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Author Topic: Black Bee  (Read 5944 times)

Offline dprater

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Black Bee
« on: November 16, 2013, 09:20:48 pm »
This may be normal to have some black bees in your hive but this is the first time that I have seen one this black, I actually saw two black bees. Sorry to get excited about a black bee but to me beekeeping still has wonderfully supprises to see. She belonged to my hive, I watched her on the outside for a while and then I saw both black bees go into the hive.

dan






Offline Katharina

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2013, 10:15:28 pm »
Some of carnies are that black.  Here is an image from last year.  I have seen even darker. 
Katharina - hobby beekeeper and Saxony duck breeder
I also import German gift items at http://www.germanplaza.com
Klamath Basin Beekeepers Association in Oregon  http://www.klamathbeekeepers.org
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Offline Royall

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2013, 10:36:02 pm »
Great photo! Thanks for posting it.

Offline Highlander

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2013, 12:05:54 am »
I have a digital copy of the 1881 "Household Cyclopedia"  that has section on beekeeping and mentions that Black bees were being replaced with the Italians. Black bees were, apparently, early types brought over from Europe.  I have also read that the German and Scottish bees are black, not sure on that as I have never seen them.  Wondering if there are survivor strains out there now adding their influence to our current strains of bees?

Cruachan! 
Cruachan!

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For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.
From The Declaration of Arbroath 1320.

Offline Bee-Mover

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2013, 07:16:26 pm »
I've seen some that were partly black before, but nothing like that.  Thanks for posting!

Offline RC

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2013, 07:49:40 pm »
I saw some very black bees today on a open feeder. They look almost hairless. I'm sure they're not mine. I have some that are pretty dark colored, but not like this.

Offline AllenF

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2013, 09:26:01 pm »
Not all a bees sisters look the same.   Look at how many different dads are involved during the mating flight.  And then all the genetics involved with the grand parents and great grand parents of those worker bees.  You can have black, yellow, and everything in-between born in the same hive. 

Offline dprater

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2013, 09:47:07 pm »
This is from a swarm that showed up in my bee yard first of October. I did notice the Q was a lot barker that any of the other Q's I have, her abdomen is all black but her thorax is a little lighter. Since I hived the swarm I make a combine with a another hive that came up Q less, they have accepted her and looked yesterday and she is still laying. Hope she makes it through the winter, (not much winter here in South Carolina :)).

dan

Offline tecumseh

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #8 on: November 18, 2013, 07:38:52 am »
at this time of year you are likely to see more and more black bees in a hive.  as a bee gets a bit older it will loose it hair on it's abdomen and appear to be black.  if you should witness episodes of robbing behavior often time these bees are older with hairless abdomens and they will appear quite black.
I am 'the panther that passes in the night'... tecumseh.

Offline ThomasGR

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #9 on: November 18, 2013, 07:53:40 am »
This dark bee is very similar to what i call tired bees. I see them all the time and in all my hives.  I do not think they are a different race but just bees foraging their last loads.
Thomas , Greece @ www.melikonitsas.gr | www.beephotography.org |Apiary Weather Station |[img width= height= alt=Image created by a PHP script" width="310" height="30
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Offline JPinMO

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #10 on: November 18, 2013, 04:49:07 pm »
Very cool. I, too, am fascinated by their color variations.

As for
Sorry to get excited about a black bee....

I don't think you need to apologize to any of us on here for getting excited about bees!  :rainbowflower:
"Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters
cannot be trusted in large ones either."  Albert Einstein

Offline derekm

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #11 on: November 18, 2013, 08:18:54 pm »
look up hairless black bee syndrome
If they increased energy bill for your home by a factor of 4.5 would you consider that cruel? If so why are you doing that to your bees?

Offline dprater

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #12 on: November 18, 2013, 09:44:39 pm »
WELL thanks a lot derekm: I just read about the syndrome, and you just busted my interesting black bee bubble. Glad I only saw two and like the symptons said they did not fly just walked around and went back in the hive. I would have taking them out if I had know about the syndrome. As is said I did lose the Q to this hive, had high V-mites, treated got the mite count down and added the swarm that was in a nuc from first of Oct. Hopefully the new Q will turn this around, she has been in this hive one week and is laying.

And I thought I had some new genes in my hive LOL, looks like I got something I don't want.
dan


Offline derekm

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2013, 03:32:50 am »
WELL thanks a lot derekm: I just read about the syndrome, and you just busted my interesting black bee bubble. Glad I only saw two and like the symptons said they did not fly just walked around and went back in the hive. I would have taking them out if I had know about the syndrome. As is said I did lose the Q to this hive, had high V-mites, treated got the mite count down and added the swarm that was in a nuc from first of Oct. Hopefully the new Q will turn this around, she has been in this hive one week and is laying.

And I thought I had some new genes in my hive LOL, looks like I got something I don't want.
dan


sorry to be the bearer of bad news
If they increased energy bill for your home by a factor of 4.5 would you consider that cruel? If so why are you doing that to your bees?

Offline o.molchanov

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #14 on: November 27, 2013, 07:06:42 am »
hmmm. Were there any treatment or feeding with drugs before yot saw the first black bee? I do not want to say for 100% sure, but it can be the first indicator of nozema. 

Offline minz

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #15 on: December 04, 2013, 01:06:33 am »
I got a hive of black bees. I don’t know if it was a trap or a open mated queen but they are one mean group of bees! I opened the hive after doing about 4 other ones and was nailed 10 times before dropping the top.  Thinking that Queen is going to be short for this world when I see drones flying. 
Poor decisions make the best stories.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #16 on: December 04, 2013, 10:59:17 am »
I got a hive of black bees. I don’t know if it was a trap or a open mated queen but they are one mean group of bees! I opened the hive after doing about 4 other ones and was nailed 10 times before dropping the top.  Thinking that Queen is going to be short for this world when I see drones flying. 

i'll take her.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #17 on: December 05, 2013, 02:39:11 am »
i'll even ship you one of my mutts for a trade.

Offline OldMech

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #18 on: December 06, 2013, 12:56:51 am »
THATS IT!!
  I have been LOOKING for those bees!!!
  I had a hive in a tree in a park this spring that HAD to be removed. People were getting stung TWO BLOCKS away.. (town blocks not city)

   I got stung multiple times walking over to look.. put my suit on, and walked over to the tree... bees were thick on my veil.. and THAT is what they looked like, just as black as can be. Some had a single stripe, but most all of them were like that.. MEANEST bees I have ever had to deal with..  it took me a half hour after I walked back to the truck to actually get back into my truck...
      It was mid may, flow was strong, temps were mild.. so no idea why they were so angry... they died,, unfortunately...  hole in tree got filled and covered...
  a couple weeks later I got another call to a farm house.. they killed the couples dog, and both residents got stung multiple times.. they had taken up residence in the eve over the porch..   Same scenario, MEAN, nasty little things..   I pulled the soffit down and they BOILED out.. I use an ultra breeze, and its the first time I have ever been stung through it.   I TRIED to cut them out.. they had six combs bright and fresh...   On the third sting throught he suit I had enough, i couldnt SEE what I was doing.. Fired the vac up and just went haywire sucking them in...  When all was said and done, I found the queen in the mess, and she was just as black as the rest of the bees with yellow tints where her legs and wings joined her body.. Absolutely STUNNING to look at.. but I have no tolerance for bees that mean...
    SO... you all think these are just carnies gone bad? I have carniolan, and new world carniolan.. the carniolan are black, but they are striped black, not solid black like THAT bee in the picture... BOTH of these hives looked like this...  I have not had a call for bees like this again, and until now have not found any information on them..
   Thank you for the pics and posting this dprater!
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline JWChesnut

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Re: Black Bee
« Reply #19 on: December 07, 2013, 03:37:19 am »
Classic symptom of Viral infection -- read this.
http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Chronic_Bee_Paralysis_Virus

 

anything