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) [log in to unmask]