One Loss

On Friday, February 13, 2025, I went to check the hives. The temperature was around 49 degrees and dropping into the evening so I knew my time was limited. I opened Hive 1 and could tell immediately that the colony did not survive. It looked like the bees were frozen in time. And to some degree, I guess they were – frozen… Dead. It’s always hard to have a loss though it’s harder when you can see them right next to food stores AND they had more frames with honey. When they died, I don’t know. That means I don’t know if they would have made it to February 13 when I was able to get out and give some sugar to supplement. It means I don’t know exactly when they died. It means I don’t know if the buzzing I thought I heard in late January, early February was pulsatile tinnitus (AKA the buzzing sound I heard when I put my ear to the beehive) or acoustic resonance (AKA the sound you hear when you put a shell to your ear).

Moving on… I checked Hive 2. (Cue angelic, heavenly choir sound). There was life! Bees were buzzing around the inner cover. They started to fly out of the top, and when I opened the inner cover, there were more signs of life. I was relieved! So quickly, I put newspaper on top of the frames and covered it with granulated sugar. This is called the Mountain Camp Method. It’s a good way to provide a food source when nectar stores are low and resources are scarce. There are other methods of providing sugar – candy boards and fondant being a couple. The candy board involves heating and dissolving the sugar. I wanted to get them a resource and do it quickly, so I went with plain ol’ sugar. I will check Hive 2 again in a few days to see how they do and replenish as needed. I will likely also give them a pollen patty to provide protein they may need as the Queen hopefully starts laying eggs again.

I did pull a few of the less full frames and harvested honey and wax. I was able to get about 48 oz of honey. I saved 2 pretty full frames that I will give to Hive 2 in the next week or so when the weather is warm again. Today is overcast, chilly, and rainy, so I am glad I was able to get a moment to see the bees and hopefully give them a little boost. Totally rooting for Hive 2 right now!

Checking Hive 1