Weird happenings here in southern Alabama.  Installed four (4) three pound packages of bees Saturday.  Weather was great, temp about 75ºF, light winds, and clear skies.  Installation was in late morning.  Before installing packages, they were dusted with powdered sugar to try to dislodge any attached mites.

Each of the hives were located on top of four concrete blocks arranged in an arc facing east and positioned about three to four feet apart.  The south hive was installed first with the installation progressing from south to north.  Almost immediately an abnormality was noticed with the southern most hive (hive #1).  The bees were poured inside around the queen in her queen cage and the hive closed up.  Almost immediately the bees started congregating on the landing board.  The rest of the bees were installed and those installations seemed normal.  A pollen substitute patty was placed in each hive.  Late in the afternoon the hives were opened and boardman feeders were installed inside the hives above the bottom brood chamber.  

At this time it was noticed that most of the bees from hive #1 were gone and seemingly had drifted to hive #3, the hive located next to last in the northerly position.  Today, the hives were checked again and seemingly the hive populations from hives #1, #2, and #4 had vacated and drifted to hive #3.  There seemed to be about a softball sized cluster of bees left in each of the diminished hives and hive #3 was busting with bees.

Any ideas about what might have happened?  Did the sugar dusting disrupt the pherome connection the packages had with their queens?  

We will be moving the three small hives to another location after adding a frame of emerging bees along with their attendant hive bees.  Suggestions about other methods of correcting the problem will be appreciated.

Mike in LA
Thinking this has never happened to me before




Mike in LA



      

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