Honeybee Hive Dying?

My hive with two large super boxes, and one
medium super (honey super).
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

One of my heart's desires is to be a beekeeper. Unfortunately for me, all it has been is - trying to be a beekeeper. After moving my hive location further away from the road early this past spring, I thought the problems that was causing my hives to die would be solved.

When I put my package bees into the hive, I saw amazing things I'd never seen before - it was truly a working hive. The queen was laying lots of brood (baby bees), and the worker bees were doing the jobs they are supposed to do. Food was being stored in the frames, with nearly all ten frames filled in the first super box allowing me to put on the second super.

In July, the second super was nearly full, and I worried about the bees swarming. This happens when they run out of room, so I put on a honey super, which is a medium sized box. I put in six frames that had comb already drawn out, and four that just had foundation for the bees to use to draw out the comb. The six frames had to be cleaned first.

Two weeks later, I checked the hive. There was lots of bees, and there was still food stored, but the honey super had no honey being stored, but the comb had been cleaned. I wasn't concerned.

Bees hanging on front.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

I left the hive alone for nearly a month. The week before Labor Day, there were lots of bees hanging on the front of the hive - outside. This is no big deal. They will do this when it is hot. A few days later, I found hundreds, probably into the thousands of bees lying in front of my hive - dead.

Hundreds into the thousands of
dead honeybees.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

Early that Sunday morning, while it was still cool enough to check the hive, I suited up and walked to to the hive, with all my tools. Without using smoke, I took off the outer cover - no bees. I removed the inner cover to reveal the honey super - no bees. I pulled off the honey super, and the second super box was nearly empty. My heart was beating wildly by this point.

I attached the frame holder to the side of the super, and started working frames loose, pulling them out, and sitting them in the holder. Once I could see through to the super below, I saw few bees - all my hopes were dashed.

The words of the guy who had taught the beekeeping classes, and who had helped me once he found out, two years ago, the struggles I was having, echoed in my ears - "I won't consider you a beekeeper until you have surviving hives." I felt like a failure once again.

Pulling off the second super, I started looking through the first super's frames. I wanted to find the queen, which I did. I didn't find brood, and all food was nearly gone.

There is a situation called nectar dearth in which there is little food for the worker bees to collect, but I had flowers blooming. Maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe the sudden deaths were caused when the residence across the road, decided to spray Round-up on their land, and on my land by the roadway. Yes, that's right - my land! Land I pay a mortgage on. Round-up is known to kill honeybees, yet it is allowed to stay on the market, which is maddening to beekeepers.

Despite my knowing that the chances this hive will make it through the winter would take a miracle, I made sugar water for the surviving bees. It would take twenty-one days before worker bees would emerge as adults ready to work - if the queen started laying right away, knowing food was available.

This past Wednesday, I changed the sugar water, to the sugar syrup, which is thicker. Having done this before, I know the bees would be better off, since there is little time left before winter. I figured I would do the most I could do to help this hive, even though the reality dances around in my head. I also prayed. Miracles can and do happen, even in today's world!