Hive loss :(

[Todd Brooks]

What's the protocol when you unfortunately lose a hive over the winter?

Does one report it somewhere?

Thanks

     Todd Brooks

[HarryVanderpool]

Sorry to hear about your loss, Todd.
This fall and winter have been very brutal on honey bees.
Many, many thousands of hives have perished statewide.
I have a friend with 6500 hives, now down to 2000.
Another with 2800 that at our last conversation was below 600 and was worried about how those looked.

I am quite certain that the past fall and winter will go down as one of the worst in terms of colony losses.

Reporting of hive losses is only needed when you are QUITE CERTAIN that some sort of chemical spray application nearby affected your bees.

Otherwise, the thing to do is carry the hive into a dry place and dump out any dead bees, clean things up and keep it safe until you can restock it with bees in April.

If the old saying that, "Misery loves company",is true, I hope you feel better! We all have lost bees this year.
Harry

[Cris]

I just want my moment of *sadface*; I just came in from cleaning out my hive. This winter I am a damned statistic.