Requiem for the Hive

I have an update on my bee situation. I mentioned in an earlier post that the top cover of our hive blew off during a fierce wind storm in January. I tried communicating with the ladies, but to no avail. Communication involves knocking on the hive and listening for a response (BUZZZ). Yesterday, the president of the Beekeepers Association stopped by and suggested an impromptu visit to the hive. We sloughed through the snow and Jeremy knocked, but no one answered.

Our particular colony was the product of a hive swarm. The colony becomes too large, or the queen begins to age. In an attempt to survive, she sends out a pheromone signaling a portion of the colony to fill their bellies with honey to sustain them until they begin gathering nectar again. Then the queen leaves, taking almost half the colony with her. Think self-preservation, for if the colony believes she is tired, old, or not laying a sufficient number of eggs, the colony kills and replaces her. Therefore, we had no idea as to the strength and age of our queen.

After removing the top cover, Jeremy peered down through the frames searching for signs of bee-life. Alas, the hive was silent. We began systematically removing frames and examining the evidence. It appears the ladies starved for lack of adequate honey reserves. The comb was empty of honey. Many of the bees were head-first in the comb, as though they were eating. A typical hive requires approximately sixty pounds of honey to survive the winter. While we fed them sugar syrup and fondant, it was not enough. Jeremy mentioned that when a colony begins to die, everyone dies within a few minutes. They live, work and die together. As we knocked the bees out of the frames, their carcasses blew across the snow, like scattered ashes.

While upset, I was expecting that verdict. I had a gut feeling the hive had perished. As I mentioned earlier, "keeper of bees" is an extremely inaccurate term. Bees keep themselves, we merely try to provide optimum opportunities for them to flourish and pollinate. All we ask for in return is the chance to steal a little honey now and then.

Our new colony arrives in April. We learned a great deal about bees this year. We will continue in our attempt to decipher the mysteries of the hive.