a very cool hive found

[danno]

This Sat. on our opening day of deer season I found a hive on the botton side of a 20" tree that had blow over and resting at a 45 deg angle.  Its about 10 ft in the air.  The mutiple combs are 4ft long and about 18 inches deep.  No bee's, no honey and no sign that wax moth had gotten to it before the weather turned cold.   I called a newspaper freind that is going to come out with me and shoot some photos before I collect the wax

[BjornBee]

Any indication as to why it died out? Or do you think it recently was blown over and the bees absconded afterwards?

[danno]

I guess I didn't descibe it the best.  It is not in a cavity of any kind.  Its completely exposed to the weather just hanging off the tree trunk.   Its like a swarm landed on this tree and didn't leave. 

[BjornBee]

That is neat. An open air colony. I wonder why they died out.    I doubt they would of made it through winter, but you would think they would of made it this far. I have seen open air colonies make it well into winter.

With no honey, and no comb destruction, it may of been starvation with absconding towards the end.

What a great find.

[rast]

 I look forward to the pictures Danno.

[Holycow]

Perhaps the queen died shortly after the swarm departed. The queenless swarm "parked" there to wait for instruction.. which never came. So the workers started working.. built that much before the workers started laying, or the temps dropped quick and wiped them all out leaving the ghost town.
a guess.
--Jeff