Fix a Failing Beehive
When a beehive is not doing well, the beekeeper is often discouraged and confused – especially if you are a new beekeeper. Maybe you notice fewer bees coming and going or a low population inside the hive. Understanding why this is happening is the first step to fix beehive that is failing. This guide offers an overview of the most common reasons beehives decline and what you, the beekeeper, should be looking for.
Over the years, I have had to clean up many dead beehives. It is an unavoidable reality in beekeeping – that all hives don’t thrive. However, many colonies can be saved if the issues are caught in time and dealt with properly.
Understanding Why Beehives Fail
I wish that I could tell you that you will always know exactly why a colony died or failed to thrive. Unfortunately, that is not possible. Quite often, there will be several problems that will combine to result in unhealthy bees.
Sometimes the decline is slow and hard to notice. Other times, colony strength will plummet seemingly overnight. The beekeeper may think the bees have absconded or left – when in reality they died over a few days.
A beekeeper wears many hats – being a detective is one in this case. Learning how to recognize the early warning signs of a hive in trouble is the first step to saving them.
Assess the Hive’s Strength
The first step is to evaluate the strength of the colony – how many bees are in the hive? A strong colony should have enough bees to cover several frames (from 3 to 4 or 10 or more during the warm season).
An active group of foraging bees is a good sign. You should see them energetically leaving the hive and returning to the entrance with pollen, etc.
What about the brood area of the hive. Check for a good brood pattern – with all stages of brood including capped worker brood. These new bees are vital to maintain a good population as older ones die naturally.
If the numbers are low, or the bees seem lethargic – something is stressing the colony.
Check for a Queen Problem
One of the most common causes of hive failure is a problem with the queen bee. The queen may be missing from the hive or perhaps she is failing – and the bees know it.
Look for fresh eggs and a consistent brood pattern. In most cases that tell you that a queen has been recently in residence.
Learning how to find the queen bee takes some time and practice. Luckily you don’t always have to find her – you just need to see evidence of her existence.
If you find no eggs, or you see emergency queen cells, your hive may be working to replace their queen.
You may decide to close up the hive and check back in a couple of weeks. If the colony population has dropped low (less than 3 frames of bees?), it may be best to try requeening the hive.
Look for Signs of Disease or Pests
Pests and disease can certainly take a toll on what would otherwise be a strong productive honey bee colony. Our resilient bees can handle minor infestations but even large hives can succumb if the pressure is too great.
Look for typical signs of varroa mite issues – deformed wings, spotty brood patterns, mites found in the brood cells. By the way – when was the last time you performed a varroa mite treatment (assuming your mite counts were high)? Don’t just treat – check to make sure it worked.
Honey bees can get sick with various diseases and viruses. Some only weaken the colony but bacterial diseases like American Foulbrood can wipe out the whole apiary.
Evaluate Food Stores and Forage Access
Bees need adequate honey and pollen stores to survive and thrive. Are you finding some stored honey and nectar in the comb? What about fresh pollen or stored bee bread?
Hives should always have some stored honey – regardless of the season. Weeks of rainy weather can result in starving bees – even in the Springtime.
Supplemental feeding may be necessary to support a struggling colony, especially during droughts or nectar dearths.
Consider Seasonal Conditions
Weather affects honey bee behavior and hive health on many levels. A late season deep freeze can chill brood and result in a colony setback. Healthy bees with good food stores will recover.
Extreme heat also stresses the colony. It is not uncommon for queens to slow or shut down egg laying when the temperatures are very high.
Always consider what’s happening in your local environment when diagnosing hive problems. Another reason to find a local beekeepers association and make some local bee friends.
Reflect on Recent Beekeeper Actions
Sometimes a hive struggles because of well-intentioned interventions. Meaning that the beekeeper (that’s us) caused the problem.
Failed requeening efforts, making beehive splits (too early or too many), even some mite treatments may temporarily set the colony back.
While performing routine beehive inspections is important, you can open that hive too much. Excessive inspections can disturb hive activity.
Think about what you’ve done recently that could have stressed or weakened the colony.
Make a Recovery Plan
Once you’ve taken a good hard look at the problem, you must choose a plan of action. In some cases, adding brood from a strong hive to bolster population is advisable.
Requeening if needed or feeding many also help them rebound with good population in a few weeks.
If the hive is too weak to recover on its own, consider combining the hive with a stronger colony (as long as no disease or serious pest problems are suspected).
Sometimes, knowing when to let go of a failing hive is just as important as knowing how to save one. You will not always be successful in saving them. It’s time to clean up the equipment and try again.
A Final Word
The joys of beekeeping are many but hard times will come along too. You will not be able to save every colony. But, in many cases, you can fix a failing beehive if you find the problem early. With regular inspections and a thoughtful approach, you can give your bees the best chance to thrive again.