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Author Topic: Chalkbrood, Can this hive be saved?  (Read 2705 times)

Offline Blackbird

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Chalkbrood, Can this hive be saved?
« on: October 01, 2008, 03:20:46 pm »
My hive that was thriving just three weeks ago is all but dead now. No queen and what appears to be chalkbrood. There are two to three frames of bees left some frames of a small amount of capped brood with no bees on it, and a frame with some newish larva that has bees attending. These frames with brood and attending bees also have dead bees in the process of emerging and some white chalky brood along with a few very tiny uncapped eggs. I did not see the queen at all and there was a supersedure cell with a larva in it, uncapped.

What I don't find that I have read are signs of chalkbrood are no mummies at the entrance and no little dark things either. Also since it is getting late in the year, October already, I didn't see any drones so I'm guessing trying to get them to make a new queen is out of the question. Do I just have to give this hive up for dead?

Thanks
Stacie

Offline Frantz

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Re: Chalkbrood, Can this hive be saved?
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2008, 05:22:51 pm »
Stacie,
Sorry to hear about the hive. I had a chaulk brood situation here just recently as well. I just requeened and a month later the hive is strong as ever. I have a few more bees than you do it sounds like, so maybe a combine is more in order. I also did have the mummies at the door and such so I know that it was chaulk brood. Without the normal signs, what makes you think it chaulk brood???
Maybe a few pics would help. I am just new at this for the most part, so mine is just with a grain of salt...
Good luck.
F
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Chalkbrood, Can this hive be saved?
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2008, 09:58:29 pm »
My guess, from your description is that the hive dwindled rapidly and the brood got chilled and then got chalkbrood.  Usually a strong hive will keep it cleaned out and usually it will clear up anyway.  Usually I see it in the spring, not the fall.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#chalkbrood
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Offline Scadsobees

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Re: Chalkbrood, Can this hive be saved?
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2008, 10:39:47 am »
I too had a pretty bad case of chalkbrood this spring (well, not me specifically, but one of my hives :roll:).  They never dwindled but never thrived either, until I requeened.

I think Michael hit it on the head, you have something else going on in there that is smacking the hive down.  Very likely whatever it is started before 3 weeks ago, even 6 weeks ago.  Queenlessness (although you are seeing eggs..could it be a laying worker..any capped drone comb?), pesticides, mites, etc, they all can cause this to happen.  I don't think that brood diseases like chalkbrood will usually cause rapid depopulations.

The dead half hatched bees died from cold.

Rick
Rick