Last Friday the weather turned pleasantly warm passing 60 °F (16 °C) but with unpleasant wind speeds of 31 mph, gusting to 43 mph. While no trees fell, our emptying, smaller firewood rack got blown over as it often does and Saturday morning we discovered that poor Beatrix had been stripped of her winter insulation.
Running out to retrieve the foam panels before they could visit the neighbors we were greeted by the happy sight of busy bees coming and going, enjoying cleansing flights, bringing out their dead, and going about whatever vital bee business we do not ken.
When we later in the day took advantage of the lingering warm, although still windier than ideal, weather to inspect the hives we found Beatrix still amazingly full of bees although, as we had feared, running low on honey.
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In Clarissa, as expected, and Dorcas, not as hoped, we found the opposite, no live bees but a fair amount of honey left. |
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From the late sisters we transfered five heavy honeycombs to the survivor, scooped out most of the dead bees, and corked all the entrances until we can be bothered to process the remaining partially and fully empty combs and clean the hives. We hope this inheritance will last Beatrix until she can once more find forage. We mourn Clarissa and Dorcas but our overall mood remains one of elation over Beatrix.
The Prospect of Bees 
2016 February 21 at 11:55
So sorry about Clarissa and Dorcas. Here’s to their honey and to Beatrix. The warm weather cometh!
2016 March 03 at 15:30
Thanks. It is an odd reversal of expectations. Clarissa and Dorcas were always our booming colonies and Beatrix the laggard.
2016 February 21 at 13:02
Sad but great to hear Beatrix is so full of life. Probably safest not to reuse any brood combs from Clarissa and Dorcas, even if they have no obvious signs of disease.
2016 March 03 at 15:34
At some point we shall just harvest what honey in the partially filled combs seems worth the bother and melt it all down for wax. Then give the hives a good cleaning for new occupants.
2016 February 21 at 13:15
Great news about Beatrix! I’ll keep holding my thumbs for her bees, and for the project. I’m so sorry about Clarissa and Dorcas, though. 😦 What if you renamed Dorcas Deborah, which means (among other things) bee, in Hebrew?
2016 March 03 at 15:36
That could lead to confusion as there is a Deborah amongst our relatives.I keep imagining conversations like:
“Deborah may have nosema.”
“Bwuh?”
2016 February 22 at 09:14
Sorry to hear about Clarissa and Dorcas. Spring is just around the corner, though, so fingers crossed for Beatrix. Hope you can make splits from her!
2016 March 03 at 15:38
That would be grand. She seems so full that we may be forced to split so she does not swarm.
2016 February 24 at 23:00
Sorry about Clarissa and Dorcas. But Beatrix will probably provide you a strong new generation in spring that you can split.
2016 March 03 at 15:42
Thank you. We are still nervously thinking of feeding strategies to preserve all those hungry bees until somthing finally blooms. We have a few shoots only and those under snow again.
2016 February 27 at 08:27
I’m sorry that Clarissa and Dorcas have not made the winter, February seems to be the hardest month for bees and so unfair with spring so close. But with Beatrice doing well you may make an increase again in spring.
2016 March 03 at 15:44
The sad inspection was when we saw how small the clusters were in once-booming Clarissa and Dorcas. When we now saw them dead it was rather expected. But Beatrix gives us joy and we look forward to splitting her lest she swarm.