Hi Adam

Your neck of the woods isn't my neck of the woods at all, so I'm going to misquote an over-used phrase here and declare that: 'All beekeeping is global!'

First of all, welcome to the craft.  And well done for wanting help with your problem *and* wanting to have another go.

Tip number one: get in touch with local beekeepers.  The talks, apiary visits, demonstrations, meetings will be interesting and very worthwhile.  You will get from them an indication of what might be going wrong or going well locally, and you'll be able to call on someone when you see something you don't understand.

Tip number two: learn how to identify queens, and mark yours.  You will need to find her on a regular basis, and knowing whether or not she is there is crucial when you meet a problem.

Tip number three: you need to learn how to read a colony.  You've made a start with determining the presence of brood, but there is a lot more.  Were there stores?  In a poor summer some bees will starve themselves to death whilst producing brood if poor flying weather continues.  Are there obvious diseases or parasites?  Brood diseases, and Varroa mites.  When a Varroa infestation gets heavy, the bees may abscond.  Heavy Varroa infestations leave whitish flecks (faeces) in the bottom of the cells.  Are there signs of acute poisoning?  Dead bees at the front or inside the hive, bees behaving erratically.

If it isn't starvation, or pests or diseases, or acute poisoning, then perhaps CCD or chronic poisoning (just maybe the same thing, despite Jim's posts!) is to blame.  If its that, you're as much in the dark as we are.  Can you re-use comb next spring?  Maybe .... but the priority must be working out what went wrong.

all the best

Gavin

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