The Death of A Hive
Beekeeping doesn’t come easy. It seems like it should be easier than it is, but it’s not. Unfortunately for most new beekeepers, you end up with hive losses. In order to prevent losses you should begin learning immediately. I have a few resources that I really like.
Beekeeping for Dummies is an excellent book to start with. It's a great book to reference back to if you have questions. Normally I would suggest getting books like this from the library, but this is one that I would definitely keep on your personal book shelf for reference.
Beekeeping With Confidence is a well made beginner beekeeping class created by Christine from Rushing Rivers Apiaries in Northern BC. She also has a Hive membership on Instagram that has been super informative.
If you are in Ohio I recommend buying bees and equipment from Nature's Image Farm. Everyone that buys bees from him automatically gets to do his free learning yard. He sets up a bee yard when you pick up your bees. Every other week through out the season you meet up and go into the hives. So you get to see variations of what is happening in your own hives at home. It's a great place to learn, and he is fantastic about getting the kids involved in the beekeeping as well.
You should also find a local beekeeping association near you and get involved.
Now lets get down to the autopsy!
At the start of the season last year we began with two hives. Then one of our hives needed to be split because our queen kept wanting to swarm. So we moved her into her own hive to make her think that she swarmed. She never built up the hive as well as we expected, so we prepared ourselves for her hive to not make it through the Winter. Imagine our surprise when her hive is the ONLY hive still standing!
Today it is a 70 degree day, but it will drop to the 20’s for a week or so. I wanted to peak inside the hive to make sure the hive had enough resources to make it through. They are just starting to eat some fondant that I put on the hives, and the bees are foraging pollen from somewhere. Her numbers seem to be increasing, so she seems to be in a good place leading into the next few weeks.
After I checked on my living hive I decided it was time to autopsy my dead out. I never found the queen, but it was easily able to determine that mites were the ultimate cause of death. Here are the photos that made me sure that it was a mite death.
In this photo you can see a bit of leftover drone brood. There are some pin prick holes in the cappings. This is something that mites will do to get into the cell. You can also see white stuff stuck to the side of the comb. This is mite excrement.
Mites are something that all beekeepers have to deal with. You need to have a good plan in place at the beginning of the season in order for the bees to stand a chance. This hive was treated multiple times throughout the season with oxalic acid, and a few times in the Winter months. I also treated it in the Fall with Formic Pro because it had a high mite count even after my other treatments. It still wasn't enough to prevent this hive death.
Despite the fact that I have lost two hives, I'm still extremely grateful for the season. I have learned so much! Each year I will be able to gain more confidence and knowledge.
Don't let the fact that hives die scare you from trying. The beekeeping community overall is marvelous and is willing to help anyone learn how to become a beekeeper. If you decide to jump in and get some bees let me know so I can be a cheerleader for you!