Did I suffocate my bees?

[Andrew Tyzack]

I had a hunch that there weren't any bees in one of my hives and opened it today-the bees were indeed dead and in a pile, as if they'd just fallen off the combs. I had put a piece of fondant over the feed hole-did I suffocate them? There is also a lot of mould on and around the bodies. Very painful to see!

I'm using national hives with mouse guards. I didn't see (I was away), but we recently had a lot of snow - could that have blocked the entrance and helped to suffocate the bees.

I was also using a glass quilt-maybe that contributed?

There is lots of sealed honey-should I destroy the combs and disinfect the frames? Or can I use the honey to feed the other hives?

Thanks for any help.

Andrew

[ian michael davison]

Hi Andrew
Putting candy over your feed hole will not suffocate your bees i have a number of hives in that position and all are fine. A hive is in no way air tight. With regard to the snow check out Finskys pictures of hives in a foot deep snow tunnel!!!!!!!!!!. In fact if hives are covered it is recommended by most that you leave them that way.  I normaly like to put the candy directly onto the tops of the frames above the cluster so the bees have direct contact.
Glass quilts (crown boards) are terrible things if you check a hive in the winter that has one, even if it's on a mesh floor condensation forms and it just rains cold water on the cluster all winter long. The biggest inviromental killer of bees in the UK is not the cold but damp!!!!!!!!!
With regards to using the euipment again check this out. http://www.bbka.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=836


Hope this helps
Regards Ian

[Finsky]

I wrote  to Andrew on Brittish forum that may be it was tracheal mite which killed his hive. Symptons are alike. Tracheal mite is an old nuisance on Brittish Isles.