4 weeks ago we found a hive on its last legs. It had chomped through most its winter feed by early July sometime and had received a dry sugar feed to tide them over until I was back from other work duties to deal with the apiary. They got a small feed of syrup by less experienced staff early August and I caught up with them for varroa treatments at the end of August. Ideally they should have had a top feeder put on and received a bulk feed.
Anyway the result we came across was the typical last gasp of what was a big colony with most dead out front and on the floor.
There was about 4 frames of sad bees and the queen remaining alive (just alive), so…..
Reduced it to one box, gave them syrup in the internal frame feeder and I poured a bit over the bees to encourage grooming and incidental feeding.
Checked them yesterday. All alive.
Boosted back up with 4 frames of capped brood and attached nurse bees plus a frame of pollen, honey and attached bees all from several colonies. Smoked the beejeezus out of them to mask pheromones.
Added more feed (2.5 litres) 1/2 a Megabee pollen substitute and another brood box. Happy beekeeper happy bees.
Back in a week to put a top feeder on that I never seem to have on the Ute🤣
Yes! they survived!
![7DBF646F-24EB-4BE3-A170-A630475729FA.jpeg 7DBF646F-24EB-4BE3-A170-A630475729FA.jpeg](https://nzbees.net/data/attachments/0/622-8fb0625f79cef089a4fd6d292f633af9.jpg)
Spread the frames ready for some reinforcements
![76426FBA-A8DE-4A20-8DF0-922C2766B631.jpeg 76426FBA-A8DE-4A20-8DF0-922C2766B631.jpeg](https://nzbees.net/data/attachments/0/624-5d15ad07c444c6c57d7066c47d6b507a.jpg)
Boosted ready to expand with 4 frames of capped brood included
![5D79EBA1-C84B-492C-A64F-0F4FAF31EC0D.jpeg 5D79EBA1-C84B-492C-A64F-0F4FAF31EC0D.jpeg](https://nzbees.net/data/attachments/0/623-17eec9c65326a587309abae8fec03f7e.jpg)