Lost Four Out of Five

[FatherMichael]

I had never lost a bee hive before.  But coming back to bees since the bugs hit has been an humbling experience.

Two of the four I lost were rescues and, apparently, beyond repair.  I saw eggs but now suspect they were from a laying worker.

One was a swarm I caught, shaking them from a low tree limb into a pillowcase.  They started very well but fell prey to ants.

The last one was sad for me.  It was a "Texas" nuc, purportedly mite resistant "native" bees.  It died of mites.

The one hive left was in the backyard and did very well for two years with a hygienic queen from California.  But my "natural" strategy of letting them swarm for a "natural" brood break each spring backfired.  When a new queen takes her mating flight you don't know what she'll bring home.  In this case, it was two year's worth of more aggressive strains.  The neighbors complained, the bees harassed Mary and me, the neighbor's dog got stung, and their grandchildren did not want to play outside.  So, we moved them to the farm, which is a borrowed place just outside of town.  They have no mites but are not nice bees.

I'm done with "natural".  I've ordered Oxalic and a vaporizer, and will track down some Permethrin for the ants.

Will travel to San Antonio for a nuc this weekend.  Hopefully, but the end of the season I'll have four hives from splitting two.

[Kathyp]

Happens to all of us.  We experiment and sometimes it works.  Sometimes it doesn't.  I am glad you are not discouraged from continuing.  It sounds like you learned a lot from failure and hopefully, that will lead to future success!

[FatherMichael]

Happens to all of us.  We experiment and sometimes it works.  Sometimes it doesn't.  I am glad you are not discouraged from continuing.  It sounds like you learned a lot from failure and hopefully, that will lead to future success!

Thank you, Kathy.

[Terri Yaki]

Sounds like a humbling experience and everyone's nightmare. Hope your next round goes much better.

[FatherMichael]

Sounds like a humbling experience and everyone's nightmare. Hope your next round goes much better.

Thanks, Terri.

We have problems here with Fire Ants and Africanized bees, not to mention the mites.

Long gone, I guess, are the days of easy management of bee hives.

Years ago I had two cotton farmers in my church, Jim and David.  Jim planted and spent no more money on his crops.  David said. "I apply every horticultural advantage I can to produce the highest possible yield."

[The15thMember]

Years ago I had two cotton farmers in my church, Jim and David.  Jim planted and spent no more money on his crops.  David said. "I apply every horticultural advantage I can to produce the highest possible yield."

This is a perfect example of how "natural" doesn't always work for everyone, depending on your situation and your goals.  The other problem is that everyone definition of "natural" is different, especially in beekeeping.  I would consider myself a natural beekeeper, but I wouldn't fit many people's definition because I inspect my bees, or because I don't have horizontal hives, or because I do sometimes treat.  It's more about finding what works for you than fitting anyone else's arbitrary standards. 

[FatherMichael]

Years ago I had two cotton farmers in my church, Jim and David.  Jim planted and spent no more money on his crops.  David said. "I apply every horticultural advantage I can to produce the highest possible yield."

This is a perfect example of how "natural" doesn't always work for everyone, depending on your situation and your goals.  The other problem is that everyone definition of "natural" is different, especially in beekeeping.  I would consider myself a natural beekeeper, but I wouldn't fit many people's definition because I inspect my bees, or because I don't have horizontal hives, or because I do sometimes treat.  It's more about finding what works for you than fitting anyone else's arbitrary standards.

I had that exact thought - finding what works for me here.