Urgent question here. I’m from northern Montana, USA. Last year was my very first year beekeeping as a teen and I decided to use the Flow Hive.
My hive was going strong over the winter until I made a huge mistake. I opened the hive in early February quickly to check on it and realized I needed to feed them some emergency sugar bricks. I made some at home and put them in, but they never ate it. A few weeks later, the whole hive had died out. Most of the bees were buried in the cells from starvation. No sign of mites, AFB, or wax moths.
My big question is, what do I need to do to prep my hive for a new colony? Do I need to sterilize anything? How?
Thank you all, I’m excited to be joining this forum. I am so happy to be a part of this community.
Hi Kimber and welcome! I’m really sorry to hear about your colony. It is very possible that they starved, given what you described. (Since you mentioned sugar bricks, I’m assuming you didn’t have your Flow super and queen excluder on? Which is correct - and please ask if you do have questions about this.) It’s also likely that their condition could also have been weakened by varroa mites as well. A lot of new beeks underestimate the reality of mites and the need for diligence through the active season, and then find their strong-looking colony doesn’t make it by fall ot winter. This is because as bee numbers decrease in preparation for winter, mite numbers dramatically increase. They feed on bees’ fat, which they need to survive the cold, and infect them with diseases in the process. Mites are very, very hard to see on bees, and after a die-out the signs of their presence such as traces of urine they leave behind at the edges of cells are not necessarily obvious to the untrained eye.
But I can already tell you are an adventurous, motivated, and conscientious beekeeper, and I know this experience will make you more capable and successful Read up on varroa and prepare your approach to management and treatment now, so you’ll be able to give your next colony the edge they need to survive next time. You’ll find a ton of info on that as well as winter prep and feeding here on the forum
About your equipment, just shake out the dead bees, and freeze the frames for 24-48 hours to kill off any pest eggs that might still be viable in there. Your new bees will get right to work.
Last note - about your club - so glad you have this resource! But since you mentioned their stance about your Flow, I wondered if some folks might speculate that it’s the reason your bees didn’t make it. Beekeeping with a Flow kit is no different from trad methods, only harvesting is (and far better!). Any newbie and even more experienced beeks can lose colonies, and hopefully your club folks would recognize that and just give you the support and guidance you need. We will certainly add to that, so please do stay in touch!
Mites are very, very hard to see on bees, and after a die-out the signs of their presence such as traces of urine they leave behind at the edges of cells are not necessarily obvious to the untrained eye.
Read up on varroa and prepare your approach to management and treatment now, so you’ll be able to give your next colony the edge they need to survive next time. You’ll find a ton of info on that as well as winter prep and feeding here on the forum 