# Bees absconding top bar hive



## djjmc (Feb 6, 2015)

Sounds like it has the hallmarks of a couple of issues.
1 - hive decline from Varroa. As the Varroa Population peaks in the fall.
2- The hive may have been queenless for some time as it can take a queenless hive up to 6 weeks (or longer) for all the workers to die.
3- The hive was a victim of robbing shortly after you harvested. 

So you had 5 combs of capped honey. How many combs of brood were in the hive?
How often do you do a complete a hive inspection - of every bar/comb?


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## AvatarDad (Mar 31, 2016)

I don't know what dimensions your hive is, but if it is a typical crowder/magnum type design (18" at top, 9" at bottom, about 9" high) 5 combs is not much. With that typical design, a top bar comb is about the same area as a medium Lang frame.

My Italian package earlier in the year was building nearly 3 combs a week during the heavy flow. they had 12 combs in a month, and were at 21 recently (They were at 24 and I took 3 right at the end of the flow). they had it all full of honey at one point, but have depleted quite a bit since then. They have about 17/21 with stores.

My Carnis came later in the year and only had half the flow. They built up to 14 combs. I didn't take any of theirs. They have about 12/14 with stores currently. I'm keeping an eye on them in case I need to feed them.

Les Crowder says somewhere in his book that he wants 12-15 combs for winter for his bees.

5 combs seems like a hive barely starting out to me... like a package in its 2nd week. Too late now, but I wonder if you should have left it all. Could they have been queenless all along? Did you see brood?


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