Doug Shaw and I went into the two hives that are on my property this afternoon. The primary purpose was to take off the top feeders. But, as soon as we got into the one hive, I could see that I had real problems. In fact, the ultimate problem. The hive was dead -- d.e.d. dead. Wax moths had totally destroyed everything inside. There wasn't a honeybee alive.
This is the same hive in which I had noticed deformed wing earlier. I had treated it with api-life, but evidently (and this is just the post-mortem done on the spot by Doug and me) the deformed wing was a marker of varroa mite infestation. The treatment evidently didn't work or didn't work well enough. Weakened by the mites, the bees were not able to fend off the moths and the moth larvae. Strong hives don't let this sort of thing happen. So this hive must have grown weak. It's sort of sad. There should be a lesson in this. I think I will try some Russian bees next.
The other hive had no sign of any issues whatsoever. There was a nice cluster of bees in the brood frame and they had stored quite a bit of honey (I judge by weight when I pick up the back of the hive). In fact, I am now wondering if the healthy hive didn't rob from the weak one when they sensed what was going on.
Doug took the frames and boxes to his chickens to clean them up. Evidently, they really did a nice job and enjoyed the feast. Glad that something could benefit.
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