Buzzing Concerns in the Bee Haven
-Quietude fills the air.
Lately, our little bee haven seems quieter. Instead of the usual bustling activity, we’re left with a handful of wild bees, a smidgeon of bumble bees, a few wasps, and the steadfast honeybees.
As the native bee forage diminishes, our wild bee friends are shifting their attention to the blooming city plants. Russian Sage, typically a bee hotspot, seems less vibrant this year. There’s still a smattering of buzzing, but it’s noticeably subdued compared to a month ago.
Mixed News in the Hives
-My bee colonies are going through a bit of a slump, reminiscent of last year. Despite a more favorable season and dedicated feeding, their rapid buildup hasn’t quite materialized:
- Varroa mites aren’t causing trouble.
- No sign of diseases during inspections.
- The queens are youthful and fertile.
- The brood patterns look good.
Yet, the hives haven’t thrived as anticipated. A thorough inspection reveals signs of stress. Some colonies show symptoms of chalkbrood, while others exhibit a mysterious foulbrood type. Further inspection will determine if it’s indeed foulbrood or possibly a reaction to something toxic. With a few brood cycles left before winter, the race is on to salvage them.
It’s disheartening to admit that my beekeeping efforts have fallen short. Reflecting on this, I stumbled upon Randy Oliver’s insights in the August 2010 edition of the Ameriise Journal. On page 769, he notes:
“Then in 2004 and 2005 the bees weren’t right… At first, they didn’t build up normally, and often exhibited the odd symptoms as seen in Fig. 3 and 4. Then they suffered serious fall and winter collapses…”
His observations resonate with my experience since returning from Florida. Initially free from mites and diseases, the bees never truly flourished. Similar to Randy, I attributed their condition to other factors. Last year, they dwindled despite minimal interference. This year, even with extensive management and feeding, they underwent a comparable decline.
As a seasoned beekeeper from the mid-70s, I’ve encountered classical Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) before the era of mites and viruses. I know what it looks like, but this feels different.
Randy’s tests on viral cocktails revealed two responses: one akin to classical CCD and another a slow-motion decline over time. Perhaps this gradual disappearance is what I’m witnessing.
This isn’t parasitic mite syndrome, a phenomenon I’ve encountered previously. The bees are not exhibiting PMS.
Randy is onto something—something has shifted. I’m uncertain about the cause or how to address it, but the bees are undeniably stressed. With four decades of beekeeping under my belt, reversing this trend remains elusive. Aside from one resilient hive, the others are fragile. ‘Fragile’ isn’t a term I associate with bees, known for their adaptability, resourcefulness, robustness, and resilience over eons.
But here we are, facing a different reality. If Randy’s findings hold, next spring could bring devastating winter losses. If the bees survive, some will transition to a top bar hive or a natural comb hive. It’s time to bid farewell to the old small cell comb frames and embrace new comb.
A few musings:
- Is this decline linked to the disappearance of wild bees?
- Could it be a large-scale, cyclical cleansing event, similar to natural systems?
- Has migration unwittingly introduced a new virus cocktail?
- Could a switch of a few old commercial frames during hive splitting be fatal?
- Should those old frames and comb have been discarded?
- Pesticide and herbicide spraying, mosquito control, grasshopper treatments—have they reached a critical threshold?
- Are bees adapting to combat another pest, akin to Apis Cerana?
-Buzzingly yours, D 🐝🤠
