photo by John Fetrow
I asked John if he had any pictures of dead bees in front of a hive. He shared this one with me. This is what I would expect to see this time of year. Bees fly out for cleansing flights and don't make it back. As the snow melts there will be more dead bees in front.
Something to consider. The hive goes into winter with around 50,000 bees. By March if there is four to five frames of adhering bees in a colony it may be around 20,000 bees. That is a attrition rate of 30,000 bees. They had to go somewhere. The bees that have met their demise are on the bottom board mixed in with hive debris or in the snow outside the hive.
Thanks for sharing the picture John.
Something to consider. The hive goes into winter with around 50,000 bees. By March if there is four to five frames of adhering bees in a colony it may be around 20,000 bees. That is a attrition rate of 30,000 bees. They had to go somewhere. The bees that have met their demise are on the bottom board mixed in with hive debris or in the snow outside the hive.
Thanks for sharing the picture John.
