Why are there fewer and fewer bees?
The strength of a bee colony is positively related to the number of worker bees in the colony. The stronger the colony, the stronger the adaptability and production efficiency of the bee colony. Therefore, keeping a strong colony is a topic that every beekeeper is concerned about, but sometimes bee colonies The number of worker bees is decreasing as we raise more bees. Let’s take a look at why the number of worker bees decreases as we raise more bees!
1. Losing the king unexpectedly
The fewer bees you keep, the more you raise them. This may be caused by the accidental loss of the king. The reason is that the queen bee is the only female bee that can reproduce normally. Once the queen bee is lost, the colony will no longer be able to replenish new worker bees. Although some worker bees will develop ovaries and lay eggs after losing the queen for a long time, the eggs produced by the worker bees have no significance in saving the queen bee. , the most effective remedy at this time is to reintroduce a new queen bee into the colony.
2. The queen bee is too bad
The fewer bees you raise, the less likely it is that the queen bee is too poor. The issue of queen bee quality should be discussed from two aspects. One is that the quality of the queen bee itself may be poor. The specific manifestation is that the number of eggs laid by the queen bee is far inferior to that of other high-quality queen bees. The second is that the queen bee is old, weak, sick, and disabled. If this is the case, the most effective solution is to replace the queen bee promptly.
3. Hazards from pests and diseases
The fewer bees you keep, the more likely it is caused by pests and diseases. For example, when Italian bees are harmed by Varroa mites, the larvae will die in large numbers. When Chinese bees are harmed by brood mites, the larvae often cannot emerge smoothly. In addition, frequent infestation by wasps will also affect the reproduction of the bee colony. The most appropriate solution at this time is to identify the disease and eliminate it. Prescribing the right medicine to solve the disease problem will naturally lead to a gradual increase in the population.
4. Poor management
The fewer bees you keep, the more you keep them. This may be caused by poor management. For example, if the beehive is not properly insulated in early spring, it is very easy to freeze to death the larvae. Eventually, the colony will be gradually weakened because the number of worker bees that emerge is less than the number of workers that die. In addition, carelessly adding spleens may also lead to fewer bees as the number of bees increases. This is because fewer bees and more spleens will reduce the number of bees. The ability of worker bees to protect their spleens will cause a large number of larvae to die and induce bee diseases in severe cases.
5. Lack of honey sources
The fewer bees you raise, the less likely it is due to a lack of nectar sources. Honey sources can provide the material basis for bees to survive. If there is insufficient honey storage in the hive and there is a shortage of honey sources, a large number of bees will starve to death. This situation requires beekeepers to pay close attention to the honey storage situation in the hive. When encountering honey sources When honey is scarce and the honey stored in the hive is insufficient, feed must be artificially replenished for the bee colony in a timely manner.
6. Unsuitable environment
The fewer bees you keep, the more you raise them. This may be caused by an unfavorable environment. Environmental issues need to be discussed from two aspects. One is that the odor in the beehive will prevent the bees from reproducing with peace of mind. At this time, the bee colony must be replaced with a beehive without odor; the other is that the environment around the beehive is too noisy and disturbs the bee colony. , the best solution to this situation is to move the beehive to a quiet place.
To sum up, there are six main reasons why the number of bees decreases as the number of bees increases. One is the loss of the queen of the bee colony, which causes the number of bees to decrease. The second reason is that the queen bee is too poor, which causes the number of bees to decrease and the number of bees decreases. The third is the damage caused by diseases and insect pests. The fourth reason is poor management, which leads to fewer bees. The fifth reason is lack of nectar sources, which leads to fewer bees. The sixth reason is unsuitable environment, which leads to fewer bees.