🔴 My honey bees died, now what?

[@CastleHives]

Dead outs = a great start for another colony. Drawn comb = gold.

[@parkinsonga3092]

I catch late and small swarms just to build comb for the following year. If they overwinter it's a bonus.

[@BohemiaBees]

Bazinga!!

[@GrammyMidwife]

Exactly what I was thinking! 😂

[@lagrangebees]

First time I had a dead out I wasn't sure what to do with the moldy frame. Took quite a bit of research to find that the bees will clean those right up. Wish a video like this would have been available back then :D

[@BohemiaBees]

Yeah I learned that the hard way also. We all are learning every day from these bugs in a box.

[@Steele_Wings]

I tried 5 over 5 this winter with 3 colonies. 2 made it so far and 1 starved out in December. It had 2 deeps and a supper and fondant. They eat it all and starved. All 3 colonies where spring splits. That queen was a laying machine and wouldn't slow down due to abnormally warm weather this winter in Charlotte NC.

[@BohemiaBees]

I love the 5x5 setup

[@woodlandharvesthoneycompanyllc]

With the temps being a little on the cold side I probably would have waited a little while before putting the second box on the nuc. I could see there was plenty of bees in the colony but would not want to chance chilled brood with warmer temperatures hopefully coming by the middle or end of March. Everyone does things a little different and doing what works for you is best.

[@BohemiaBees]

Fair assessment. It’s a tough call but I did this on a warner day and did break the frames in the original nuc for that purpose.

[@parkinsonga3092]

Have you thought about adding some AMM queens to your hives. I live at 55° North and the AMM overwinter better than any others in my area. They are active when the temperature gets to 8° Celsius but if the temperature drops again then they will recluster. I'm feeding one quarter honey, one quarter sugar, and half water. There is also a pollen patty on. Colonies die out, what you have left is perfect accommodation for an early split, possibly Demaree and you will still get a good honey flow. Don't forget at the full moon to run around naked, while shouting that you love your bees. Thats a guaranteed winner for a good season. If you didn't do that last year that's why your bees died. Good luck with the season Jason.

[@BohemiaBees]

What’s an AMM queen, pardon my ignorance. I breed my own stock from a host of imported queen traits. We actually have great survival rates. Not 50%. More like 10-15% losses. But that can vary from year to year. But happy to hear about the AMM stock. I will refrain from making a video with your last technique so my channel doesn’t get banned. 😂 lol no body wants to see that. 😂 Thanks fir the comment

[@parkinsonga3092]

@@BohemiaBees Hi Jason, AMM are black bees native to England and Northern Europe. They are smaller than the likes of Buckfast. They are black with barely visible orange on them. They over winter in a single brood. Bonus is if some of your bees look to have died outside due to a cold snap, collect them in a jar and take indoors and quite often it revives them. This usually happens around now when the temperature gets to around 8° and sunny. We never get temperatures above 20° Celsius so the bees are hardy.

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

I Second that Black Bees (Apis Melifera Melifera) rock ! I have them here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 in my Langstroth Hives x2 Stacked Colonies, x1 Horizontal and also x3 French Warre Hives, as well as x2 UK Nationals. 😉 I would of personally added an additional Nuc (2nd Box) to that now deceased Colony. And added a Deep Shim with some Plastic Mesh resting on those upper Frames : And added a Deep Measure of White Dry Sugar. With Insulation above it too. All of that would of assisted with the 'damp' Bees use this to make 'water' to digest that Sugar. While that 'Sugar' would of turned into a Solid sugar Brick. Again limiting any issue: the Bees had, to having to live in any Cold / Damp Quarters. It's a Win, win. You have tons of reserve Food. Its wicks up Moisture. And it adds more up top Insulation as well. . . 😎 My Langstroth Nucs all go into Winter in a x2 Nuc Stack, even if the Colony is somewhat small in say September : they soon move 'up' and overwinter with no issue. Also do a decent job on killing any Varroa Mites too before Winter arrives. Luckily we don't have Hive Beetles on this side of the Pond yet. One less thing to worry over. . . 🙄 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2024 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 ps. Came here via an earlier* Video on those Tiny Mini Mating Nucs (using a Shallow Main Box, to get their Comb Drawn !) Any more Videos on these Minis I can reference search by Date ? Thanks. . . 👍 Took a peek in the back Catologue of Footage, couldn't see any more* re Minis, despite that video saying 'check out' our others !?!

[@janahamilton9588]

Hi!!! Saw you with David Burns at hive life on David’s KZbin blog. He is great and clearly thinks you are great too. Good luck and can’t wait to view your KZbin also

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks for the comment and support Jana

[@tudorfrancu577]

Rest in peace my nuc 😢. Good learning experience ! Nice looking hives anyway 😜👍, thanks for showing them!

[@daisyshoney6021]

Justin, great video. I agree with you a 100%. It is nice to watch an informative video

[@BohemiaBees]

Thank you for the comment and the support

[@QuiteSBR556]

Great seeing at hive life it was nice to meet you. I like the no bs approach to your videos no I appreciate it. Simple to understand and I enjoy it

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks appreciate the feedback and support

[@philweaver9299]

Your boxes look great! ?? Do you prefer the stand the yellow boxes on over the stand to your right with the landscape timbers and cement blocks? I am still struggling with the whole hive stand deal!( perhaps a future video you could do) prefer 5s more and more myself! Thank you for your help and time it takes to make really good videos!

[@BohemiaBees]

Honestly I prefer any stand that’s open and stable. When I started beekeeping I was very particular about the stand build. But now many years in and several 100 hives later I am sometimes just looking for space for more colonies. As long as it’s stable and up off the ground about a foot that’s all that matters.

[@honeyandthecoop803]

Even though i inspect my colonies early and often, i found more colonies in trouble during the late summer or early fall than winter deadouts( usually caused by splitting failures on my part) i have more problems with wax moth invasions than anything after that happens( again seeing a queenless issue and not correcting it soon enough on my part)

[@BohemiaBees]

There are so many factors and things to consider. Which is why I look at bees as livestock and not pets these days. Took me a long time to detach from that notion to save every bee. But I realized that while every bee is important. The local ecosystem of bees is better and stronger with 2-3x more colonies rather than saving every bee in a few colonies. 3 queen right colonies can lay 4500-6000 new bees every day 10 queen right colonies can lay 45000-60000 new bees per day. You could save a few hundred bees in a weak colony or make more bees by expanding your apiary.

[@nc5806]

Thanks for all the great info. What do you do with the hive if you’ve got no other hives? Can you clean it and leave it out to catch a swarm? We just lost our last hive a couple weeks ago due to a weak hive that couldn’t make it through winter, despite providing resources all winter. There’s still a little honey and descent comb.

[@BohemiaBees]

Great question. Remove any remaining frames with stores (no honey or pollen) brush off any dead bees etc. reuse a few dry empty old combs (example 5-6 centered in a 10 frame) use a swarm lure and try to catch some free bees. The reason you only use half the frames is to give scout bees the sense if a spacious cavity to move into. Once you catch a swarm put other frames back.

[@maggie_codes]

Hahaha “Bring out your dead” I enjoyed that Monty Python movie clip Thank you for your video. I’m just doing research to see if I might want to take care of bees one day.

[@BohemiaBees]

Bazinga you caught it!! Nice job. Appreciate the support.

[@slamrock17]

Bohemia Bees, oh how they teach Their KZbin channel is quite the feat Informative and full of grace Their knowledge buzzes all over the place

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks Pete

[@dijonwhitmore171]

How do you get the dead bees that are deep in the comb out? I had a hive die in January from the cold and banging the frame did not dislodge them.

[@BohemiaBees]

You clean up what you can and let bees clean up rest.

[@randyclinganfarms4806]

At what temperature in the spring do you put pollen patties on.Thanks great video.

[@BohemiaBees]

I start putting pollen patties in late winter up until they start bringing in natural pollen. I only put small amounts and once I start, you shouldn't stop until you visibly see them bringing it in. There isn't really a temperature recommendation for pollen sub, they just need to be able to break cluster a bit and pull it into the nest. Hope that helps, thanks for the comment.

[@got2kittys]

Basically, clean up, get more. It happens. All that comb, you really cant get that anywhere else.

[@BohemiaBees]

Yes indeed

[@parkinsonga3092]

Hi Jason, I don't know how many hives you have but have you thought about perspex viewing panels in your roofs? You remove the metal roof from its frame. Into the board you cut an A5 size hole, on both sides of the board you add a piece of perspex. The two pieces means that you have insulation. You then place the metal lid on. During the winter you only need to remove the metal roof and you can see what your bees are doing. It works for me, I'm at altitude in North England, at the end of a tidal estuary.

[@BohemiaBees]

I’ve thought about it. I have observation hives but run quite a bit of colonies that wouldn’t benefit me needing a window into the hive. I also run screen inners for a similar purpose

[@meirchanan7587]

Justin, thanks for very informative video. question, what to do if hive box and frames after starvation dead-out smell of dead bees even after dead bees are removed? thanks again.

[@BohemiaBees]

It depends. If you have any signs of AFB better to quarantine and not use. But if they just died early and are just smelling like dead bees. You can clean up the frame, put in freezer for a few days, and just select the best combs to reuse. Hope that helps.

[@meismaria3741]

Now that it’s been a few years, do you still recommend the mason jars?

[@BohemiaBees]

Absolutely. Do them every season

[@GrammyMidwife]

Great stuff Jason! Keep ‘em coming!

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks Grammy

[@donbearden1953]

Jason, sorry man because I hate to see anyone lose a hive!

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks Don. That’s beekeeping. I’ll have that nuc built back in 30-45 days guaranteed. The string survive the weak will die.

[@BrianCooper901]

Great lessons! Thanks for sharing!

[@BohemiaBees]

Thank you for the comment and support

[@swannest1269]

Excellent information. Thank you. I’ve been dreading looking at my hives.

[@BohemiaBees]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment and support! Good luck this season.

[@alexb3282]

Thanks for the advice.

[@BohemiaBees]

Glad you found it helpful. Appreciate the support

[@osok5492]

Clean up their hives good and probably desinfect them with blow torch, throw out all frames and get new bees!

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks for perspective but both are unnecessary.

[@mrfabiocosta]

50% Mortality is extreme! More than 20% Mortality is certainly beekeepers fault. A well feed and treat for varroa will survive 4 of 5 times.

[@BohemiaBees]

It’s a baseline. I’ve never had more than 20% losses. Commercial beekeepers see more than 20% after placement on some crop. Is it their fault or the environmental factors. I think it’s easy to be prideful and say “I’m the perfect beekeeper I never lose bees” until you do. The point isn’t meant to be a measure of fear factor nor should it be a unit of arrogance. It’s a reality that every beekeeper deals with.

[@shawnmorgan7001]

Thanks just getting into bees and need all the infow I can get..

[@sherryortiz227]

Just noticed you started same year I did

[@BucketListBees]

Good info,, thanks, long ways from Maryland, content applies no matter where you live.

[@BohemiaBees]

It’s generally applicable but beekeeping is local.

[@corinnekoladay4392]

Will the mold and bee pieces left behind be a problem for the new hive?

[@BohemiaBees]

Nope if not too much a strong colony will clean it up.

[@Melicoy]

I thought it meant you didn't anticipate the issue and supply some sugar water... or took away too much honey to last for the winter season.

[@BohemiaBees]

Not necessarily. This was a late season split that was fed heavy in fall the same as the one next to it. One boomed the other didn’t. We don’t put sugar syrup feed on after November 1. At some point their population dwindled during mid winter and they went through their resources. We did the same with the other nucs and several others and they did fine. This was merely and example of you do have a loss what can you do to hedge your bets with the used equipment. That strong nuc will double in size in 30 days and we will split it into a queenless nuc and let they make a queen. Back to two nucs again

[@keithspillman]

"I'm getting better!!"

[@BohemiaBees]

Awesome. Never stop learning

[@mawi1172]

Put a glass house on them. Like a greenhouse. Maybe you wont loose so many.

[@BohemiaBees]

That would be worse than leaving them in the elements. The bees need the sun to orient. The glass will confuse and disorient the foragers and cause issues with cleansing flight. I’ve considered a root cellar or climate controlled shed but I’m just not there yet.

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

I’ve had better luck with single deep broods and I just started to get into nucs , I think the bees have a better survival rate when you limit the brood to one box , you just have to monitor more

[@BohemiaBees]

I agree. We run majority single 10 frame deeps. However, after many years of testing we find the 5x5 method is great to encourage bees to build up faster. Then if we want to make a split we in most cases can just split the hive.

[@got2kittys]

You get swarming when they're crowded.

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

@@got2kittys that’s why you have to manage them and keep healthy numbers , you can’t always stop swarming but you can manage your numbers of bees , my experience is if you are going to do anything different than the way the langstroth was designed to you have to monitor your bees even better

[@beehinde]

Do you use a microscope on some of your colonies? Some of my dead deadouts are due to Nosema Ceranae, otherwise known as dwindling disease. There are no visible signs with this version of nosema.

[@BohemiaBees]

Yes. I find it inconclusive if they have been dead a few weeks. So far the limited testing I’ve done for nosema has been negative

[@beebob1279]

Lack of resources in a hive is the beekeepers error.

[@BohemiaBees]

I’m some cases yes. But not if you manage 50-100+ hives and a nuc split has good stores going in but burned through it faster than other colonies. They are managed bees so I do take some of the blame but cannot be perfect on every hive going into winter.

[@beebob1279]

@@BohemiaBees I used to manage 50 colonies myself. My colonies would always have the food resources to make it through winter. As I got older I reduced what I had to be sure the colonies would have the resources to make it through the winter. That meant feeding (expensive). I no longer sell honey myself and only a hobby beekeeper now, it's easier to be sure the colonies are ready for winter. I would suggest to you to find a method so that no colony is short resources.

[@BohemiaBees]

@@beebob1279 thanks for the advice.

[@smittysbees6860]

50% losses = bad beekeeping

[@BohemiaBees]

Lol. If you actually have 50% losses. The point is plan to go in with double that you come out with. Volume is key. Then if you did everything you could you come out way ahead. You stop buying bees.

[@barbaramobarak6766]

Too far cannot see

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks for the comment. We will bring the camera in closer in future videos

[@JCsBees]

Great video! I bet they died during the extreme cold snap in December, it was brutal.

[@BohemiaBees]

Thanks Jason. Yeah that’s my guess also.

[@nancynolton6079]

Yeah probably but more than likely a lack of food did them in not the cold, but no food and cold will get them every time.

[@wazywek]

Zajmij sie innym hobby

[@BohemiaBees]

That’s ok 👍🏻