Some days the news is great while some days the news can be quite sad. It’s with a heavy heart I must report that our colony of Saskatraz bees has died. We didn’t want to believe it was happening even though all the signs were there. In the end, they went without a whisper and we’re left with an empty hive.
In the beginning, they made the early spring trip over Donner Pass in the back of a pickup. They came as a nucleus colony (NUC) in a box holding five frames of eggs, larvae, and adults along with their queen. As they settled into their new neighborhood, everything looked swell. The queen, able to lay over 2 million eggs in her lifetime, was busy caring for her brood.
Neighbors and friends were quite supportive during our first year as beekeepers. We found new friends that went out of their way to give us helpful advice. Miss Queen of the Bees came over twice to treat our hive for mites. All the while, our bees never quite caught on to a good routine, becoming a bit confused about comb construction and brood distribution. As the days went by, the queen kept laying eggs.
Everything seemed great. The bees helped us enjoy bumper crops of cherries, apricots, apples, and plums. They loved our garden plants and we loved watching them.
Usually very calm and sweet, they did let us know when we crossed the line. HHH suffered over one dozen bee stings, being very lucky that he didn’t end up in the hospital. But through everything, the bees were wonderful neighbors who enjoyed a home in our backyard until they died.
In our area, we aren’t alone. Their death was not due to anything we did as beekeepers. I accept this as truth because many other “real” beekeepers suffered as we did. There was one big difference. We lost one colony. The “real” keepers lost hundreds.
In August, we learned 60 beekeepers lost over 600 hives for no obvious reason. These hives were placed all over Northwestern Nevada, some even living at Lake Tahoe. These were professionals whose hives failed this year. Miss Queen of the Beekeepers and her partner lost more than 30.
Before leaving on vacation, we noticed that the hive was under attack from hornets. A healthy hive will protect itself, fighting to the death. Just the sight of happy hornets stealing honey let us know the writing was on the wall. Our hive was on the verge of death.
Yesterday, I opened the hive without wearing my bee suit. It wasn’t necessary. Everyone was gone. Inside, winter honey had been neatly stored to get them through a hard winter. Starvation wasn’t the reason for their death. With no bee bodies present, it wasn’t a sudden poisoning either. And so, the mystery remains.
Many people have suggested reasons, but no one has come up with an answer. There are changes in both climate and the earth’s magnetic field. Plants bloomed at different times last year. A very early and long spring was followed by a cold snap. The fall was also very long. Some research is being done regarding the hours of cold weather a bee colony needs to survive. But, at this point, the mystery remains.
If you’ve ever thought about beekeeping as a hobby, do consider it. Although it IS one hobby that can KILL you, it’s also a hobby that helps the environment and garden health. For HHH and I, it’s something we plan to continue next year with a new queen and court.
More tomorrow.
