BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER - TALKS & REPORTS

Huge Losses with No Bees Left

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The15thMember:
A couple of weeks ago I went with my sister and father to get some hay for our goats, and the hay guy's son is a beekeeper, and he used to keep bees himself when he was younger.  He was saying how almost all their hives died over the winter, and the hives were completely empty, no dead bees in the hive or around it, just comb left.  Today we had a guy come to help my dad cut down some trees, and he's a beekeeper as well and he told a similar story, about how he had 12 hives going into the winter and now he has only 2 left, and the hives were totally empty of dead bees.  I didn't have an opportunity to speak to either of them at length about it, so I'm not sure if there was brood or stores left or at what point "over the winter" this happened.  But an overwinter deadout with no dead bees seems strange to me, and it did to them as well, and they are both pretty experienced beekeepers.  Any ideas about what happened to their bees?

Acebird:
There is a virus carried by varroa that makes the bees suicidal.  They fly away from the hive to there death.

BeeMaster2:
The bees are absconding the hive. It could bee because our bees have some Africanized genetics in them. In Africa, when the dry season comes, the bees have to move to greener pastures. They cannot survive 6 to 8 months of hot dry weather with no food coming in.
Jim Altmiller

Ben Framed:
Brian might have nailed it. Not disputing or dismissing Jim. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070906140803.htm

The15thMember:

--- Quote from: sawdstmakr on April 16, 2021, 09:19:05 am ---The bees are absconding the hive. It could bee because our bees have some Africanized genetics in them. In Africa, when the dry season comes, the bees have to move to greener pastures. They cannot survive 6 to 8 months of hot dry weather with no food coming in.
Jim Altmiller

--- End quote ---
We don't have Africanized bees here (yet) so I doubt that is it.


--- Quote from: Acebird on April 16, 2021, 08:47:18 am ---There is a virus carried by varroa that makes the bees suicidal.  They fly away from the hive to there death.

--- End quote ---

--- Quote from: Ben Framed on April 16, 2021, 10:12:01 am ---Brian might have nailed it. Not disputing or dismissing Jim. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070906140803.htm


--- End quote ---
I agree, this sounds very much like a possibility.  Thanks for the answer.  I did some quick googling about IAPV it sounds like a potential match.       

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