I think I actually exhibited a very fast-forwarded version of the 5-step grief process:
1 - Denial: When I found a bee with a white dot on it on the ground I looked at it and thought that it was not the queen. That was probably someone else's bee, it was too small to be my queen (the bees look so much tinier when they are dead, she looked the size of a normal bee, not a queen). So what if she had a white dot on her, maybe someone was just running around painting my bees for fun.
2 - Anger: Why my bees? I was taking such good care of them... I actually stomped down to the empty lot on Alvarado Ave because I had heard that round-up could be especially bad for the bees. I swear there were some dead plants there.
3 - Bargaining: Maybe if I just feed them, they'll be fine and make a new queen. I called Cheryl at Bear Foot Honey to see if there was ANY chance of me re-queening (even though I knew the answer would no). It is too late in the season for me to re-queen the hive myself, and it is too late in the season for the bees to create their own queen. At the beginning of winter, the worker bees (all girls) kick all of the drones (boys) out of the hive. The boy bees are useless during winter and they just take up space and eat food. The girls just make some new boys in the spring. It is more than likely that the girls have already kicked the drones out, so if they made their own queen, she wouldn't be able to mate and would be useless anyway.
4 - Depression: :(
5 - Acceptance: Ok, I lost my one and only hive this year. On the bright side, it looks like I could perhaps reuse my equipment (hive and frames) next year (since they didn't die of disease). Cheryl said that I should leave the equipment out for 30 days to make sure that the pesticide had dissipated, then I should freeze my frames to kill off any fungus or wax moth larvae (since the pollen is not completely unprotected and vulnerable). Brandon agreed that I could have 2 hives next year (I think mostly just because he doesn't want me to be sad any more right now). Next step: convince Mom that 2 hives is a good idea :)
I'm so sorry to hear about your bees!! Though i have to admit that I smiled a little at the Brandon agreeing to 2 hives next year.
ReplyDeleteWhen bad things happen I always try to remember that everything's a learning experience :) I'm sure your bees next year will be full of honey and baby making vigor and I can't wait to meet them!
Yeah, Mom even suggested that I move the bees onto the deck next year so they get more sun - I think they really grew on her :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad to meet you at the Bee Guild holiday meeting! So sorry about your bees though :( I do find it quite interesting that you found the Queen dead, and as she's marked, there's no question it's her. We lost one hive this year, but most of the bees, and the Queen, were simply gone. Either absconded, or taken away by the yellow jackets we dealt with this fall. I do wonder about toxins in your case. I noticed at the meeting, other than starved brood, your frames otherwise looked good. Nice honey bands etc. Until the loss of the Queen, it seems they were doing well, and as there were no visible queen cups/cells, it implies the die-off was fast. The workers didn't get a chance to even attempt to replace her.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I agree, at least two hives for next year. It will give you more management options if one becomes weaker before the fall. If they both do well, extra honey! If they both do well and survive the next winter, extra money for spring splits too! :P -- Clare