If the cells are packed with mud/debris this should be cut away and mud-packed comb discarded in a sealed plastic bag or burned.
![colony survival water colony survival water](http://dannycode.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FotoJet-6.png)
![colony survival water colony survival water](https://designscad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/waterscheme_78316.gif)
This must be dealt with immediately if you want to give your hive any chance at recovery.Ī) First, examine the submerged comb. This explains why it is advisable to provide an upper entrance for hives, especially on the coastal prairie, where flooding is a risk.Īssuming your colony did have a way to exchange air, and an upper exit for bees to escape the hive, then any comb that went under water is potentially damaged, and any brood that went under water is probably dead. Only a minute or two after the bottom entrance becomes submerged, your bees will begin suffocating, and it short order the dead and dying bees will drop to the bottom and further occlude the entrance and interfere with the ability of the colony to obtain oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Of course, unless you provided your hive with an upper entrance, if your colony’s entrance went under water then your hive may be a goner. I’ll offer a few pointers on 2 important subjects for beekeepers – 1)Bee Hive flood remediation and 2) End of Summer Colony Management Routines.įor those lucky enough to still have colonies you can see and find on the coastal prairie, but unlucky enough to have them go partially underwater, here are the key practices and procedures that may help keep your colonies from perishing, and help them recover more quickly than they would otherwise. There will be more hot days before the Texas Summer is really over, but the peak heat of 2017 is behind us, and thankfully so is the worst of Harvey.