Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: Dave360 on August 29, 2010, 02:41:58 pm
-
Friday night just before dusk I was checking the water buckets in my bee yard and heard a lot of buzzing and noticed that it looked like one of my hives was going to swarm bees spilling out of the entrance and a lot of bees in the air some flying in circles like orientation flights some flying ever which way (new beek so have never seen one swarm but have hived a swarm) so i put new swarm lure in one of my swarm trap hives and fresh lemon grass oil on the other then pulled up a seat and watched as it got darker they settled back on front of the hive like a swarm sort of like a tear drop not like bearding so i figured they would stay put till morning as it was now fairly dark and i would brush into new hive in the morning. got up early and found hundreds of dead bees on landing board and hundreds of dead bees on the ground in front of the hive took some pics then waited till sun was fully up bees from inside hive started removing bees from landing board took more pics and put bees from landing board and some from ground in mason jar didn't open hive till later that evening as it was a little cool in am when i opened the hive all seemed fine inside bees quiet didnt see a queen but saw some larva and plenty of caped brood no sign of shb or wax moth damage so i was wandering if any one new what might have happened. my thought was maybe they had gotten into some pesticides ? / I changed water and put new towels in buckets in case it was some how bad but rest of hives (7) seem ok
Thanks David
-
sounds like robbing.
-
I'm thinking they were robbed as well. See any wax cappings on the bottom board?
...JP
-
no cappings screened bottom board but i have weed fabric under hive and all frames looked good i have seen robbing and have one hive that if i put on jar of sugar water (hole in cover ) they seem to invite robbers in but this didn't look like robbers / the swarm on the out side all clustered up i checked about 2 hrs after dark swarm LOOKING cluster was still on hive where robbers usually go home for the night i thought
Thanks Dave
-
do you still have a small cluster hanging to the outside of the hive? were the dead bees workers or drones?
it almost has the sound of a queen mating although the time of day sounds wrong. given that you only noticed this hive at the end of the day this could simply mean this was the end of the process.
I would likely take a stick and poke thru the clump to see 1) is there a queen in the clump and 2) is she a laying queen or not.
If there is a queen in the clump and the dead bees are workers then it could qualify as a hostile take over
-
could also have been a small swarm that thought better of it and returned.
-
My first guess would be robbing. Second guess would be a AHB swarm flew into your hive right before.
-
hadn't thought about AHB but swarm seemed to come from this hive / if swarm left and then returned would civil war break out
when i checked in the morning not all bees in piles were dead some were just very sick acting walking away to die ?
i will look at pile of dead bees to see if i can find a queen
is ther any place i could send dead bees to
thanks all Dave
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/992/editeddsc6820.jpg[/ur
[url=http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3425]http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3425 (http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/992/editeddsc6820.jpg)
(http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6505/editdsc6826.jpg) (http://img225.imageshack.us/i/editdsc6826.jpg/)
(http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3425/editeddsc6814.jpg) (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/editeddsc6814.jpg/)
-
you would send any sample to the Texas Apiary Inspection Service at Texas A&M University. Your county extension agent should be able to forward the sample for you. This service is free.
good luck...
-
What they need from you is at least 100 specimens in a jar of alcohol.
...JP
-
You can send the bees to USDA for a free DNA test for AHB
United States Department Agriculture in MD.
Bee Research Laboratory
Bldg. 476, BARC-East
Beltsville, MD 20705
(301) 504-8821
BEE HAPPY Jim 134
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/psi/brl/directs.htm (http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/psi/brl/directs.htm)
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/psi/brl/highlights.htm (http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/psi/brl/highlights.htm)
-
Is that a feeder I see on top of that hive in the pic?
-
yes it is a feeder jar type under bucket with a hole in top cover /
to send bees i didn't put in alcohol just in mason jar they dont look so good any more (2 days ) to late to add alcohol ?
what kind rubbing ?
Thanks Again
-
yes it is a feeder jar type under bucket with a hole in top cover /
to send bees i didn't put in alcohol just in mason jar they dont look so good any more (2 days ) to late to add alcohol ?
I do not know.
what kind rubbing ?
Thanks Again
HOW TO SUBMIT SAMPLES FOR DIAGNOSIS
Samples of Adult Honey Bees
Send at least 100 bees and if possible, select bees that are dying or that died recently. Decayed bees are not satisfactory for examination.
Bees should be placed in 70% ethyl or methyl alcohol as soon as possible after collection and carefully packed in leak-proof containers.
Alternatively, bees can be placed in a paper bag or loosely wrapped in a paper towel, newspaper, etc. and sent in a mailing tube or heavy cardboard box. AVOID using plastic bags, aluminum foil, waxed paper, tin, glass, etc. because they promote decomposition.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
-
I use denatured alcohol which I obtain from a paint store.
where you send the sample will somewhat determine how long it will be before you obtain the information back. for me (I hand deliver the sample) the Texas Apiary Inspection Service can get you an analysis in about 2 weeks. The USDA address is likely to take much longer than you think (every time I check there waiting list is monthS long).
I think perhaps AllenF was asking if you had feed on the hive??? If yes then this might explain quite a bit. ie a leaky feeder and the syrup drip in running out of the hive where the cluster of scavangers has formed.