Author Topic: Is this normal? (Pic) (Read 4458 times)

Greg Peck · « **on:** April 10, 2007, 06:03:52 pm »

I just started feeding my bees yesterday. 1:1 sugar water. Today there is a big mess. I am just wondering if this mess appears to be normal or do I need to do something. About a month ago when the bees first came out and started doing cleansing flights there was small yellow drops all over the place but this is different.

Thanks for you help

Click to enlarge!

Understudy · « **Reply #1 on:** April 10, 2007, 06:27:23 pm »

If it isn't a cleansing flight it is dysentary. What does the inside look like?

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Michael Bush · « **Reply #2 on:** April 10, 2007, 09:43:09 pm »

>What does the inside look like?

Exactly. That's the significant question.

Greg Peck · « **Reply #3 on:** April 10, 2007, 10:31:27 pm »

Well that is a great question. But I do not have an answer. It has been in the 30's and low 40's here for the past week. I had opened the hive up probably a week and a half ago and did not see anything unusual.

Yesterday I just took the outer cover off and put the pail feeder on the inner cover in order to keep from disturbing them to much as it was still pretty cool out side. I will have to crack it open tomorrow and take a look inside.

Does the fact that the "poops" are dark indicate anything? is that normal or are they normally another color? I was doing some reading tonight and found that bees can have some temporary stomach problems switching from eating honey all winter to eating the sugar water. I am thinking (and hoping) that that is all it is. they have been cooped up for a week and I just started feeding them sugar water.

Thanks for you help so far.

BenC · « **Reply #4 on:** April 10, 2007, 10:47:31 pm »

I've had the same weather here, cold for the last five days. Bees here seemed to have switched gears, building for spring, and then came to a halt when it got cold. I have seen some, but not much flight the last few days, until today. Sun was shining and it was a little warmer. Bees were everywhere and my hive fronts now look exactly like yours. My interpretation was cleansing flights after being pent up.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #5 on:** April 11, 2007, 12:32:40 am »

>Does the fact that the "poops" are dark indicate anything?

Nothing definite.

MrILoveTheAnts · « **Reply #6 on:** April 11, 2007, 12:57:06 am »

In my opinion, this is the bees trying to flush their system. When aphids suck sap from a tree the sap is actually to sweet for them to handle without dying. So they've developed a tube that leads from their mouth to an opening on their back. Ants eat it and protect the aphids. My point is maybe 1:1 sugar is too sweet for your bees.
Or maybe there was soap in the water and they all got the runs.

Zoot · « **Reply #7 on:** April 11, 2007, 11:58:16 am »

Greg, Ben,

I just returned from a 10 day trip to CA. (everyone there is freaking out about their disappearing bees) and noticed that my hives also are covered with abundant, dark fecal matter. I haven't looked inside since it's cold here again. It's interesting that we are in basically the same region and have a similar situation. Hope to look inside if the sun comes out later.

Rabbitdog · « **Reply #8 on:** April 11, 2007, 01:30:25 pm »

Are you sure that it stems from the bees? I've seen similar patterns of debris from blooms and bud flakes from trees that absolutely pepper sidewalks, cars, and/or anything nearby.

Scadsobees · « **Reply #9 on:** April 11, 2007, 01:44:47 pm »

Without a doubt...

Mine....
http://picasaweb.google.com/scadsobees/2007_04_10/photo#5051964496088254050

Same look. Hopefully they are fine. I think it might be more the strains of brood raising while being confined. All that **** from the brood has to get out of the hive somehow, and how else than by consuming it then flying and expelling it?

Add to that the fact that it hasn't been quite warm enough for good long flights, so they stay nearby.

Rick

KONASDAD · « **Reply #10 on:** April 11, 2007, 06:31:42 pm »

My hives look the same here. All of a sudden I have lots of the poop on outside of one hive. I have the same weather and cant open up to inspect. I was feeding syrup too. Its going to rain and be cold another week too :'(

Greg Peck · « **Reply #11 on:** April 11, 2007, 09:10:43 pm »

Thanks all for you input. It is defiantly coming from the bees. You can watch them fly out, some do their business in the air and fly right back in while other fly a few feet then land on the hive and leave a deposit before walking back in. I was not able to open the hive today due to rain and cold. Sounds like we all have started experiencing this problem shortly after starting to feed and right after this last cold snap we had. I really don't think I am going to find a mess inside the hive. I took the entrance reducer out to look at the bottom board, all that i could see is some of the little wax granules that they make, no sloppy mess.

catvjbs · « **Reply #12 on:** April 15, 2007, 02:42:35 pm »

If the problem started when you started feeding I would remove the feeder, clean every thing, reduce the sugar content and try again. You are using a good mix with 1/1. I think there is another issue. Here are some feeding facts that may help.

http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/HBBiology/nutrition_supplements.htm

I would also contact your department of Agriculture and get the local bee inspector out right away. He may already know what the issue is if it is an area wide problem.

dlmarti · « **Reply #13 on:** April 15, 2007, 03:10:14 pm »

<from a noob, so take it with a grain of salt>

According to the books and articles I've been reading this kind of thing (dysentary), can be caused by burning the sugar when creating the syrup. So that might be another factor to look at.

From Alton Brown tips, you can create syrup easier and at a lower temp by powdering the sugar before adding it too the water. Use a food processor to grind the sugar first, before adding it to the water. It will dissolve easier and at a lower temp.

reinbeau · « **Reply #14 on:** April 15, 2007, 07:19:07 pm »

Quote from: catvjbs on April 15, 2007, 02:42:35 pm

If the problem started when you started feeding I would remove the feeder, clean every thing, reduce the sugar content and try again. You are using a good mix with 1/1. I think there is another issue. Here are some feeding facts that may help.

dmaarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/HBBiology/nutrition_supplements.htm

I would also contact your department of Agriculture and get the local bee inspector out right away. He may already know what the issue is if it is an area wide problem.

I've fixed your link, see here.

New posters can't post links for a few posts, I forget what the threshold is.

Zoot · « **Reply #15 on:** April 16, 2007, 04:54:50 pm »

Greg,

For what it's worth, I've spoken to half a dozen other beekeepers in the area over the last couple of weeks and everyone experienced this pretty much around the same time. Definitely not dysentary. You may see it again once this epic period of horrible weather passes and the bees come out again - if it ever passes. Actually snowed again last night, flurries all day with 40 to 50mph winds.

mat · « **Reply #16 on:** April 16, 2007, 08:01:51 pm »

I had the same problem, but only in one hive, the strongest one. I fed the same sugar to all five hives, but it happened only in this one. Weather is horible here, but I had a chance to look inside before and after this had happened. Everything was OK, a lot of brood the queen was fine. I thought that may be for they are so active, have plenty of brood to feed, and eat a lot, and the weather keeps them iside, they just make a quick "walk" outside to clean themselves, and go back.?
mat

Kathyp · « **Reply #17 on:** April 16, 2007, 08:04:50 pm »

i had the same experience with one box that i hived today. i was covered in the stuff, but the bees seem really healthy. in fact, this was the more active of the two packages.

ZuniBee · « **Reply #18 on:** April 16, 2007, 09:16:16 pm »

I had the same thing when I hived my packages. It rained two days later and washed the hives. It hasn't happened since...

Greg Peck · « **Reply #19 on:** April 16, 2007, 09:25:24 pm »

Thanks all for the responses. Mine have not continued to do it either. a few days after I had noticed it I went up to the hive after it had rained and the bees seemed to be very aggressive. pinging off me as they do sometimes. They were clustered in small clusters around the opening (golf ball size) I thought that there might be robbing going on so I put on my bee suit and went to watch them. about 20 bees landed on me and were just hanging out (some doing their business on my suit). I watched for a while and only observed the bees coming out doing their business and returning. apparently the bees had just been trying to land on my when I had walked up the first time because they did not show any aggression when I was watching them with the suit.

I am not too worried about them being sick. Must have just been the new sugar water and the bad weather keeping them in for a few days.

Thanks again