Death

I couldn't put this up last night. I'm so very sad. The bee's were flying last week, I lifted the top and gave them some sugar syrup which they take through the inside lid. The weather has been so bad that I haven't dared to open the hive fully to see what has been happening within. The morning it was warm enough for them to be flying but not one bee traversed the entrance. An hour later, I decided to go in and have a look.

Balled up in the centre of the frames, every last bee is dead. There is no sign of life and even the couple of bees that may appear to be climbing the cells, are dead and stuck to it. There is little sign of brood or stores so they must have been living almost exclusively off the sugar I gave them. I can only think the queen must have died and the bees that have been flying were the last brood that she laid, finally killed off in the last of the hellish weather.

My tears are not just for my hive. Up and down Britain, this is happening all too frequently. If we can't find a solution, soon the bees will disappear... and the crops that need them for pollination.

**I'm adding a note as it would be too long to respond to everyone individually. Thank you all for the comments and your concerns. In fairness I have to say that, in this case, it is unlikely that the deaths were caused by insecticide as there are very few crops around here and unlikely to be in flower or have been sprayed.
Having now looked into the hive with less upset I can give a more likely cause. The colony was not very strong. Although the last time I looked at them closely, they were healthy and returning with pollen, there was also some squabbling at the entrance. It is possible that a stronger colony, attracted by my syrup, was robbing the hive. All of their store cells had been emptied and what little brood there was had all been attacked. With the late winter cold the weaker bees would have been unable to defend themselves and without being able to keep food for themselves will have weakened in a very short period and died both of cold and starvation.
I will have an inspector check the hive for disease. If there is none then I will clean it and bait it with attractant in the hope another swarm will move in when the weather is warmer. If there is any sign of disease, the hive and it's contents will be burnt on the spot.

The continual loss of bees, for any cause, is of great concern. Pesticides and chemical treatments, both in agriculture and gardening should, in my opinion, only be administered as a last resort. They cannot be good for bees or any wildlife. All creatures are part of a chain. When man eliminates one so called pest from his crops, a whole succession of others are bound to take over, and not necessarily for the best. Yes, we ought to celebrate the finding of a worm in an apple!