Another week, another visit to the hive. Unfortunately, I had terrible weather during my little 4 day holiday at the farm. But nonetheless, I wanted to do an inspection on the hives. I can definitely confirm what plenty of books have told me – inspecting the bees when its cold, wet or dark really stinks. The bees prefer to stay indoors when the weather is poor which means the disruption of the entire population, as well as a difficult inspection of a crowded hive. If I had known that Sunday afternoon was going to be so nice, I would have waited. The bees once again whispered ‘patience’ and I once again failed to hear them.
Oh, and I also committed my first triple digit mass murder.
Hive A
Hive A was the scene of the crime. My nice big top-feeder, loaded with 4 litres of thick sugar syrup was the weapon. And I (not Colonel Mustard) was the prime suspect. I think the problem was a poorly fitted lid, which allowed bees into the reservoir rather than restricting them to the feeding canals. In the future, I think I will actually screw down tight fitting lids on the feeders. I estimate the body count between 200 and 300 bees.
But in spite of murder on a scale beyond any serial killer in modern history, Hive A is doing great. The top brood box is full of bees and I added a honey super on top. As I was leaving on Sunday, huge amounts of bees (the most I have seen to date) were zooming in and out of the hive. Unfortunately, I was without my camera. I think the big feeding may have been a net gain.
Hive B
Hive B looked great at first glance, with plenty of bees, and good honey and brood production in the top box. But an inspection of the bottom box showed that in spite of having lots of bees, there a few worrying signs. First, the two outer frames are still bare of comb. With the top box filling up nicely for weeks now, I’d been assuming the lower box was full. Second, there are a lot of empty combs – no brood, no honey. I’m hoping that they were full of eggs that my eyes aren’t good enough to see.
I didn’t want to mess around too much in the slightly cool weather, so I didn’t try to solve these problems immediately. Next week I will check the empty cells and hope to see larva. I will also try moving some frames around in an effort to get the empty ones filled. I spotted the queen in the upper box, and she looked active, so I’m not queen-less.
Treatments and Feedings
Hive A received its first honey super. Hive B got some syrup in a front entrance feeder to encourage comb building in the bottom box.
To Do List
Bring my glasses next time so I can see the eggs.
Move some frames around in B.
Keep a close eye on Hive A which is in a population boom, and could start feeling the urge to swarm (half the bees fly away to start a new colony).
Figure out how to fix those death-trap top feeders
Figure out how to fix those death-trap top feeders
Thoughts
300 bee deaths in a day is a pretty typical stat for a hive. 300 bee murders are another story. I felt so bad that one little oversight or slip-up or something led to such a grizzly event. I’ve spent so much time this bee season second guessing my decisions – is that too much syrup or too little? Too much space or not enough? Even after the fact, the outcomes have been difficult to decipher – is that too much honey or note enough honey? Are the hives growing fast enough?
This was clearly, undeniably bad. 300 little sugar soaked corpses don’t lie.
This was clearly, undeniably bad. 300 little sugar soaked corpses don’t lie.
P.S.
I am copyrighting “Sugar Soaked Corpses” for use either as my new band name, or for a series of erotic vampire novels.
