Frame Guide › Management
Starved Colony: what it looks like on the frame
Late March · they were flying in December. Now, silence.
Bees head-first down in empty cells, tails out, right where the cluster sat. That posture is starvation and almost nothing else — they died reaching into cells for food that wasn't there. Bare comb and no stores anywhere near the cluster finishes the story.
Heft them now and feed anything light
Most 'starved' colonies die with honey still in the box, just inches away — in a long cold snap the cluster can't break to reach it. Lift the back of each hive through late winter, and put feed directly above the cluster, not out at the edges where they'll never get to it.
Easy to mistake for
- American Foulbrood Warning SignsSpotty brood, sunken greasy cappings with pinholes, and an odd smell.
- Varroa Mites & Deformed Wing VirusAugust · your alcohol wash came back at 9 mites per 100 bees.
- RobbingLate August dearth. Bees wrestling on the landing board.
Could you spot this with the lid off?
Read the Frame deals you 8 random frames. Say what you see, say what you'd do, and find out why. It's free and runs on your phone.
Drill management → Mixed round (all 32 frames) →More management
- Honey-Bound Brood NestStrong flow on. Bees crowding, and the queen seems to have nowhere to go.
- Normal Drone CombMay · the bottom edge of a frame from a strong, healthy hive.
- Pollen-Bound Brood NestA heavy pollen flow on, and a small colony that isn't growing.
- New Colony Drawing CombTwo weeks after you installed a package on fresh foundation.
- Uncapped Honey SuperLate June · a super frame, heavy in your hand. You're thinking about pulling honey.
- Moldy CombSpring · frames from a hive that died in January, left in the damp box since.
- Fall Brood NestEarly October · a strong colony, the goldenrod flow just ended.
These frames are drawn to teach the pattern, and real frames vary. From The Alleman Apiary in Middletown, PA.