It was June 17, 2025, and nature tried to take its toll on the apiary.  It was about 11:30 p.m. and the howling winds of reportedly 60+ MPH (with gusts up to 70 mph) woke this beekeeper from a sound sleep. From a distance of approximately 60 feet, I looked out the back window to check the apiary.  It was too dark to see anything, and the rain was falling like a swarm after honey.  What could one do?  You guessed it... go back to sleep and wait until daylight.

Photo 1 - Looking South

Colonies #1 (RF) and #2 (LF) on front row survived the wind!

Calm in the aftermath...

Photo 2 - Looking SSW

Colonies #3 and #4 with extra hive bodies skewed on the ground.

PHOTO 3 - Looking West

Colonies #4, #3, and extra hive bodies completely blown off the stand.  Each board is 2" x 10" x 12 ft.

PHOTO 4 - Looking SSW

Colonies #4 upside down in foreground and colony #3 upside down, far right.

PHOTO 6

Colony #4 upside down and still these Italians stayed with the brood.  Some bees gathering on the outside bottom side of screen trying to find their way into the hive.

PHOTO 5 - Looking SSE

Colonies #3 (Golden West bees) upside down, open, and yet... the bees stayed with the hive.  It wasn't until I picked up the hives to place them back on stand that they became very defensive! Got one sting, on the ear, after bee made it under my veil.

Photo 7 - Looking WEST

The front row is back to normal, although colonies #1 (far) and #2 (near NUC) were never affected by the storm.  NUC and wax melter are back on stand.

Now... it's time to reset the back row.

     Sometimes, beekeepers we may forget the resiliency of honey bees in surviving nature's disruptive events.  Like people who may have had their home either blown down, washed away, or crushed under tons of rock or mud, the natural tendency is to rebuild and move on with life after any of these events.  In this case, the colonies were not destroyed, they were just toppled from one hive foundation stand.  Some undamaged items, like telescoping and inner covers, were found up to fifty feet away from the apiary on neighboring properties.

     Colonies #3 and #4 were found totally upside down and still... these Italians (#4) and Golden West (#3) bees stayed in place.  Some gathered on the outside of the bottom screen board, but most of the colony was still in the hive body conducting business as usual.  Very few bees were circling the apiary, and I believe the reason the bees stayed with their respective hive body is due to:

1.     The rain did not continue all night, and it was dark... honey bees do not typically fly at night.

2.     Each colony had plenty of food and their queen to keep them busy recouping… beeks need to always ensure that there is plenty of food for the colony.

3.     All bottom screen boards are latched to the lower brood box (see photos 2-5) and this helped to prevent any mass exodus of the brood nurse bees.

a.     In addition, latching the bottom screen board and lower brood box together makes it easier to move and manipulate.

4.     The morning sun (at 06:45) was out and air temperature was very warm at 78 degrees.  Meaning, the bees (specifically brood nest) did not get too cold during the night... staying warm and dry seemed to be the key factor in retaining the bees.

     There may have been other mitigating circumstances which determined why the bees did not abscond, but this beek has learned another valuable lesson in beekeeping.  The storms of life may disrupt the daily routine of honey bees... but, they are hard pressed to eliminate the natural tendency of the bees to rebuild.

If Notice in the following photos, the front row colonies #1 and #2 remained upright during the storm.  Can you envision the reason why? Remember... colonies #1, #3, and #4 had an 8–10-pound creek rock on the telescoping cover.  Before you consider your answer(s), review the directional information for each photo and consider the wind speed. CLICK HERE to view the logical and common-sense analysis!

     Twenty-five minutes after reassembling the apiary the apiary is back to normal.  Total estimated bee losses calculated to about 900 out of a combined 85,000 to 90,000 in colonies #3 and #4. This is about 1-1/2 cups of bees.

Each colony internal feeder was replenished was replenished with 1/2 gal of 1.3:1 sugar syrup.  Durning the restructuring process, the only colony to get upset and lash out was #3- the Golden West bees.  Heck, I'd probably be upset a lot too if you moved me 2,800 miles from California to South Carolina.

     A note about colony #3.  These Golden West bees are the Randy Oliver hybrid bees from OSH Bees in Orland, CA.  Up until January 2025, OSH did not ship packages east of the Rocky Mountains.   After reading about this variety of bee and waiting for two years, I was finally able to order a package.  Here are some observations concerning this bee variety.

1.     These bees are very productive at building up the brood nest.

2.     They forage early and a lot, staring as soon and the sun lights up the apiary.

a.     They forage later than their Italian counterparts, usually until dusk.  

3.     These bees protect their colony much more than the Italian bees do.  Meaning, when opening the hive body, for any reason, they are more prone to actively (not aggressively) investigate the beekeeper.

a.     They buzz you a lot, to gage your reaction, and to let the beek know that this is their home and they will definitely protect it.

b.     When conducting inspections, protect your face because they know just where to strike the beekeeper. so, wear a veil!

     The blessing for this beekeeper is that though many bees in colony #3 were clearly upset, all the colonies resumed their normal everyday activities in a noticeably short time.  It reminds me of how our personal lives are sometimes turned upside down by events out of our control and then, we ask ourselves, "Can we recover from such situations as quickly as these bees?"  The answer is... yes!  When we receive help from others, just as I helped to rectify those overturned colonies and give the bees a fighting chance for survival.

     Final observation, two weeks after the storm, colony #3 became so active, with newly populated bees, that I had to add a third brood deep box.  This colony is so strong at this time of the bee season that I may need to split or expand the colony again.

Colony 4

Italians

Colony 3

Golden West

Colony 2

Italians

Colony 1

Italians

     Every beekeeper understands that sometimes disaster can appear out of nowhere, regardless of how well they have implemented an Apiary Management Plan (AMP).  One day it could be an onslaught of pests, like Yellowjackets, wasps, ants, hornets, small hive beetles (SHB), greater wax moths (GWM), EFB, AFB, or viral infections.  Other times it may be birds, opossums, raccoons, skunks, or even bears.  Even the varroa destructor, who carries various diseases, will invade the colonies- this is a given in the bee world.  Conversely, beekeepers (beek) expect such things to happen at certain times during the honey bee season in their area.  As such, the beek plans for these events and attempts to minimize them if possible.  It is the unplanned natura events of storms, (wind, rain, or fire), which cannot be predicted as readily, and these events can cause some of the greatest and permanent destruction- negating AFB.