Author Topic: what is this stuff? (Read 3743 times)

BigRog · « **on:** April 12, 2005, 04:55:41 pm »

Guess it's the result of house cleaning but what is it.

Jerrymac · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2005, 05:00:32 pm »

Is it powdery, liquid? Did it show up all of a sudden or accumilate over time? Is that a feeder to the right? Could it have breathed as mine does with temperature changes? I can't really see the "stuff" all that well.

Agility Mom · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2005, 05:09:03 pm »

I have no idea what it is but it looks something like sawdust form the picture.

jathomas · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2005, 10:23:40 pm »

Man, maybe it IS sawdust! Check to see if you have a carpenter bee knawing away at your telescoping outer cover or something...

Beth Kirkley · « **Reply #4 on:** April 13, 2005, 01:01:13 am »

:shock:
Well.... jathomas is back. Good to see it. :) You been lurking around reading posts all these months? Or just found your way back?

Beth

Sorry Roger.

I don't know what the stuff is either.

jathomas · « **Reply #5 on:** April 13, 2005, 08:24:24 am »

<off topic> Lurking. My account got accidently deleted, and I had to start a new one. Now I look like a newbie!

I started two more hives this year, and another one in the works. It's really great when you're starting to get to a point where you create a new hive by stealing a little brood here, and a little there, rather than weakening one hive.

Also, I'm starting a nuc. There are so many uses for one! Whenever I read about someone's nuc, I'd just kind of skim over it. Like "Nucs are for other people" or something. But now I'm starting one up, I'm reading about them and am really excited. </off topic>

Roger, can you tell if it's "woody" or not?

Robo · « **Reply #6 on:** April 13, 2005, 09:00:36 am »

Hard to tell by the picture, but if it isn't sawdusty(?) like suggested above it is most likely the normal "trash" from the hive that the bees could not remove during winter. Like the wax cappings they chewed off to get to capped honey, brood chewing out during hatching, old pollen, crystalized sugar (if you fed them), dead bee parts, etc.... A good bottom board cleaning is a springtime norm around here. Most of the stuff that falls to the bottom during the winter becomes one big clump with the mositure and it is harder for the bees to remove.

Finsky · « **Reply #7 on:** April 13, 2005, 09:54:13 am »

Difficult to see from picture. But the colour is like bees have teared old combs and they build now new walls.

If old combs have too thick walls, they tear them up to foundation.
Also if combs are ruined by mould, they do the same.

Rabbitdog · « **Reply #8 on:** April 13, 2005, 12:30:52 pm »

It appears as though the fungus is among us. Does it feel slightly porous yet crusty?
I've seen similar fungi on decaying mulch. Looks alot like dog barf. Probably not an issue as far as the girls are concerned but I wouldn't want to look at it every day.