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| Colonies in Chanhassen Dec.31 2012
The colonies were or seem to be fine when we put them to "rest". We were gone to Senegal for 12 days to visit Julie and her village as she continues her service in the Peace Corps. As I understand Minnesota was very cold during that period, and snowed only a little.
While Liz was out...the last day of December 2012...she noticed "a lot of bees" dead in the snow in front of one hive. This phenomenon can happen, when the temperatures are a bit warmer and the bees decide to take a cleansing flight (to defecate), and then it gets a bit cooler and can't fly back home.
It could also be that some bees were sick, and got out by themselves to "save" the rest of the colony.
Last week, I was curious about the dead bees and therefore I stopped by the Chanhassen apiary, and collected few bees. They are now in my freezer! I will dissect them this weekend and see what's going on.
When I was collecting I saw a mite on one bee. However there is no sign of dysentery (no brown streaks) on the front of the hive. Interesting! I will keep you posted on the results.
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Thursday, January 10, 2013
Happy New Year 2013!
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