Bruce went down to check the bee hives this week and found that one hive was empty. It had no dead bees, no sign of disease or predators. The bees are just gone. It’s like they were raptured away. I have read a lot about and this is the typical scenario.
It’s really scary for a bee keeper. I’ve read a lot about how bees are the easiest livestock and how they require so little time and energy. Only a non-beekeeper would ever say anything like that. Bees are time and energy intensive. They require excellent hive management to be successful and even that doesn’t ensure success. Bears are a problem. The weather pattern matters, disease and pest management matter. Finding a hive you’ve nurtured for a year just gone is heartbreaking.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on projects I can use with my young homesteaders 4-H group. Once again I’m struck by the vast number of resources that are available on-line that would be lost in a grid failure or cyber attack. I’m making a list of some that I may have missed and downloading them now. Do any of you have any suggestions for things you can download. I want the directions for anything powered by the sun. I have them several dehydrators and ovens. What am I missing???
June 12, 2012 at 12:22 am
Hot water systems that use black pipes to collect heat into the water that is contained within them? I dont know if automatic green house openers have a diy version?
Sorry to hear about your bees. I never realised how complicated they could be until I started reading posts by people who keep them.
June 12, 2012 at 6:55 am
When you got into the hive, were there queen cells? Sometimes CCD is suspected, when it was really just a swarm. How often do you check your hives? We checked one of ours in early may and it was great, then this past saturday we checked again and it had swarmed.
P.
June 12, 2012 at 8:36 am
A swarm is possible but usually they don’t all disappear. We also can usually see te swarm. Stll, it’s possible.
June 12, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Sorry to hear about your bees. We lost 11 colonies to a bear attack last summer…didn’t even know there were bears here. Never saw one in 25 years in this area. Left with one colony that Pa has taken two splits off of this spring. Honey sales were our tax money now that we are retired.
June 12, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Kathy, how about solar water distiller plans, in case a well goes bad or someone has to tap into a river or other groundwater source?
Sorry ’bout the bees.
June 19, 2012 at 2:07 am
HAD BUMBLE BEES..? THAT INFESTED THE FRAME WOOD OF THE OVERHANG EAVES OF OUR GARAGE THAT WERE IMPOSSIBLE TO BE RID OF IN NY, ODDLY NOW IN THE TREES OF PHOENIX..? STILL RETURN AFTER CUTTING 90 PERCENT OF THE TREE GONE LEAVING JUST A STUMP AND A THIN REED OF A BRANCH… ANY THING LIKE HONEY BEES..?..THESE THINGS GROW HUGE..?
June 19, 2012 at 2:12 am
note those bumble bees were near apple trees and then orange trees..? still impossible to remove if that was your intent..? 15 years trying…? was that my in error….? of the simple life..?