Dave Cawley wrote:
 
>        One of the beekeepers here at the U (there's 3 of us and an ex so far)
 
>finally made it out to his hive and found his bees dead. He couldn't figure
>out why though, so I said I'd ask you folks...
>
>        He said that it looked like they were an exhibit in a museum. They
>were all over the frames like they were working on them as usual, but not
>moving. They weren't all balled up and there was a lot of stores, with hardly
 
>any dead bees on the bottom board. Any clues? I told him to put some in a jar
 
>to get them tested. What's the address to send them to? Luckily he ordered a
 
 
>package, just to be on the safe side.
 
Dave - I sent you the Bee Lab address directly.  A note to the rest of
BEE-L: I have a set of instructions from the Beltsville Bee Research Lab
on how to prepare samples for testing. Given that it is springtime, and lots
of us are now finding out we have dead hives, maybe I should post these
instructions??? I've already e-mailed several copies, and will continue
to do so upon request.
 
Comments about the dead hive: My first guess is that they
froze in a cold snap. How many bees were left in the hive?? If they were
dying off over the winter due to mites, or something, the cluster can
get so small that it can't keep warm on a cold night. You said there was
lots of honey left - was there any under the bees, or was it all several
inches away - in a cold snap, the cluster often consumes the honey under
them, and then can't move over to new honey stores 'cause it is so cold -
thus they "starve" with honey only  a few inches away. Was there any
brood present?? This might increase the tendency of the bees to stay spread
out more than normal, in an attempt to keep the brood warm.
 
When was the last time the hive was confirmed to be alive?
I'm just trying to get a feel as to when the hive probably died.
 
Lastly, I would wonder about the possibility of pesticide poisoning, though
it seems a bit early in the season for that (but then again, you are quite a
bit south of me).
 
>        Also I checked my bee books and magazines and couldn't come up with
an
>answer to "what do bees do at night, do they sleep?" Anyone have an answer
for
>that one?
 
I have always been told that bees do not sleep at night, that they stay active
in
the hive all the time. During major nectar flows, I think they work hard at
ripening and rearranging honey. Also, probably building comb, when it is
needed.
Earlier in the season, they are probably working at keeping the hive warm
enough to raise brood, and caring for the brood.
 
Rick Hough, a beekeeper from Hamilton, MA, USA (NE of Boston)
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