BS: Question for beekeepers

Subject: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Janie
Date: 26 Mar 08 - 07:48 PM

My estranged spouse had two hives of bees that we lost to mites. 2 springs ago, a wild colony moved into one of the abandoned hives. IN the meantime, we separated. I just left the bees alone and they seemed to do fine the last two years. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed there was no activity in the hive and no dead bees lying around. I popped the lid off (but not the underlid), noticed a stream of ants, put the lid back on, and was meaning to send an e-mail to the spouse that the bees had either died or moved on and the ants were in whatever honey was left. I mowed the yard Monday for the first time this season, and the hive was still empty. I just walked out in the backyard, and bees are back in the hive.

A new colony? A new queen and new brood who hatched after a swarm left?

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Mar 08 - 08:20 PM

wow...a LOT of hives were being abandoned across the country. Hope this means some good hopes.

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Barry Finn
Date: 26 Mar 08 - 09:39 PM

Bee healthy, eat your honey

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Riginslinger
Date: 26 Mar 08 - 11:06 PM

Weird things have been happening with bees, some of it very serious.

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Melissa
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 12:16 AM

I get invaded by pissants occasionally and I've noticed that the only thing they consistently leave alone is honey.

Do ants eat/use honey, Janie?

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Janie
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 12:38 AM

I wish I had fully opened the hive to see if there were dead bees inside. Seems like it about has to be a brand new swarm has moved in. I don't *think* when bees swarm that the entire colony abandons the hive - I think the new queen and some of the workers stay in the old location. If the old colony died, it might mean this new colony is doomed, and maybe will spread whatever killed the others.

I can see where a hive with honey would draw a new swarm, and I don't think they were robber bees from a different colony harvesting the abandoned honey. It was right at dusk when I noticed them and they were obviously headed into the hive for the night. (Swarming bees are pretty common here. There is an old house a block or two away whose walls have housed a massive colony of bees for a long, long time. That is probably where the earlier swarm, as well as this one, came from.)

I'm pretty sure we have some beekeepers among us. Hope one of them notices this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Janie
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 12:41 AM

Melissa, many ant species adore sugar, including honey. Some people who live in old houses have bee colonies in their walls. I am blessed with colonies of assorted ants. I have to keep the honey jar in a shallow bowl with water to form a moat to keep the creatures out, and I keep my sugar in the freezer for the same reason.

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Melissa
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 02:20 AM

Thanks, Janie. The ants here seem to go through cycles of wanting different things..sugar, grease (it's horrible when they infest the catfood!) and sometimes water. I sure hope they don't find out that they're missing out on a good thing by leaving my honey alone!

My house used to have a colony in an upstairs floor before I bought it. When I moved in, my bedroom was in the flight path of a colony..they'd fly in the east window and out the west.

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: freda underhill
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 03:02 AM

if you put lavender oil across the back doorstep & window sills, it keeps away ants.

..glad to hear the bees are back!

freda

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: semi-submersible
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 03:51 AM

Wonder if they'll survive, or catch whatever did in their predecessors? Glad the parent colony is still healthy enough to send out swarms. I'd be curious as to how it turns out.

Subject: RE: BS: Question for beekeepers
From: Mr Red
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 09:15 AM

As I heard it - the Sout African Bee is an agressive beast and it may be that the new bees are hybrids of those.

Southern US is suffering, and UK is worried not sure if they are here yet.