In a message dated 99-03-19 07:49:28 EST, [log in to unmask] (Alan Pagliere)
wrote:
 
<<         I took advantage of the weather yesterday to peek inside my one
 hive. The colony that seemed very, very strong during a warmish day last
 month is pretty much dead. There was a lot of water, condensation. There
 were lots of stores, they had taken some of the honey, but not that much.
         My theory at the moment, barring any diseases, of which there doesn't
 seem to be any evidence (question on this later), is that I left too much
 space on the hive for them to keep warm and ventilate.
 
    A post mortem is extremely important, both to protect yourself from future
disease, and to learn the cause of death, so you can avoid future losses.
 
    Did the colony have a ventilation hole near the top?  Your condensation
could indicate a ventilation problem. This is extremely important in cold
areas of the US. A strong hive will produce a lot of moisture in the
metabolism of honey, and this often freezes on the bottom of the cover, then
thaws and drops back on the bees.
 
  <<       I saw no cluster of bees as such. Just a few up in the honey
 stores eating, many dead ones here and there and a few small groups of
 live bees here and there. I don't believe there was a queen or any live
 brood.>>
 
    When you have a good cluster, most with their heads in the cells, you have
starvation. This can happen with a small cluster and a long cold spell, where
bees got separated from their honey. They can move up to honey in cold, but
not sideways.
 
    You indicate no general cluster, so I would discount starvation.  Another
clue is the scattered bees you mention. We saw a lot of hive losses during the
tracheal mite era, in which the bees abandoned the cluster and could be found
in scattered groups throughout the hive.  I believe US stocks are gradually
becoming more resistant to tracheal mites, and consider tracheal mite
treatments to be a negative, in that development of resistance is delayed. I
prefer not to buy queens from breeders who treat for tracheal mites. Hawaiian
queens have never had the weak stuff sorted out at all, and are extremely
susceptible. (Sorry to you Hawaiian breeders, but it is a fact). So TM may be
a possibility.
 
        << So, I think the colony is dead. I thought I would ask here and
 see what people think. I believe I left too much space for them to keep
 warm and ventilate. I wanted to give them lots of stores, but I think I
 overdid it and just wound up freezing the poor girls. Very sad. And if
 that is indeed what I did wrong, it won't happen again. What say ye? Is
 that likely what my problem was?>>
 
    Too much space over the bees? Do you mean empty comb? Empty supers should
never be left on the bee during cold weather. But you imply that it was honey
stores, in which case it does not function as a negative heat loser, but
rather a positive heat storage device.
 
    You didn't leave supers on with an excluder?  The bees will move up, and
the queen will be left to freeze below the excluder. (Okay, I admit it, I've
done it; a BIG tuition expense in The University of the Seat of the Pants!)
 
        << I did see what seemed to be water in some of the cells. I assume
 that if water condenses in the hive, it can condense and gather in cells
 as well as anywhere else. Is that right?>>
 
    The bees can put it there, as well as uncapped honey they are preparing to
use, which would look like water.
 
         I did see a few cells, not many, with what used to be brood.
 Sitting in what seemed to be water in the cells was something that looked
 like small white bits. Almost like grits or couscous, for lack of a better
 description. Were these just semi-dissolved larvae? I am trying to
 determine if what I saw is a sign of some disease.
 
      In honey cells the small white bits could be crystalized honey. But I
think you are referring to actual brood cells, and I am a little puzzled here.
Starving bees will suck the body fluids from brood, but it will not be in
"small white bits." The brood would be intact, except shriveled, unless the
bees recovered and began to dismember and carry out the pupae.
 
    Small white particles along the sides of the cells, could be varroa feces.
You indicated treatment, so I would think not, unless you treated very late,
or did not have the strips in the cluster, or had fluvalinate-resistant mites.
 
    Larger white lumps, one to a cell, might indicate chalkbrood, though
usually a hive that is susceptible to chalkbrood will not survive until late
in winter. Look for pictures in Morse's bee disease book, or show the frame to
an experienced beekeeper.
 
         <<I'm only slightly worried that the imminent death of the colony is
 due to some disease. I did do the Apistan thing last fall, and, looking at
 some books, I didn't see (or smell) what I might consider symptoms of the
 usual foulbroods. If there was a disease, I assume I should worry about
 re-using the comb or frames, etc. >>
 
     On the pollination home page, under buying used equipment, is a photo of
AFB scale in the comb. The frame is held upside down for better light, so look
at the tops of the cells in the lower, clearer part of the photo.
 
    If you see scale, do not reuse the frames, as you will just reinfect more
bees. If there is no AFB, no other cause of death would prevent reuse of the
equipment.
 
    There is one other cause of loss that is frequently not recognized. If
your bees took a pesticide hit back last summer, then appeared to recover in
the fall, they may have stored away poisoned pollen, covered with fresh. They
are extremely vulnerable to this poison during late winter, when brood rearing
commences, and there is no fresh pollen to dilute the poison effect. You can
test for this by selecting a frame with a lot of pollen from this deadout, and
putting it right next to the brood in a healthy hive. If you see spotty brood
on the adjacent frame, like you see with a failing queen, in a couple days,
you know the pollen is contaminated, and young brood is dying and being
removed.
 
    It is hard to diagnose from afar. I can only give you clues. I feel
stongly about knowing the cause of death, and those which I cannot determine
to my satifaction really bother me. I hope you can figure it out.
 
   If there is no AFB, save the honey from any robber bees and use it to get
your new hive(s) off to a quicker start.
 
    It is interesting, here in South Carolina, where the bees probably haven't
had 10 days they couldn't fly, robbers will often not bother an undisturbed
deadout, even if it has quite a bit of honey. But once it is opened, or moved,
watch out!.  I had a deadout on the truck the other day, not remembering that
it had some honey in it. I didn't take the truck in the morning, but returned
to a madhouse of robber bees working on the hive in my driveway. Good way to
terrorize the neighborhood! Fortunately the neighbors were at work.
 
Dave Green   SC  USA
The Pollination Home Page   http://www.pollinator.com
The Pollination Scene   http://members.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
 
Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop on the Internet  (honey & beeswax candles)
http://members.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm