all my bees are dead

[Clarence]

So, it has been warm enough the last few days so I opened the hive. Only to find what I had already suspected, all of my bees are dead. Now not to long ago maybe a few months it was warm and they were flying around.

The bottom hive body was pretty empty there was some honey left but mostly a lot of empty cells, but the top hive was packed with honey. There were a few groups of dead bees clumped up in the top hive, but most were dead on the botom board.

Does anyone have any guesses. My first thought is that the ratical shifts in weather we have been having killed them. One day it is 65 the next day it is 15.

thanks for any thoughts, now I have to go order another package.

[bee_pipes]

There has been some reported ailment going around the country - can't recall the details, but the symptoms are different from mites or other commonly encountered problems. Colony die-off? Something along those lines.

Regards,
Pat

[WolfBrother]

Sack them up, take them to the county or Federal ag people.
Take some of the Honey also.

I've read about huge numbers of bee die offs.
One thought was that the FrankenPlants that have had insect resistance (i.e. poison) gene grafted into them - that are supposed to NOT BE BAD FOR BEES - is the problem. It may be that the honey concentrates the poison enough to be leathal to the Bees.

I dunno if that's what it is but I've shared what I've heard.

[lost1]

I have lost two hives the same way. If it is true about the Frankenfood plants it's a very scary thing. Seems like we could be set up for famine of Biblical proportions.

[Terri]

I do not know where you are, but f you have had some major temperature swings, that can do it.

Once the bees start laying brood, they hate to leave them to get cold. And, it is hard for the bees to move to the honey when it is too cold.

They do not know much about Colony Collapse, yet. It might be already in your state, and it might not. If it is as bad as they think it might be, then we will have some poor fruit and nut harvests. Again.

Bee disorders are hard on the beekeepers, the farmers, and the consumers.

[papasmurf]

I have zero knowledge, however, I just talked to a friend of mind who does bee keeping yesterday. His bees all died. He said it was a parasite. Also, he noted that there is a problem with bees vanishing, just leaving their hive. Very odd he said.

[lost1]

I've now lost three of my six colonies. They were old established colonies too. Don't know what to make of it.
I wouldn't be interested in taking bees or anything else to the State or Federal Gov. Too many strings attached to everything they know about. I might end up in jail because I'm sure I broke some rule when I let the bees leave without paying for some kind of permit.

[lunghd]

Google up Colony Collapse Disorder if you really want to be scared spitless... The bees are just flying away and dying abandoning the hive and leaving the queen and a few juveniles that likely were emerging as the hive was being vacated. The remaining bees are often infested with SEVERAL different ailments and it's been nicknamed 'bee aids' by several of the people investigating this.

When missing bees are found at all (and very very few people have found any groups of dead bees) they were floating on a small spring nearby and had been assumed to have drowned but I suspect this is very much related. The "drowned bees" was something I read a few months back before I became aware of this potential disaster.

One other thing that popped up - there was a mass die off about 40 years ago but didn't find much on how widespread or the root cause.

Many suspect 'Gaucho' and genetically modified crops (as mentioned above) and that the 'tipping point' has been reached with all the different stressors on colonies finally adding up to be the 'straw that broke the camel's back'. (Or in this case - the bees back.)

I have more links but if you'll google it up you'll find a lot of info - here is a reasonably decent story someone did that touched on a little of most I"ve read so far:
http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/15/bee-colony-collapse-disorder-where-is-it-heading/

Take it all with a grain of salt: for all we know the bees are hiding and giggling insanely at us.

[lunghd]

I was quite happy to find 3-4 bees coasting around the dandelions this week... so at least there's "one" hive left nearby. I notice that there are a lot more bumblebees, wasps & "wood-bore bees" (look like bumblebees) around the flowers. I didn't even realize until very recently that honey bees aren't native to the US...

[DavidOH]

I have lost two hives the same way. If it is true about the Frankenfood plants it's a very scary thing. Seems like we could be set up for famine of Biblical proportions.

I am watching the news headlines for someone to "save" us by genetically modifying bees to work harder. ::) >:( :(

Revelation 9
1THEN THE fifth angel blew [his] trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth; and to the angel was given the key [a]of the shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit).
2He opened the [b]long shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit), and smoke like the smoke of a huge furnace puffed out of the [c]long shaft, so that the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the long shaft.(A)

3Then out of the smoke locusts came forth on the earth, and such power was granted them as the power the earth's scorpions have.(B)

4They were told not to injure the herbage of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only [to attack] such human beings as do not have the seal (mark) of God on their foreheads.(C)

5They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment (distress, vex) them for five months; and the pain caused them was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a person.

6And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will yearn to die, but death evades and flees from them.(D)

7The locusts resembled horses equipped for battle. On their heads was something like golden crowns. Their faces resembled the faces of people.(E)

8They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.(F)

9Their breastplates (scales) resembled breastplates made of iron, and the [whirring] noise made by their wings was like the roar of a vast number of horse-drawn chariots going at full speed into battle.(G)

10They have tails like scorpions, and they have stings, and in their tails lies their ability to hurt men for [the] five months.

[lunghd]

Had an update for this - more & more bees floating about the yard.

What I noticed is that the bees flitting about are noticably smaller... something that registered as datum but didn't 'click' until I read :

http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=974

Take the article for what it's worth but maybe the bee population is 'resetting itself' by producing a more natural & viable population vs. those that are more prone to super growth, affected by generations of medications, modified crops & domestication.

[jajbellsouthnet]

I was listening to shortwave and heard a discussion of this subject. One theory put forth was that the beekeepers who used synthetic or secondhand pollen to feed their bees were the only ones who had collapsed colonies. Did any of you feed your bees with imported (cheaper) Chinese pollen?

[crepemyrtle44]

We had a swarm of bees buzz by last summer. Very large numbers alit in a maple tree we have and the next day they were gone. I figure someone around here will think they have the colony collapse disease.