A few quick questions:
Have two hives since 4/11...one had a slight case of chalk about week 2, then it cleared up for about a week, now I'm seeing some new mummies being hauled out again. I inspected a few days ago, I didn't see any mummies in any cells (?). But, now there are about 2x's more dead bee's (not mummies) laying on the ground at entrance than the healthy hive, (an estimate of perhaps 50ish dead bees, hard to count!) AND, there is sugar water (top feeder) leaking from both hives out the entrance, but the chalk one has a lot more and some bee's are laying dead in it as though they drowned...(?) See attached pics; chalk on left of entrance, drowned bee's on right of entrance (on the exterior, those are alive bees inside on the screen), scroll down to see amount of dead bees on the ground.[attachment=0:3s9hyvi2]chalk 1.jpg[/attachment:3s9hyvi2]
What's up...anyone?
Another one; I have a garden full of bumble bee's, that's fine, but I hardly ever see any of my honey bee's in my garden (kinda why I got the girls in the first place, didn't have a bumble bee population last year!). Are the bumbles keeping my honeys from my garden?
I'm in WI, dandelions, tulips and all tree's are budding, when do I stop feeding the sugar water?
Thanks much!
Have two hives since 4/11...one had a slight case of chalk about week 2, then it cleared up for about a week, now I'm seeing some new mummies being hauled out again. I inspected a few days ago, I didn't see any mummies in any cells (?). But, now there are about 2x's more dead bee's (not mummies) laying on the ground at entrance than the healthy hive, (an estimate of perhaps 50ish dead bees, hard to count!) AND, there is sugar water (top feeder) leaking from both hives out the entrance, but the chalk one has a lot more and some bee's are laying dead in it as though they drowned...(?) See attached pics; chalk on left of entrance, drowned bee's on right of entrance (on the exterior, those are alive bees inside on the screen), scroll down to see amount of dead bees on the ground.[attachment=0:3s9hyvi2]chalk 1.jpg[/attachment:3s9hyvi2]
What's up...anyone?
Another one; I have a garden full of bumble bee's, that's fine, but I hardly ever see any of my honey bee's in my garden (kinda why I got the girls in the first place, didn't have a bumble bee population last year!). Are the bumbles keeping my honeys from my garden?
I'm in WI, dandelions, tulips and all tree's are budding, when do I stop feeding the sugar water?
Thanks much!
