Friday, February 25, 2011

Vacancy

Dear Mom,
My bee hive didn't make it through the winter.  The colony is dead.


I don't know why. 
The bees had plenty of honey and a candy board to eat, so I know they did not die from starvation.
Maybe they were weak, or sick...or too cold and damp.  I feel like I should have done more to winterize the hive.  I'm disappointed.

I am attending Indiana Bee School IX tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to being surrounded by hundreds of other new and experienced beekeepers.  There will be four school sessions with several topics to choose from...like bee health, pesticides, raising queens, gardening for bees, and even apitherapy.  I know I'll come home with renewed confidence and an eagerness to try again!

Love, Bonnie Jo

10 comments:

I'm gonna tell Mom! said...

Poor you. Poor bees. I know you and the hive will rally and come back strong!
kim

Christine said...

It's been one heck of a winter, maybe it was just too much for them. Poor bees.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about the bees, Bonnie. I agree with Kim though... I am certain that you will learn from this and have a booming hive in NO time :) ~ Suzy

Michele said...

I'm so sorry about your bees. I'm still sad about the hen you lost last year. You have the most stylish hens in the whole world. Maybe Kim could knit some bee sweaters? Michele

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

I'm wondering if you had that phenomenon called colony collapse that everyone is talking about. I don't know if that is the exact term, but it is becoming an epidemic among bee keepers.

Birdie said...

so sad for you; I love hearing about your bees. I am glad you are keeping up and learning more. It will be interesting to learn if others in your area had similar problems.

Dianne@sheepdreams said...

Don't get discouraged. I lost my first hive during last winter. In the spring, a friend gave me two frames of bees from one of her hives and they did great. I even got a lot of honey from them, even though it was technically their first summer. I fed them today and they seem to be pretty strong. You'll have better luck next time!

meadow said...

I attended the Bee school also last Saturday. I learned a lot,much of which I may never use. I see that your hive is tilted back so water could stand in the back if you have a solid bottom board. Too much moisture will stress a hive. The other factor is that bees can't move the cluster if it is too cold so they starve with honey just a few inches away. Sorry for the lost! Go for it again. Eldon M

Carol L. said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your bee's. I did love to hear your stories when they first arrived to your house. The queen was most interesting. Please keep trying. I"m sure you learned much at your class last weekend. More bee stories please.

dls said...

Sorry to hear about your bees, what a great thing to try to do, keeping bees. A time honored task.