Mourning a loss.

A couple of years ago, I met a fellow novice beekeeper who had lost his two hives during the very cold winter. Sadly, he found the bees in clusters on their frames in the center of the hives, as if they were huddled together to keep warm. We both assumed that the bees had died due to an extended frigid period (for Georgia, anyway) that January, which could certainly be true. But there are many other reasons honeybees die, including starvation, pests, diseases, loss of the queen or old queen...all of which stress the bees.


This morning, I made a sad discovery of my own. I lost Sweet Beezus — the girls were dead, in clusters on the frames and below the hive. I pulled out frames from both supers and didn't see any signs of mites, although there were a few dead small hive beetles. No sign of Foulbrood, either. There was a good bit of honey stored, so my best guess is that either the girls couldn't withstand the cold temperatures last week or the queen died (or was incapable of laying new eggs).

This is my first experience with hive loss, so I'll have to research how to clean out the hive and what to do next — whether to order a new package of bees or try to attract a swarm to live there.


Another new experience: I made fondant candy to feed the bees. This is easier than trying to supply them with sugar syrup, which can freeze during the winter months. The fondant is made by heating a mixture of sugar, corn syrup and water to 238° and then letting it cool before beating it until it turns white. The candy solidifies, but is soft and easy to cut. In addition to the fondant, I wanted to feed the bees some protein in the form of pollen patties (dark strips pictured on left next to fondant).


Both the Apollo and Rocky bees seemed healthy, thank goodness. When I took the covers off each hive, the girls started buzzing and coming up to investigate. Here's a photo of the Rocky bees coming up through the inner cover, happy to discover someone had provided dinner and dessert.

R.I.P. sweet girls of Sweet Beezus. Thank you for making some wonderful honey. I'll do my best to honor your memory by repopulating your hive!