Hello everyone. Along with a number of colleagues in this part of Lancashire I lost all my bees recently.(NB I only keep one hive in my garden).

I had treated for Varroa with Bayvarol and later Oxalic acid. I noticed numbers of bees were dying but a reasonably number seemed happy enough pottering about when the sun was warm enough. They had adequate food and when I went away I  made sure by putting some bee candy in.

 My street of bungalows is having Housing Association renovations done en masse. Whilst I was away a a new condensing  gas boiler was installed. The vent from this is quite low as the eaves of the bungalow are low. Exhaust from the boiler wafts about outside. The beehive is about 27 feet in a diagonal line from the wall with vent.

I noticed no activity from my bees and on inspecting found all dead. The interesting thing was that many were on the mesh floor of the brood box, but others were stuck halfway in cells and a cluster on one frame, presumably protecting the queen had died in situ. My thought was, given the circumstances, that the exhaust fumes had wafted over the hive and killed them. It looked very much as it does when you smoke your bees.

 

Upon enquiring of our very experienced vice-chair, he said he thought my theory to be  an unlikely cause. He thinks we in our Association are not acting quickly enough on Varroa after removing supers in August.He is pretty certain many have died from varroa, and there has been a subsequent lack of build up of a strong colony to overwinter.

Your comments would be most appreciated.

 

Annette