I used to run 200-250 hives. I would lose up to 75 hives over the winter/early spring. I gave up, sold out all but one hive. After a couple of years I have started building back up. I went into this winter with 26 hives with no losses yet.

I said yet, does that make me a pessimist?

We had an easy winter of it - all eight of ours survived - even a very small swarm from Aug.! Are you guys giving your bees new wood every spring? I read that it helps with sickness.

Idabean, long time since hello. Sorry to here you lost your bees. Don't feel frustrated. Did you have or treat for mites in the fall? How much honey did you have going in? I always say this is going to be the best year yet. From what I've seen so far I lost 1 of 8, but it may be more when I get to my other hives. You have to hope for the best, take lots of notes, find out what went wrong and learn from mistake. Suzanne, the most recent rule of thumb is rotate frames out about every three years. Of course if there was a serious problem like fb that's a different story.

This is a bummer..sorry to hear!
Do you run one hive?..if so, I recommend go with two, then you have something to compare with.
Did you start with all new equipment?..I'm just saying this because when I started, this is what our bee club advised me to do as a beginner and I never regret it, bees do better in new or sound equipment.
I lost one out of six, have another 3 small swarm colonies, will see when winter is over here, it's very late here, mid April or so. I might sell a couple if I have more then 5, so I'm down to 4 or so.
Not sure, do you wrap in your climate? This winter some of
you south has gotten nasty weather and hives what were not
normally wrapped has suffered allot. Here, wrapping is a must.
A strong healthy colony with young bees and queen going into fall is important.
I might have your hive/ comb checked out, before installing new bees.

Konrad

I am going into my third year, and when I started I started with all new materials.
Last year, my second, I switched out a few of the worst looking frames and replaced the foundation. Last summer's honey production was poor. I took no honey, although I could have gotten a few pounds, I didn't get around to it. So the bees went into winter with some stores, in addition to my keeping them in sugar water from early fall to as late as I could get out the hive. My beekeeper/supplier said that most of the honey producers here west of Boston had a terrible crop: way too much rain way too late into the season.

We did insulate the hive: made a rigid insulation box to fit right over the hive. No insulation on top, and bottom space with mouse guard open. However, frigid weather came before christmas (very early) and the insulation was not put on by then. Their sugar water supply was in, though.

In January and Feb. as I said extended periods of subzero weather. In January we have always had a "January thaw". This year, not.

Inspecting the hive on a warm day two weeks ago, the brood chamber looked good: healthy dark, drawn foundation, no dead brood.

The upper foundation showed a mistake I made early in the season. When I took out a couple of frames for the can of sugar water that comes with a new package, I never removed the can and replaced the frames. Those bees did what comes naturally and made a beautiful mess of burr comb. in that open space between the frames in upper box. But, the hive was happy and healthy.

I fed the bees beginning in mid fall. The sugar water was not in a big can; I think it was a 16 oz. jar. They emptied one and a half between late fall and spring. Since I did not get out to hive for quite a while, I don't know when they stopped feeding, which would give a good indication of when they died. But they did not get to empty the second jar.

I am pretty sure they did not have mites in the fall.
I did not medicate for mites, however.

The queen was in the upper chamber, surrounded by a good number of bees. All dead. Obviously.
They really looked frozen- I mean embalmed. I
At that point I took 6 pounds of honey and left, I guess, 3 on partially filled foundations. I did not have a single full foundation of honey. Markedly less than my first year.

And yes, I have one hive, and my supplier recommends that I get another, too, and have two.

I'm not too discouraged, but my husband feels really bad. Now that sentimentality surprises me! He really thinks we killed them somehow. I don't.

Hope I haven't tried your patience with my missive. That's the story of Marie's bees 08. I'm very interested in your own thoughts and any suggestions about how to have a more successful season and overwintering in '10.
Marie

Well, Marie, I actually did well last year, but part of that was do to gambling and guessing right in the fall. As you mentioned it rained a Lot in MA last year. The bees built up well enough, but I put supers on and kept checking them and they were always empty. Around the 2 or 3rd week of august, guys in my club were giving up and pulling off supers to treat for mites. I had a hunch that something had to happen so I left mine on and peaked in every 5 or 6 days. When the weather turned and the flow started, they went gangbusters and filled one super after another. The weather stayed warm all the way through september and into october and my gamble paid off. They made so much honey in such a short period of time that I left an extra super on many of the hives for the winter and still got 450 lbs. But like I say, it was a lucky guess and could have easily went the other way. As far as overwintering, I haven't been able to get to my other hives on either of the 2 or three days that the bees have gotten to fly, so I'm waiting for a break in the weather and hoping for the best. If 3/4 make it through I'll be in a better position than I was at this time last year when I lost 4 out of 8 hives.

So far both my hives have survived. I'm amazed how far they fly. Sadly some never did make it back.Wish it would just warm up so I can check them and feed if needed.

I noticed you said that the hives had no insulation on top. Generally, you will get water condensation where the hive is least insulated. It is much preferable to get condensation on the walls of the hive, and have it tilted slightly forward so the water can run out the front. With no insulation on the top but insulation on the sides you may have had cold water dripping down onto the cluster from the top as a result of condensation. Here in Maryland we don't wrap our hives for the winter, but I did put a sheet of insulation on the top and this, combined with an upper entrance, worked well to keep the hives dry. Next year you might try putting a lot of insulation on the top and not so much on the sides. An upper vent for ventilation is also a good idea.

Agree...insulation on top is very important, heat rises and when it hits the cold cover it can get condensation and water
can dribble onto bees. My wife sewed me some pillows and I filled some with shredded paper insulation from home depot,
some with wood chips, this way, some moisture can be absorb into the material, although have used fibreglass [into garbage bag]
this also worked. I always put a empty box on top for the insulation.
I also tilt hive forward, so any water accumulated in the hive can run out faster.
It seems every year weather conditions changes, hopefully this year it turns for the better for you!
I'm pretty sure you're closing off bottom entrance to 2 or 3 inches, I always have top entrance too, they are about 2 or 3 inches,
[cut out in the hive cover], these will stay the same year-round.

Konrad

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone, and I take your points on top insulation. In winter, there's the empty box on top, the the sugar solution in a bottle over the cut out in the hive cover, right? If you place the bottle one way, there is still some space around that cutout- is that top escape? But what I can't visualize- at least from my indoor vantage point tonight- is how the bees get outside from that, if the empty box is on top. Or is it just for ventilation, and not for exit/entrance?

And yes, the bottom entrance has a mouse guard on it during the winter...and some part of spring/summer but I forget when.

Get 6 pounds of honey from a $40 packet of bees plus the initial investment 2 years ago is like the $64 tomato? But who's counting. What's the cost of watching those critters come and go all summer?
Marie

>> In winter, there's the empty box on top, the the sugar solution in a bottle over the cut out in the hive cover, right?My bees never get any sugar water from October to April,...it's just too cold here for them to take it in.
I have two deep supers and honey never gets taken away in these two brood boxes.
But you're right, bottle is put over the hole, or slot in your case, you can put insulation around the bottle, this way bees can
take up the syrup longer.

>> is how the bees get outside from that, if the empty box is on topNot sure what set up you have, normally the inner cover has a slot, I use this for the top entrance,
this is where bees go in and out, especially in winter when the bottom entrance is piled up with snow,
it also helps for ventilation.

>> But who's counting. What's the cost of watching those critters come and go all summer? Exactly!!...Pet's can do allot of good things to you,.. Pet's cost money and you have ALLOT of them!

See inner cover in link below, is has a notch for ventilation and bees can go out /in.

Konrad

Here is a link that might be useful: inner cover / hive cover

Here you can see top entrance, [extended] with a slotted 2 x 4"

{{gwi:427600}}