What to do with a dead hive

If you keep bees you will occasionally loose a hive. Watch this video before throwing away or destroying comb. Clean-up is much more simple than you might think. Check my website at www.BeeWhisperer.us

[@sherryortiz227]

I've lost 2 langs and 1 top bar colony in the past week or so. Love the bloopers left in. Makes it more real.

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

Glad you like them! I think so too!

[@BeeThrifty822]

Thank you, just the video I was looking for after losing a hive this week. Very detailed. You gained a new subscriber 🙂

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@FlipsideGamingOfficial]

2:04 lol

[@joycefiddes1791]

Lots of work. Labour of love.

[@matthewmontemagni257]

I was watching this video because I have 2 lbs of honey from a dead hive last winter and I never strained the honey or the bees out of the honey. I wanted to see if it ok to feed a new hive the old honey even if the bees died in the honey

[@beekeeper8474]

Hope I don't have to experience this but one must always be prepared for the worse.

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

It will happen at some point but owr aim is to delay it as long as possible!

[@Revrick1000]

What do you do if you find large amounts of mold and mildew? If it still safe to use?

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

In most cases yes. Store it in a dry place till your new bees arive. Use a bee brush to dust off the worst of it and let the new bees have a go. In a couple of days you will see no signs of mold.

[@williamsouthwad]

Could I use the hive's with honey left in them, to catch a swarm. After I cleaned the 2 hives, I lost up?

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

I Don't use honey in swarm traps it will attract more robbers than scouts.

[@mariakeenan]

I’ve just been into one of my dead hives and there’s mould patches on them. So is that ok to leave for a new colony?

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

Yes the new bees clean that up very well. (usually) Brush off with a soft brush what you can and they will take it from there.

[@pirateprospecting707]

Was moisture a problem? I saw sugar on the bottom board.

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

I think moisture is often assumed to be a cause or contributor to hive loss when I believe that it is often a condition which comes about AFTER the bees have died and the hydroscopic nature of honey and sugar feeds actually absorb moisture from the air which accumulates with no ventilation, also frames full of very cold capped honey will have water vapor condense on them when we get warm humid winter days.

[@donaldroyer2961]

What causes a hive to die with all those stores available?

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

about 80% of the time it is associated with mites and their viruses, maybe 5-10% of the time queen issues and 10-15% something else.

[@AndrewPepper]

How do you like your hive wraps? Those vs tar paper ?

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

I love them. It keeps the cluster warm day and night, tar paper will not hold in the heat at night. I see them build up better is Spring too.

[@AndrewPepper]

@@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer Where are you ordering them from. Or are you making yourself?

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

Do you ever mite wash your dead outs?

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

Sometimes yes.

[@FarmerC.J.]

My bees died in December. I just went out to check and clean the hive , 2/25/2024. I was brushing the dead bees off and there is a green mold under them. Is it still safe to use? Thank you for your video.

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

The mold is not an issue for the new bees who will clean it up. In most cases winter losses are mite related and as long as the cause of loss was not AFB it should be OK to reuse.

[@FarmerC.J.]

Thank you. I’m very new to bee keeping. I did notice some of the frames with huge clusters of bees. There was a a Webbing holding them together. Did that happen after they died . It was a full hive with a full super of honey. There were a total of two supers full of honey late fall. The first super closed to the brooding chamber was almost empty but the top super was completely full. So it wasn’t lack of food that killed them I checked on them right before we had the flash freezing temps to come through and they were all active. Thank you for your help.

[@buttsbeesllc4063]

@@FarmerC.J. unless they were in the honey super they can starve. If they were tucked in the cells and their butts out they starved. Bees move very slow in winter.

[@Jpetovic]

They starve to death no food

[@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer]

No they did not, there was still a LOT of honey in the super which they were still in touch with.