmicHoney]

Thanks for sharing. I had a similar death. 2 warm spells in February in the Canadian prairies I think did them in. Nosema and no food left by the time spring finally rolled around here. It is sad, but definitely part of life. Keep up the good work! You obviously care very much for the bees.

[@gardenfork]

thx Berny. I may have forgotten to feed these bees some Fumagillin to reduce the Nosema - dysentery last fall. that may have contributed to the demise. Going to pick up a package of bees in a few weeks, thx!

[@numbertwelve8627]

I noticed some of that comb was almost black. I'm a beginner beekeeper myself, but we were taught to not leave comb in the hive for more than three years, and to take out black comb for the sake of hygiene, as it will accumulate all sorts of nastiness over time. Should you decide to store it somewhere, for example because you're waiting for good solar wax melter weather, make sure to either freeze it for a bit or use a different treatment against wax moth, otherwise there may not be much left for you to melt down.

[@sierrabravo7368]

I heard that you should rotate out the old comb every 5 years

[@danshankle]

Thank you, So Much for this Video. Am a First Year Beekeeper in Oregon with Just ONE hive and tend to be a worrier. THIS video helped immeasurably in letting me know that SOMETIMES, in spite of our best efforts, a Hive will die out. One of the BEST videos I have Ever seen from anyone. SOOOO informative! Again, Thank you!

[@gardenfork]

Hi Dan, good to hear from you. There are many reasons bees dies. Most of them are from beekeeper error, I think. But there are times when you've done everything possible and they still die. This was one of those times. I have had issues with queens dying the past few years, and i think it could be just bad genetics and over-breeding, but i'm always learning. thx! eric.

[@carlos125866]

The way you talk and those dead bees just broke my heart,its my first video that i see from you and you got my subscription,thank you very much,keep up the good work.

[@nancyclayton6535]

Hi Eric, sorry about your bees. I'm in Central NJ and few of my hives starved out as well, mid-March while I was away and it was cold. No signs of Nosema. What I did to clean out the hives was to use my air compressor; much quicker and far more effective at freeing every nook, cranny, and cell of dead bees and debris. Now I'm ready to start catching some swarms!

[@gardenfork]

had not thought of using air compressor, good idea, thx!

[@lechatbotte.]

Oh my, I have lost hives, they simply left. Not had them die inside. This year down to two hives. I did learn that it's better to add supers to one hive than to have multiple smaller hives. Here we don't get the really brutal winters, but bees have a bad time with the cold no matter what. I'm so sorry for your loses.

[@gardenfork]

yeah, the more robust the hive, the better the chance of surviving winter. thx!

[@Birdhouselady]

Boy that's sad.

[@AureliusR]

Yeah I was almost tearing up. Poor bees.

[@Pythonaria]

Me too :(

[@SpecSwamp]

This is disgusting, almost enough to make me throw up 🤢

[@SakimasRidgeHomestead]

Lost a hive this past winter as well. They had plenty of food, possibly too much, as they appeared to not have proper room to cluster.

[@chrismills5110]

I never re-use combs from a hive, if I do not know cause of colony death. Also, I have never seen such extraordinary insulation of a hive - you must live in a very cold area, and there is no ventilation: I almost killed a colony of bees, in England, in a cold winter, by stopping up ventilation, but quickly saw bees drowning in their own sweat. Keep up the good work, you clearly love your bees

[@gardenfork]

we live in New England where it gets very cold. the lower entrance and upper entrance have ample ventilation, and this has been a good way for us to get the bees through winter. thx!

[@chrismills5110]

Many thanks - we never get temperatures too low in Great Britain, well, certainly not in London where I am. Good work - love your bees

[@ChyvDso]

Try to put 2 weaker colonies on top of each other with a mesh, to Keep the Queens seperated ( also a layer of newspaper so they smell each other slower and dont attack, but if well they do attack, at least u got a stronger colonie ;) ) so they can Exchange the heat better. Tried this couple of times. Hope the rest of your colonies is fine :)

[@kirishima2370]

Do you carry out any inspections through the winter? I look in very briefly once every two weeks (unless it's very cold), you can spot feeding difficulties and react accordingly. I also over winter on just a brood box, a super adds more space for cold air and a greater chance of bee disbursement and heat loss. Good luck this winter

[@mileawayhoney]

You did a great job getting your bees ready for winter. In October if you noticed you had less than 6 frames of bees in a 10 frame hive it's time to reduce the hive. Leaving the super on the hive is a huge mistake. Too much space will kill bees every time. If you have a small group of bees go down to 6 to 3 frame hive. In October you still have time to feed them and get them up to weight.

[@benmatthews3732]

I'm so sorry - you work so hard to take care of your bees. A month ago a swarm appeared in a tree at the college where I work in NC. I had no idea so many of the faculty and staff were bee keepers! We had no trouble finding someone to collect the swarm! (Beth)

[@gardenfork]

great to hear!

[@Atoyota]

Hey there GardenFork ! I'm new to beekeeping and coincidentally learning to weld also. Working on my brother's farm (vineyard) as a retirement job. Started last year with two nuke hives (boxed bees) and neither survived the winter despite me feeding them all summer long both sugar water and patties. I suspect some bouts of robbing to be the reason. This year I have 3 hives plus a swarm I captured and boxed in a nuke box (still in the field ATM, to be moved later today.) I reused the comb my last years bees established, although one frame showed some mold which I cut out. There was still food in the comb, honey and pollen. I'm sure one of the new hives I installed was the origin of the swarm I caught. I plan on doing things differently this year with feeding. Once nectar flow stops in a month or two, I'll set up a feed station a couple 100 yds away for all the hives to hit. I'll keep entrances smaller and not leave sweets anywhere near the hives. I will still feed pollen patties inside the hives. I will ventilate once the summer heat begins (did that last year but left bottom slides in their boxes, will remove them this year). My only goal at the moment is to get at least two of the hives to survive through the year. Now that I understand it's not that easy... I don't plan to treat them for mites because I want my hives to be independent self sustaining hives.

[@gardenfork]

its quite a learning experience keeping bees, you are on a journey similar to what I embarked on 8 years ago. my opinion: if you don't treat for mites your fatality rate will be high. the mite population grows through the summer and as the bee population declines in fall and winter, the mite numbers grow and take their toll on the hive. "independent self sustaining hives" means not feeding them either, no? at least where I live, there are few, if any, feral (ie: natural) hives anywhere around. mites, pesticides, and disease combine into deadly triple threat for feral colonies. the least i can do is fight the mites. to me, bees are an agricultural animal that needs to be taken care of just like chickens. not sure where you live but this video is how i get my bees through winter: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6TKZKikdrpjfck thx!

[@Atoyota]

I'm in VA and my bees are on a vineyard. Bees have been known to groom for mites. Yes I do feed when the flows stop and through winter. Do I want feral hives? not exactly... but closer to feral than totally dependent is my goal, and being close to the mountains with some old growth forest on the property... if they swarm to become successful feral's I feel that would be great! We do spray to kill beetles in June so that will take a toll, can't be avoided. If they aren't foraging in the vines then they shouldn't have a problem... but again it's something they will have to deal with here or where ever. It's a learning experience for sure.

[@moonshade0227]

I am also a backyard beekeeper. Looks like they starved to death. The bee pattie and sugar are not useful for wintering. I don't see enough honey/syrup storage there. The hive ran out of food at early spring when they began to build up population. This usually happen to italian bees in cold region. Here's my two pennies 1. Feed syrup at the beginning of spring. 2. make sure there are 2deep+1mid(or 4mid) full of honey/syrup before wintering. Dry sugar is not consumable and in the cold days they are unable to reach to top of the hive. So feed them earlier before the cold days come.

[@gardenfork]

actually, we feed them syrup from late summer until they stop taking it down in fall. we are very conservative about how much honey we take off each hive. last year we didn't take any. and they do eat the sugar, watch here at 2:30 kzbin.info/www/bejne/boaTpnSml7uGrrc these bees started laying eggs too early, and then a real bad cold snap happened, and they couldn't cover the brood cells and cluster at the same time.

[@gardenfork]

and the pattie is a winter sugar patty from Mann Lake, not a pollen pattie. thx!

[@whitetigess]

Dustin Liu i dont know about you but white sugar is very processed sugar its manuafactured via chemicals and its been studied for its effects on humans and how bad it is for us... id be hesitant to give white processed poisons to a hive in the first place. read that alot of people store their own honey to feed back to them when they get hungry

[@moonshade0227]

Usually solid sugar is emergency feeding. Traditionally brown sugar is centrifuge to produce white sugar. I agree sugar is not as good as honey but that's many commercial beekeepers are doing for more than a century. I normally mix vitamins in syrup to feed them.

[@gardenfork]

you can find whatever answer you want that fits your viewpoint on the internet. its not a 'white processed poison', its sugar. thx!

[@arum236]

When you do use a screened bottom board over winter, remove the plastic mite grid and sub it with a wood board. also when you are feeding over winter try not to place all the sugar and patties right onto of your frames, (use half the amount) and raise providing a bee space or the bees will break cluster and be unable to move over the top onto the next frame. Use deep boxes for brood chamber not mediums

[@CleanSlateFarm]

Good thought on the brood observation. I didn't think of that one. Except for the nosema, I have a hive that looks almost exactly like that. Huge cluster of bees, very low mite count (maybe 60) on the bottom board and a dozen small hive beetles. Didn't eat the sugar too much and lots of honey left in the hive. My video shows the same thing.

[@gardenfork]

if it warms up too early, then the queen starts laying, and then a cold snap, this can happen.

[@CleanSlateFarm]

It happened...and may in my last surviving hive. Dang!

[@gardenfork]

the beekeeper can make this happen by feeding pollen patties too early, (inducing the queen to start laying) but at least I didn't do that.

[@russtex]

So sad! Sorry you lost your hive. Glad the other hive is doing well!

[@gardenfork]

thx Russ, the other hive is going great. thx!

[@princesspeach7496]

R.I.B so sad, I hate seeing beautiful honeybees and bumblebees dead :(

[@carminegiso1108]

I have been wondering where you have been...sorry to hear about the bees. Happy spring nevertheless.

[@gardenfork]

thx!

[@bigmort6916]

Wow so sorry your lovely bees have died I would be devastated 🙁😔

[@pmac5621]

I just had a hive check before winter and I was told to ditch those old, dark NUC frames, as the queen will not lay in them.

[@gardenfork]

Hi PJ, from what I understand, the older dark comb gets narrower over time, with each bee being hatched, more material and frass build up in the comb cells, making them too small to lay in. good point. thx!

[@rogercarlson2330]

how was your mite load going in? i always treat again in december when there is no capped brood to make sure i get them all.

[@chrisdowing1775]

I'm a first year beekeeper and seeing its been a very weird weather pattern. Best of luck!

[@gardenfork]

last year we had a drought, so no nectar flow, hence no honey. fed the bees lots of sugar syrup. but they made it through. thx!

[@karoncarter7054]

WOW now I am sad . sorry your bees died.

[@karoncarter7054]

B Vegan what did you think I was talking about?

[@karoncarter7054]

B Vegan so you are saying had he said his son died and I said sad your son died I would be inferring his son is property. hmm interesting. in the future I will be more sensitive with my comments.

[@karoncarter7054]

B Vegan I am certain someone with your sensitivity did not begin this conversation by calling me a vulgar name. The missing letters could not possibly be u and n. This has been fun. We must do it again sometime. Long live the bees.

[@Homeschoolmeful]

My bees are mine.

[@Homeschoolmeful]

They are mine. They belong to me.

[@pedromcintyre8943]

Why the thumbs down? This guy is helping with the bee population " WE NEED BEES, BEES NEED US"

[@Ovatsug7991]

oh maaan i cried bro, when i saw them all like this, i'm not joking, fells bad man

[@reptilesfishandmore]

Our hive didn't make it this winter and we are investigating why. They were fine in November. We had a warm day and gave them food since they needed it to make it through winter. Checked them a few days ago and the whole hive is dead. It's unfortunate since we didnt see any signs of lack of food/starvation. We even had checked thrm for mites before the winter too and they were fine.

[@paga357]

One point of clarification I might offer. At 3:28 in your video you mention that the young bees are starting to come out. IMHO, that is not the case. Bees come out head first. What you have in the shot are 1) uncapped brood (the larvae in white) and 2) bees going into the cells head-first. This may further support your comment that they were unable to get warm enough and were seeking refuge in the comb. I also lost a hive that appeared to be in this condition with a small number of bees dead in a cluster. Thanks and I enjoy your channel.

[@gardenfork]

thx Chris, i am good at mangling words and flipping them backwards. i think the adult bees went head first as the hive was crashing, but who knows, I am but an amateur. right now i'm working on keeping the hives from swarming. going to check them tomorrow when it warms up. thx!

[@dminiquen]

That's so sad : ( poor bees

[@moewilson4605]

Thanks for sharing. I hope to start a hive or two next summer. Trying to learn lots, even the disappointments. This year I am prepping my yard with pink clover, a fruit tree and wildflowers to help the young bees forage closer to the hive. I would visit an apiary and ask questions about your bees demise. Do you think with all the insulation that they were ventilated enough or they can suffocate? My teacher uses wraps for his hives and we live in Canada where the temperature can drop to minus 40 Celsius.

[@regenerativelife991]

the only thing I saw which if improved can make the bees very happy is more space for in and out. Their entire species is wired to have good clue about in and out. normally they separate in and out but if the hive is big it creates a bottle neck in those small holes. bigger space at least during the spring summer will be very good for them and they will be more productive and happy.

[@rendalemeyer]

I heard that you can get a fair bit of moisture in your hive when the dew comes of the grass in the mornings with screens. solid bottom boards are quite a bit easer to build. in my opinion your trying to make a bee incubator so a warmer environment is a benefit. thanks for the vids.

[@gardenfork]

my understanding of the screened bottom boards is two fold. 1. it allows any varroa mites that fall off a bee or frame to fall into the grass under a hive, hence they can't climb back onto another bee. 2. the screened bottom allows more air circulation, and reduces condensation in the hive in the warm seasons. thx! eric.

[@rendalemeyer]

Yep there's lots of different understandings out there. It seams like most of them work. Ether way you should treat for varroa.

[@thetruejay20]

Great content, keep up the good work!

[@gardenfork]

thanks for taking the time to write!

[@yosalov]

What would you do different to prevent this next time? Please help us prevent this!

[@Homeschoolmeful]

So sorry for the loss of your bees.

[@LukeDower]

Damn this is legitimately really sad. Sorry for your loss dude.

[@gardenfork]

Yeah it was a bummer Luke, always trying to learn how to be better with the bees, thx. Eric.

[@nancyclayton6535]

Sky Pup, I use an air gun nozzle and carefully start far from the comb and work my way in as to not destroy it.

[@debrad9968]

hi Eric, how sad...I'm so sorry the bees are dead!!! I just want to cry. I hope this never happens again for you...

[@JustIn-sr1xe]

Up until this video. I didn't even know bees could get diarrhea. Thanks for teaching me that. I've recently started learning about bee keeping. And was thinking seriously about getting into it. I just want to know what the pitfalls and signs of hive health are, before I dive in too far. Best of luck with your ventures.

[@gardenfork]

Hi Justin, my best advice is to take a class with your local bee group or work with a mentor. One can make lots of mistakes with bees and get discouraged, best to learn from other nearby beekeepers, IMO. thx!

[@lawrencemayne1906]

Hey quick question: was there a queen excluder in that box, and have you considered putting central heating for the hive in, if it's population is not high enough to shiver enough body heat through the winter. Cheers, Lawrence.

[@gardenfork]

one uses queen excluders to keep the queen out of the honey supers, they are not used in a winter hive. and heating the hive is not a good idea, it will lead to starvation.

[@scottwascher8567]

@@gardenfork can you explain why itll lead to starvation? I thought a heated hive would use less energy 🤔🤔🤔

[@cookingvblog7334]

hey Eric - Ive always wanted to get started with a small hive - do you have a step by step how to get started with bees, or any thoughts? live in a very cold climate in Winter (can get into the teens or less for over a week or two sometimes)

[@jacquiehninger-cuervo5601]

Take a course with a local bee keeper - seriously. We did and he showed us exactly how he prepares his hives for winter.

[@nellmccoin3547]

Would it be a good idea to put a plastic cold frame around the hive for more warmth?

[@gardenfork]

it all depends. you want your bees cold in the winter, but not freezing. if they are warm, they will be active in the hive, and they will eat up all their food stores quickly.

[@1new-man]

I sorry Eric. yall are good people.

[@zakittyslair]

love love your video's, your a champ!

[@d0j0w0]

Cool video, sorry about your bees.

[@Twomidgetsonahorse]

Did you possibly have a late swarm out of this hive that you may have missed? There did not seem to be that many bees for the size but I could be mistaken on the numbers I saw. Couple this possibly missed swarm with the early lay out and yeah low numbers to keep it going. Sad all the way round but a good clean out and you should be good to go

[@gardenfork]

+Twomidgetsonahorse not sure but you never know. Hive was good going into winter. Late cold spell did it I think. Thx!

[@muleskinner485]

I would say you have a couple of things or a combination of things that has caused this die-out, 1 is you may have insulated too well, and created a deep-freeze , as the weather warms up the hive can't because it is insulated too well ,my opinion is to leave the south facing side open to the sun, better to just wrap black tar paper arround the whole hive, 2 is you gave them too much room for the amount of bees that were in the hive so they chilled, cold damp weather is the breeding ground for Nosema , try just giving them a smaller house to winter in ,and duct tape a tar paper windbrake arround them , the tar paper being black should absorb more heat from the sun , i use a piece of double-bubble insulation on top of the frames, it has a reflective foil on it ,help keep warm in winter and cool in summer, but be sure to cut a hole in it for a vent, then put the top-cover on this then the lid, better luck next time buddy, thanks for sharing............

[@deekennedy8676]

sad, but your showing of the hive was very educational

[@jeromerez1]

Thanks for sharing could the pesticide laden sugar they where eating be a issue ? If organic please let me know. Great video.thanks again .

[@reptilesfishandmore]

I hear some Wood frogs in the background too. Sounds like you live in a nice area with all those frogs n nature

[@laurajoy1180]

That was pretty brave. Thank you for shooting this video.

[@gardenfork]

Sure Laura. I think its important to let people know what beekeeping entails. thx for watching and the note, eric.

[@mikeyg426]

Mine just died. Made it all winter then a 20 degree cold snap killed them. Appears to be same issue as this hive. Early layer, small hive. Southern Illinois.

[@antoniojosecarrasco2259]

In winter we only use the nest portion so it's only one level because a smaller hive is easier to keep warm. if you didnt have the money, you couldn't pay the heating bill on a mansion eigther.

[@davidsibert6674]

So sorry to see this

[@Kristor333]

😢

[@patrapper7367]

When weather changes from warm back to cold would a heating pad/blanket be a temp help?

[@gardenfork]

i've heard of people in very northern climes using a light bulb under the hive or some sort of hive warmer, but I don't use one. thx!

[@zoranbozic8592]

Just my 2 cents. In regards to your insulation. It should overlap over each other so you dont introduce cold bridges at corners where moisture and mold could form. I plan to use insulation like you are but insulation must go over corners, this is where you lose most of your heat.

[@gardenfork]

yes, its a work in progress. we tilt the hives forward and have the dry sugar on top as a moisture absorber as well. thx for the info!

[@sumitman54]

Please let me know if u get any info on what is doing this.

[@sierrabravo7368]

Did they have enough pollen to get them through the winter?

[@eddouville7874]

Sorry you lost your bees. We go through the same thing every spring. We have warm days then cold nights and days and then it warms up again. so the queen starts to lay and the nurse bees are spread to thin. This past winter we lost 4 hives and then in the spring we lost one more. All are hives are treated in the fall for varoa mites. And they get a candy board in the fall with plenty of honey and pollen stores. We have pine chip boxes on the very top and plenty of ventalation. I think we have come to the conclusion that this is a common occurance. We hit -20 below this winter. but 4 hives are now 14 hives. We live in the New England area and our weather is unpredictible in the spring. Good luck to you. Old Drone 64 Apiary

[@sumitman54]

I have TRIED to have my bees live for 3 years now and I have found then dead. Just as in ur video. I had the insulation on the hives like u have. I have had NO luck at all. Dead bees for three years now. I'v done everything by the book and also fed them like u have.

[@malibuassociationofrealtor3245]

Why did this hive suffer and others get thru the winter ok - your thoughts?

[@Joedy860]

Hi Eric Sorry about your little buddies. would you be interested in a wild hive ? it is local to you, within 10 miles. thanks Joedy (winsted)

[@MrSatukali]

No reply for 3 years? Disgusting!

[@Joedy860]

Luo Ming Xi He did reply but I can not seem to find his reply, he essentially said that the wild bees should just be left alone. Not sure why I can’t find his reply though.

[@MrSatukali]

@@Joedy860 Oh good, just put off by lots of youtubers who dont bother to reply but are only interested in new subscribers

[@Joedy860]

Luo Ming Xi I understand exactly where you are coming from,

[@scottwascher8567]

@@Joedy860 thats interesting because other youtubers will say catching swarms are the best hives to have... how weird that he would say that about leaving them alone.. the wild ones are acclimated to the weather and surrounding environments...

[@corysummers3008]

@gardenfork. Can I get your opinion on the dribble oxalic acid. was it effective?

[@gardenfork]

+Cory Summers I think it's the best mite treatment available currently. Best to alternate with hop guard. Here is a vid I did kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWqciqZppcedns0

[@corysummers3008]

Cause I was gonna order oxalic acid fogger that you hook up to a battery, I'm sure you seen one. But if the oxalic acid dribble method is just as effective then I'll just get that and save a bunch of money. Appreciate you answering. This is my first year as a beekeeper so just asking other beekeepers their preferences... So you'd say that dribble is just as affective as the fog? By the way, how's your season going?

[@dbeney2280]

same thing here Eric. I have a top bar. I am in Ct. where do you get your Bees ?

[@gardenfork]

it depends on the year, i've gotten them all over. this year they came from Mann Lake. friend drove to PA and picked them up. never ship bees. thx!

[@Hellblazzer]

That is sad, hope you get new bees and they succeed! So what killed them, mainly the cold?

[@gardenfork]

+Antonio Oliveira yes the sudden cold snap

[@Hellblazzer]

What temperatures become dangerous to bees? I am curious.

[@gardenfork]

its not a certain temperature, its the swing from warm to sudden cold, after they have already laid eggs that they have to keep warm. they freeze trying to keep the eggs warm.

[@Hellblazzer]

Thank You very much for that knowledge!

[@laurabrowning924]

So sorry.....

[@EpicEditor018]

im so sorry about your bees eric, it pains me to see people's bees die, but my friends bees had it the worst of the worst, all of his colonies caught American Foulbrood. thankfuly i haven't had that happen, I'm praying my treatments to my bees will prevent American Foulbrood.

[@gardenfork]

wow that's bad, sorry to hear that. i think you have to burn the hives when they get foulbrood, yes?

[@EpicEditor018]

yes, and all of your equipment as well, american foulbrood spores would probably be lingering on it.

[@kilo3421]

I almost cry...

[@FlannelAcres]

It's always sad to see bee loss. :-( Are you concerned about re-using hive parts that have Nosema on them? Do the bees leave it alone, or can they get sick if they try to clean it up?

[@gardenfork]

healthy bees will not have a problem cleaning this up. if the bee diarrhea is all over the inside of the hive, i will burn it.

[@blackisback74]

For 3 yrs now here in Chicago I've tried saving my bee's. At first I thought I wasn't leaving enough honey behind thus starving them for the first two winter but then the third year I made sure I left more than enough honey and they still die. My neighbor is saying that it's a problem with mites getting inside the bees. Is there any truth to that or maybe I'm just doing something wrong and not feeding them enough or maybe I need to put a heater on them or possibly line the outside of the hives with insulation?

[@adventuresoffinnandfarley8858]

I am not sure I would pile that much food directly on top of all the frames. I use a candy board but I have a small shim which keeps the wire and food off the frames so the bees can move around better.

[@Yuubah]

Should you feed pollen patties that early? I'm an amateur too, but I thought if you fed them pollen too early it would stimulate the queen to start laying

[@gardenfork]

Correct, too early and you have problems if it gets cold.

[@sdichampion]

You can all cry for me. Just lost 5 hives this winter. Beekeeping is ridiculously expensive. I’ll try again this year but I’ll be trying to put them in a shed with more ventilation. Dont know what else to do here in NW Indiana. Gets so damn cold.

[@PaulOtis]

Did your City bees pull through the winter? My top bar did not, but new bees are coming soon!

[@gardenfork]

one city hive died, not sure why here's the vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j32QmnuAZsyNftk

[@MrMABO15]

Have you guys checked out the Flow Hive and/or the thermosolar hive?

[@gardenfork]

its a solution in search of a problem.

[@MrMABO15]

I assume you're referring strictly to the flow hive? Thermosolar hive is different and not as well known. Look it up. It could solve (or partly solve) the problem with mites.

[@jacquiehninger-cuervo5601]

I can't agree as far as FlowHive is concerned (I don't know anything about the Thermosolar hive). To quote Michael Bush (the Practical Beekeeper) "FlowHive is simply another way to harvest honey, bee management remains the same." We only have a couple of hives and don't want to bother with honey houses, uncapping, centrifuging, filtering etc. - the FlowHives are perfect for small operators or urban beekeepers. The main criticism is that they are expensive - but for one or two hives, there's not much difference in cost, if you were to buy all the other equipment required for conventional bee keeping and honey harvest. FlowHive got us into bee keeping and we like it so much, we got another one.

[@EpicDrake]

Trying to get my parents on board with honey bees before summer comes rolling around. I am very interested in raising honey bees for our 52arcs of wooded property. And I thought that might be a great idea. Also we have a small river that flows through the middle of our property so. I also decided to plant 100 separate native plants close to the bee hives so the bees don't have to work to hard for there resources.

[@EpicDrake]

Sorry for your loss by the way

[@gardenfork]

Thanks for your thoughts here. I have found bees don’t do well in wooded areas. I moved my bees out of my yard, which is surrounded by forest, down to open fields about 10 miles away. Bees need a LOT of pollen and nectar, trees alone won’t do it. Join your local beekeeper association and learn from them. Thx!

[@essentiallykim4286]

Aww. That's too bad. I'm sorry.

[@gardenfork]

the animal world does it thing, i'm always learning. thx!

[@petergriffiths3941]

Dear GardenFork, Firstly, I just cannot understand why you go to all the trouble of insulating the top of your hive (which is a great idea) but then you appear to have three little air vents/hive openings below that insulation, which really defeats the object of the insulation, e.g. to keep the hive warm! You have also done a great job of insulting the sides of the beehive, which would indeed help them keep warm, that is if there were no air vents at the top, as depicted in the video. I believe, as a result of the air vents/hive openings at the top of the hive, the bees (if there is not ample population) are unable to keep warm (warm air rises and in your case goes out the air vents) and that appears to me what has happened - they have died out because of the cold which is typical of when you see dead bees in the comb from being chilled, e.g. head in, backside outwards and dead! The dead bees shown in your video have tried to stay warm by clustering, which is how they keep themselves and brood warm, but probably not enough population to stay alive, unfortunately. I would also suggest that you have far too much airspace in your beehive/s, insofar as you appear to have three boxes with empty frames without much honey in them - it is just too much room for them to have a half a chance of keeping warm and/or keeping critters at bay. I try to tell other beekeepers that bees will often die out, even though they have capped honey stores like yours had - if I see this in my hives especially in Winter, e.g. not enough nectar coming in, I will run the hive tool through sections of it, which encourages the bees to use the honey, as it is far better for them than sugar - people laugh at the idea, but it is true and I've been keeping bees since 1962. I liken it to some people who have so much money hidden under the bed and/or in the bank, but will starve to death rather than withdrawing a penny of their savings to feed themselves to survive, which doesn't make sense - wothe???? I run 8 frame full-depth Langstroth hives and always "knock them down" coming into Winter to just one brood box (no other supers/boxes on top in the Winter) at all - this also ensures that no Small Hive beetles and/or Wax Moth will attack/damage the frames that do not have a covering of bees. I'm in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales in Australia (about one hour south of Sydney) where we sometimes get snow (maybe a 1 in 5 year event), but our Winters are by no means as cold as some states of US of A, however I utilise a small opening at the bottom of the hive (the usual opening) but on the top, I have a full sheet inner cover of linoleum (we call it lino in Australia) which is a type of floor covering material that we find thrown out for the taking at any Carpet/Flooring store, as they are only too willing to give it away, as a rule. Full-width Coreflut (it is used at bottle shops etc for advertising and by politicians to display their heads at voting time) is also good for this purpose, as the surface of the Coreflute that come into contact with the top of the box edging and lid squashes, hence it is a great insulator (with air trapped in the flutes), but unfortunately Coreflute tends to break down over a short time (maybe two-years at the best), but lino is so much more robust anyway. I put the lino cover on the top of the box to cover it completely (to the outer edge all around), so that air cannot escape and/or get in - you will notice any time you take it off the bees have usually propolised it all around and also on the top of the frames, to seal it even more from the elements - the bees like the idea and usually survive Winter and when it starts to warm up late in Winter, I will then put on a super/s, queen excluder as required. I do have the luxury of being able to open my beehives in Winter here, but I have to pick the warm/sunny days and I can understand that you might not be able to open your hives at all in Winter, especially if you get snowed in and are not able to scratch any honey stores that the hive might still have. I leave the lino inner cover on for all seasons here in Australia and let me tell you, we get some really hot days in Summer, however it works well. Also, I do not use any traps (chemical or otherwise) for Small Hive beetles and I rarely see them in my hives, as the hive is very tight indeed with this system I have developed, as the bees have a better chance of defending the hive against them. The one and only time I use vented lids (migratory covers they are called here in Australia) is when I am moving my hives - I put a vented lid on (without the lino inner cover), transport the bees otherwise there is a chance that the bees will suffocate without an adequate air flow in transit. When I get at the destination, I simply put the lino cover back on top, followed by the lid. In Winter, I also block the front opening with folded newspaper so that there is only about a one (1") inch opening for the bees to come and go and when they don't want the paper there anymore, you will see them starting to chew it out and when I see that activity, I remove it totally for the busy seasons. I would suggest you leave only about two or three of the mouse guards holes open on your opening at the bottom in Winter and block all the others off with newspaper maybe, just to aid them keeping the chilled air out. I would also discard the air holes/openings at the top and see how it goes. Of interest, if you have seen the Warre Hive system of keeping bees, the brood chamber is usually in the top box of the hive (where the warmth is, as hot air rises) - the Warre Hive system tries to emulate bees living in a hollow tree and in that hollow tree the bees usually have their brood nest above the opening - so this is the same system, as I am describing to you in this reply. Sorry for "Waffling On", but I wish you all the best in trying to keep the warmer air inside you beehives next Winter, so that they might survive your sever Winter until the following Spring. Kind regards. The Fat Arse Beekeeper/Downunder - June 28th, 2018

[@petecascone8441]

I too am a beginner bee keeper, yet I already lost a hive. When should I clean out the hive?

[@gardenfork]

if its freezing out, you can do it in the spring. be sure to spray with BT to keep the wax moths from eating up the frames. its a real mess. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnWViotmap6HgpI

[@AndrewAlbright88]

did you ever think to put your hives in a garage or other structure to regulate temperature during the cold nights? I'm new to beekeeping and I live in PA with the long, cold winters as well. if not, what do you think the cons would be?

[@markrivera4911]

I know that you have to make sure they don't start brood too early because of the warmth. Otherwise you'll run into the same problem as in the video. I have heard of folks doing this and then adding a small heater to keep things above or around 35F during cold snaps. I image the energy bill will add up quick though.

[@gardenfork]

do not keep the bees warm during winter, you will kill them. here's how to prep the hive for a cold winter, be sure to put some fumagillin in their sugar syrup to fight off nosema before winter too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6TKZKikdrpjfck

[@StevenYang506]

Sorry about your hive. =( Would be good to see a follow up video from this to know if anything could have been done to prevent this from happening or to stop the hive from dying if symptoms are noticed early.

[@gardenfork]

Most of the time, I believe beekeepers do something or skip a process that leads to the death of a hive. Most winter beehive deaths are related to the varroa mite and not treating the bees for it, I think. This kind of hive crash can't be prevented IMHO. We had a warm week, then real cold weather, and the bees couldn't keep all the eggs warm and the queen.

[@gardenfork]

one might be able to notice the symptoms early, if you opened the hive on a real warm day in Feb-March, but if there aren't enough bees in the hive, the hive is toast. The problem is in late winter, the hive population is at its lowest, then this happens. thx.

[@sumitman54]

I'v done everything like u have and for 3 years now my bees have been found dead after winter.

[@randysmith1334]

Too cold ? Then too hot ? Bees will die ?

[@357lockdown]

Many people don't use screened bottom boards because they claim it lets in too much light and can cause the bees to abscond. I am only a first year beek so I don't have enough experience to know if this is true or not.

[@gardenfork]

I use screened boards to reduce the varroa population, and then close it down in the cold months. i've never had bees abscond. thx!

[@ellruorrkinshinglo2499]

I think you better feed the bees with syrup but not sugar cake nor what protein substance.

[@ITtttttt]

For winter best way to keep bees in one broodbox

[@not-pc6937]

To damp and not enough ventilation- you have to keep them warm but you must still have ventilation- sorry for your loss it can be heartbreaking

[@satwik302]

alive ones in d end was a relief

[@T1DarAngl]

Sorry to hear that and RIP those brave bees o7

[@johandeklein5253]

Not sure, but knowing a cold spell is coming can you not use like a heating pad to bring some heat in the hive.

[@gardenfork]

not sure if that would work but its certainly an idea. i don't know enough about the temps needed but thx!

[@framcesmoore]

I an sorry about of lost, have lost 5 they starved they had plenty of food but the temps droped her so low for so long they could not get to there food they had butts up in the comb. good luck with the rest of your bees

[@gardenfork]

I'm re-queening all my hives and packages with Northern bred queens in early summer from now on. any other queens can't take the cold. thx!