# Hive in major trouble! SHB



## Mykkah (Jun 8, 2016)

I went into maintenance a hive that I hadn't been in for about three weeks due to traveling and it seems as though small hive beetles have decimated the place. There was no sight of brood and the majority of the farmes we're dark brown and "eroded" looking. There are probably around 4,000 bees left in the hive but there is no queen and the whole thing looks like it's in major trouble. Wednesday my SHB traps get here, but I'm wondering if it's too late for this hive. I would have to get a queen as well and I'm wondering if the remaining bees could even make it that long. The adjacent hive is super strong, very little hive beetles and no real problems, but I plan on installing traps in that hive anyway. My question is should I just throw in the towel on this hive or should I try to save it?

Thanks for your advice in advance!!


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Me, I'd just shake out the hive. The bees will find their way into the adjacent hive. Then you you need to address the lost hive.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Mykkah said:


> There was no sight of brood and the majority of the farmes we're dark brown and "eroded" looking.


Are you sure it is small hive beetles (shb)?


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?330398-Dark-wet-combs
A similar story. An addition I have not added to that thread yet, after I removed the donated frames ( covered w/ sub, the next day, or 2, the bees left. : (
Figure what resources you have available, & time left in your season to accomplish your goals.
How much are you really gambling? Good luck! CE


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## Artur_M (Aug 14, 2016)

I am new beekeeper, so my suggestion might be not be the best one, but there is a way to save the hive.
If there are eggs in the next hive, then you can get that frame, shake the bees off it and put in your struggling hive (either eggs or not more then 3 days old larva). The bees in struggling hive will make an effort to rase a new queen. I am not sure though if queen will have time/weather permission to mate. If it mates, then you'll have your hive saved by feeding it through the winter.

I would read more about superseder before giving it up.

Good luck!


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## cervus (May 8, 2016)

Unless your frames were slimed it wasn't shb. Bees can tolerate a pretty high load of adult beetles, it's when the population declines to where they can't harass the adult beetles and subsequently the adult beetles lay eggs that hatch into larvae. SHB larvae is what destroys the comb and trashes the hive and that causes the bees to abscond. It's pretty obvious...disgusting slime,tons of maggot-looking larvae, honey dripping out, and a fermenting smell. A picture of your frames would help.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

The smell and the visual that you get when you look into a good case of SHB is so gross that I doubt Mykkah would be asking how to save them. 
No mention of the shb larva and slime. Something different is going on imo. Could be wrong. 50/50


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## Mykkah (Jun 8, 2016)

Not sure if this will work, but here is a link to an album I created on my profile of the frames... For whatever reason I can upload directly to this thread? Might be a mac thing.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/album.php?albumid=403


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome!


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## Joe Mac (Jun 1, 2016)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't see anything left to save, other than the combs and that's questionable. Like snl said, shake them off and those few bees left will find their way into the other hive. If you're going to save the combs, freeze them and either leave them in the freezer or take them out after a couple of days and spray them with BT and reuse next spring. Maybe you can make a split from your other colony then. 

Good luck.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Not SHB damage. I would consider it may have swarmed and then failed to re-Queen successfully. Or possibly just went queenless and failed at re-queening. Could be in the process of re-queening.


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