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>>I am in SC, and for the first time was beekeeping this summer.
Gavin has provided some very good advice so I won't repeat it. :)
>>I looked inside at that point and it would appear the queen had
died for I saw very little brood.
This should not be the logical conclusion. Especially in feral
colonies, bees make provisions for a new queen before the old one
dies.
The bees could have swarmed leaving behind little brood and a virgin
queen. Did you rule this out? If there are some bees with the
little brood you did see, I would meticuously check for a virgin
queen. Keep in mind, virgins are not easy to spot.
>>...this week, it appeared business as usual in the hive. But then
yesterday I noticed no bees at all, and they are gone.
The bees could have absconded in both cases. Were the hives in
direct sun light? If you provided no top ventilation and don't use
screened bottom boards, the colonies could have been stressed out by
overheating and decided to look for cooler quarters. Do you think
this is possible?
>>My question is on how to clean the frames and boxes. Do I just
toss out the foundation and all and order new?
Why do you feel you must clean the hives/frames? Unless you find
positive evidence of disease or infection, you can just re-stock the
hives with new bees.
Waldemar
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