Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Lazarus Bees

It was a little devastating and so unexpected.

I arrived at the yard around 4:00 on an overcast day with temperatures hovering around 9. I was checking on how the bees had fared with the winterized bee cozy installed and the sugar feeder.

First glance showed about 100 dead bees on the front stoop of Hive #2 (two bees on Hive #1). It was so very sad because most of these bees were carrying pollen. So they died on the stoop from cold and exposure. Their hive never received the pollen they worked so hard to collect. It was upsetting.

I can only presume that even though the day the cozies were installed was cool and it was near dark that there must have been at least 100 bees still out in the field foraging. By the time they returned it would have been near dark and cold. And then they would not have recognized the new looking entrance.

The confusion would have kept them outside the hive until they grew too chilled to move. And then they died on the stoop inches from their entrance.

Some of the bees looked pretty freshly dead. Inspired by seeing the last few minutes of a movie shot in Australia, I picked up about 15 or so of the "dead" bees - selecting ones that looked freshly dead and I put them in my hands.

I have hot hands. I always have, which is great if you're doing massage or if you happen to be reviving cold dead bees by warming them up. In the Aussie film the actor and a child picked up handfuls of dead bees in front of the hive on an early morning and warmed them in their hands. Then the film shows the bees flying off from their hands.

Guess what? That's what happened here. The video doesn't show the whole process, but would you believe that ALL the bees came back to life? Some revived in about 1 minuted and others took as long as 10 minutes. The bees showed absolutely no inclination to aggression or a desire to sting. In fact, they didn't want to leave the warmth of my hands.

I should maybe have tried it with all 100, but that might be going too far. It certainly confirms that parametic saying and that there's a big difference between "warm and dead" and "cold and dead". Cold you can work with.

My advice: Don't rush to put the cozies on. Wait for a really good and cold day when no bees are flying or put it on at night.



I was upset that this happened and that the hive missed out on all that pollen. I hate waste and wasted efforts, especially when the bees died. It doesn't sit well. I blame myself mostly for not thinking of the potential problem. But I am glad about the few that like Lazarus, rose from the dead. And the wasted effort won't be so painful if this message helps someone else avoid the same problem.

As for the report on the barrell feeding, the bees don't appear to be taking the liquid from inside the barrel. Instead, they were way more focused on the sugar cakes that I put around the base of the barrel. The next day the cakes had been mostly eaten so I added more sugar powder.

There's much less activity on Hive #1 - this hive seems more placid and willing to relax - it's also the hive that Henry said was heavy enough for winter. It's not to say that they don't go out to forage because they do but they appear to be more organized. This is the hive with the purchased mated Buckfast queen. Hive #2 has a queen they made themselves.

9 comments:

NOD Apiary Products said...

Hi Barbara:

I really like your blog and I'm glad you're using the Bee Cozies. It was upsetting to me as well to see the dead bees outside the entrance to your hive. You must have put them on on a fairly warm day if they were flying. I don't see that you have put a nail in the front of your hive to hold the wrap up above the reduced entrance. It doesn't really show in your pix.
Put a 4" nail just above the entrance, either in the reducer or in the hive. Then tent the wrap over the nail. This will open up the entrance and keep snow from pushing the wrap against the entrance hole. Go to our website at www.miteaway.com if you want more instructions, or call me toll free at 866-483-2929.
Really cool that you brought the bees around with your hand!

Liz Corbett
NOD Apiary Products

Bee Magic Chronicles for Kids said...

Thanks Liz for your comments. I will certainly call you because I read the instructions about the nail but I don't quite understand them - I'm very visual and I noticed the U-Tube video or you web site didn't show it, but they did mention it. From your note above it sounds like the nail sits horizontally and stops the plastic from sliding down over the entrance which is in the corner? I did put a nail horizontally sitting in the center of the reducer and the "V" of the plastic rests against it. I'll call to get the rest of the details on this....

Anonymous said...

"And the warmth from her hands arose the dead..."

Great post, Barbara. Sorry that you lost some but it has to be rewarding that some of the girls came back and joined their sisters.

Good luck with your cozies!

The Beneficial Bee said...

Wow, great post. How sad yet wonderful that you were able to save some of the girls. I love the video too. You really know how to tell a story! Jess

erbabaricihasanhoca said...

dear barbara'
I'm hasan(erbabarici)
new blog:http//erbabaricihasanhoca.blogspot.com
byyy

erbabaricihasanhoca said...

hi barbara
beautiful pictures to publish soon, thank comments

Kat said...

I sure learn a lot from you bee blog! The last two posts were particularly interesting. It amazed me that the bees came back in your warm hands!
There is a lot to beekeeping.

Bee Magic Chronicles for Kids said...

erbabaricihasanhoca: Thanks for your comments. I'm following your new blog. As always, I love your bee photos.

Kat: Those bees looked so very dead that I too was amazed they came back to life. But I thought it couldn't hurt to try :)

Nishant said...

Great post, Barbara.

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