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Author Topic: top bar failure  (Read 1079 times)

Offline shawnwri

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top bar failure
« on: August 07, 2017, 02:00:01 pm »
Started a new top bar hive this spring and it was going well until early June.  Between early June and yesterday something happened.  Checked on them and the comb was full of wax moths.  I'm not really sure what happened.  There weren't even any bees left in the hive.  I wouldn't have waited that long between visits but I had a new relationship that took all my time.  Unfortunately the relationship was with a cardiologist, but thanks to modern surgical technology I'm feeling much better again. 

Van, Arkansas, USA

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Re: top bar failure
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2017, 04:04:53 pm »
Sorry you lost your bees,,,,, glad you are better.  The humor "relationship" is a good one.
Blessings

Online Michael Bush

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Re: top bar failure
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2017, 04:38:57 pm »
They probably swarmed and ended up queenless.
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: top bar failure
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2017, 09:35:23 pm »
They also could have absconded. That is happening more and more now. I had it happen to a healthy, strong observation hive.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline little john

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Re: top bar failure
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2017, 04:04:04 am »
You've called this a 'top bar' failure - but just in case this should influence a forum reader's decision to adopt this style of beekeeping - this unfortunate loss has nothing to do with top bars as such.  It could have happened within any style of hive, and it could well have been the same outcome whether you had inspected them regularly or not.

Bad luck - hope it doesn't put you off trying again.
LJ
A Heretics Guide to Beekeeping - http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com

 

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