Fall Harvest ZERO

[slacker361]

Went out to get my fall harvest. One hive has been struggling so I knew it wasnt going to be a producer, but my older hive (which i took 90 lbs in spring) had no honey at all. the population was lower than it should be ( it was a very strong hive) and only had some drone brood no other brood at all. Looks like come spring I am going to not have any bees at all.

[kathyp]

had that happen last year.  sorry.  i know it sucks.  mine must have replaced the queen and i'm guessing the new one didn't make it home from her mating flight.  by the time i caught it, it was to late.

[sawdstmakr]

I agree with Kathy. Sounds like you lost the Q and they are just trying to save their genetics by producing drones. Combine this hive with you other hive by picking it up take it 200 ft away from the original location and shake out all of the bees. Assuming the 2 hives are located together, the non laying bees will return to the old location and then move in with the other hive. Some of them may have moved already. It will help the other hive survive the winter.
Jim

[D Coates]

It stinks, I'm with you, I got no Fall harvest either because of the drought here.  Most of them have enough honey for the winter so it could definately be worse.  I only have a 3 hives to feed a little and the other 12 are okay.  I did have one of my nucs go queenless recently and found it too late to restart so I combined it with a hive that had just requeened itself and was needing a boost.  Sounds like you had a swarm in your strong hive.  If you've got a laying queen in there combine it with your drone hive (scratch all of the capped and uncapped drone brood for removal) to give them a boost.  Better to lose one now than both in the winter.

[slacker361]

MY dilemma is that next year I go to graduate school and wont have time to take care of the bees... so I am done bee keeping for at least 3 years   rats.....

[sawdstmakr]

Take them to school with you. Tell them you are doing research. 
Jim

[slacker361]

Take them to school with you. Tell them you are doing research. 
Jim

LOL

[AllenF]

I never take fall honey from the bees down here.  Bees are alway dry and light after the dry summer and they need all they can get it.   I will move frames around from hive to hive.