# Dwindling Warre hives



## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

Carnolians or Italians? Are you monitoring/treating for mites?


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

Carnolians , I used oxalic acid vaporizer end of August into September , three times, seven days apart.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Talk to Odfrank. He curses his Warre's almost daily.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

I know, he's a character, only wish I had his experience. I still want to try to make a go of it with these hives, but also have a topbar that I put a swarm in and a lang started from a nuc, so hedging my bets.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

He also curses TBH's too. He's always bragging about his precious "Jumbo" hives. Claims he got the idea from Brother Adam.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I know they reduce their numbers but one hive looked to have less than a thousand bees, is this normal...

No. It's not normal. Something is wrong. A failed fall flow, Varroa mites, starvation, robbing... something.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Don't blame the hive.

You have some pictures for us? That would probably help estimating if the cluster size is normal or not.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

Sorry guys , no pics, not exactly computer literate, wouldn't know how to post them. Things could have happened that I missed, been working dark to dark for a month now, but the honey in the combs is still capped so maybe not robbed, treated for mites last week of Aug. for three consecutive weeks seven days apart, maybe not mites, not sure, gonna let things run their course and see what happens.


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## grantsbees (May 9, 2016)

As you may know I'm also in MA. My Warre has exactly one box full of bees. About a volleyball sized cluster. Based on what I've read, that's a normal wintering size.


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