October 2nd - I don't want to... bee... here talking about this
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- So this video was supposed to be a joyous one, talking about how the colony accepted the queen that we installed on 9/22... but it looks like we had an intruder. And it's not looking good for the long term health of Hive 3.
Check out the video for what happened last night.
Hi from southern New Zealand 👋😮tough and upsetting discovery. Im glad you found all the frames and the queen thats positive. Personally from what ive learned i would suspect a bear attack. If its any consolation, that bear would have got more stings than i care to think about. Theres a number of clues, claw traces on the super, dragged and chewed comb. Honeybees are very resilient to these kinds of attacks, its similar to a hive collapse which I have dealt with, one of the hazards of living in a earthquake prone country, big shakes knock over hives. No bears, lots of earthquakes. you will have lost bees and brood but the colony will instinctively cluster around the thickest area of brood regardless of the orientation of the box. I encourage you not to get disheartened, its a nasty thing to find but its unfortunately a part of beekeeping. Hives do occasionally get attacked or collapse. Strapping your hives with a strong metal strap, we call them emlocks im not sure what the North American equivalent is, a strong strap will help, the colony will still get knocked around but the boxes won't separate. If youre part of a bee club or have a commercial beekeeper you can consult talk to other beekeepers in your area and take thier advice and suggestions for solutions. Dealing with the unexpected is part of keeping bee's, no matter where in the world you are. Unfortunate discovery but your colony will bounce back 👍👋
That's no fun, gather them back up set them back together. In many cases bees can be more resilient then we give them credit for. Give it a few days and see how it looks, give them a quick inspection and some extra food.
Sorry for the situation stick at it, beekeeping is hard. Thanks for sharing.
Might be worth putting a cover on the bottom of the hive before winter sets in. Open to the weather on the bottom in winter has to make it hard to keep warm.
I have bottom boards to help close up the hives in the next 15 - 30 days. (Probably after my last inspection)
you need to strap your hives down and anchor your stands.