Dead Bees

[beebabyelle1]

This morning I walked out to look at the activity of my hives. Bees flying in and out, but how normal is it at this time of year to have dead bees in front of the hives with pollen on their legs? We've had 2 mornings of heavy frost and some cold weather here in Summerfield, but would that cause this type of problem. I popped the top on 1 hive for a peek and activity as usual. One hive has at least a few hundred in front the other about 50. Any thoughts?

[Jacobs]

A couple of possibilities come to mind. The first is robbing. If I get it started in my hives and the bees eventually get it stopped (as opposed to a massive, overwhelming episode that destroys a hive), there are usually an abnormally large number of dead bees in front of the hive. Some are dead defenders and probably a number are robbers that got overwhelmed while in the hive and are then dragged out and dumped. Do you have entrance reducers on your hives?

If the number of dead bees are not in the hundred plus range, but you are seeing more dead bees than earlier in the season, that can be a function of cooler weather. Weak and dying bees may walk/crawl away from a hive in warm weather, but may die in the hive or just in front of it when it is too cold for them to easily walk away. Also, if your "corpse carrier" bees cannot fly and carry away dead/dying bees, those may accumulate on the landing board or in front of the hives.

[Jacobs]

This last stretch of cold weather has increased the number of dead bees I am seeing on the landing boards and in front of my hives. So far, I am not seeing numbers that raise alarms.

[Becky Hampton]

That's helpful information. During the cold weather last week, I had 17 dead bees one morning and 21 the next morning. When it warmed up to the low 50s this weekend, they started flying and I guess carried the dead ones away because the running board was cleared. I assumed this was just winter die off but hadn't thought about robbing.
I still have bees coming in on warm days with pollen on their legs. What would they be getting this time of year?

[Jacobs]

I think some forms of camelia are still blooming. I'm not sure what else is, but I am seeing some pollen coming in as well. The number of dead bees you saw seems to be normal for this stretch of weather and not a sign of robbing or of other larger problems.

[pholcomb]

Camellias in my neighborhood bloomed into late winter last year. Camellia pollen is usually bright yellow, pretty distinctive this time of year. My bees are bringing in some, but not as much as last year.

Paul