Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING => Topic started by: Anybrew on January 24, 2013, 12:41:46 am
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Hi Guys, I just did a quick look through one of my hives and I noticed that four frames of brood were dead in their unopened cells.(Frames 5,6,7,8,) They don't have foul brood they are just dead, and the bee's of course in the hive have reduced significantly. There is some healthy larvae but not many on (frames 1,2,3,4,)
I saw the Queen and she looks good, she is a new season queen,there is pollen and honey in the hive but not
heaps.
I am wondering is this possibly due to the heat, it has been over 40 degree's Celsius here for basically a month and at times it registering 49 degrees, the hives are in full sun all day(to combat SHB)
This season I have seen maybe ten SHB all season and on my last inspection of 6 hives I saw one. I think the extreme heat and dry conditions have hit them for six as well which is a good thing.
Any Ideas
ps this hives was started from a package two and a half months ago.
Cheers
Steve
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How s there water supply, bees need water to cool the hive in warm summer days ?
mvh edward :-P
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Hey MVH Edward, the water supply is good, I see them watering all day. I might take a frame of brood from one of my stronger hives to give them a boost at this stage.
Cheers
Steve
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A nick name downunder from Australian university descibed on forum some years ago how heat killed nucs and absconded bigger hives in Austaralia.
It is the heat in front of entrance which kills hives. It is different than official 40C in a shadow.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-03/heat-takes-toll-on-bees/4403998 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-03/heat-takes-toll-on-bees/4403998)
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Hi Finski, thanks for that link. You are correct about the temperature, in the direct Sun the temp have reached 50 degrees Celsius. This would perhaps kill the larvae as the bee's can't cool down the hive.
Cheers
Steve
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Hello Steve,
How can you tell if the larvae are dead? I guess the uncapped larvae would shrivel a bit, but what about the capped larvae?
Are you sure there are no other signs of disease to account for it? We haven't quite had your record Sydney temperatures here, but I'd guess in that sort of heat, a few more degrees could kill a hive. I have most hives under shade but a couple are in the sun. They are not here, so I don't see if bees are discarding a lot of dead larvae or anything like that.
Lone
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Hey Lone, well the plot thickens. I opened up the suspect hive again and went right through them.
As you hinted disease,I am 90% sure it has AFB. The larvae are dead in the cells and brown/caramel looking.
I did the match test and it roped out. I reported it to the DPI and they are sending me some gear so I can make samples and send them away to confirm.
Thankfully it is only in one hive and I on conformation I will burn the hive.
The DPI told me not to torch it yet and wait the couple of days to get it confirmed.
Its always two steps forward with beekeeping and then one step back.
Cheers
Steve
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Good call Dr. Lone, all you need now is your Doctrate from the University of Beekeeping in Macon Mississippi. Well done.
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Hey MVH Edward, the water supply is good, I see them watering all day. I might take a frame of brood from one of my stronger hives to give them a boost at this stage.
Cheers
Steve
Bees need more then water to have brood. Is nectar and pollen coming in??
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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Hi Jim134, yeah pollen and a little nectar are coming in but as the previous post I think I have AFB or EFB .
I should know next week for sure after the analysis.
Cheers
Steve
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Good call Dr. Lone, all you need now is your Doctrate from the University of Beekeeping in Macon Mississippi. Well done.
That's ok Geoff, you can send me an interim yinnar university doctorate.
Too bad if it's AFB, Steve. Don't share any equipment between that one and other hives, will you. It's no good losing all your hives at once. I had about 4 years of going backwards with bees, and the only good thing is it teaches you a lot.
Will the DPI alert the supplier of the package if it is AFB? I'd hate for them to be spreading it round. Is it possible to get AFB from a package of bees?
Lone
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Hi Dr Lone, The DPI know the Package supplier and dismissed them from having AFB.
He said the source of an infection is very hard to pinpoint,feral hives and un managed hives are the prime suspects he said.
I did have it in two hives now and killed those hives over the weekend. The test kit should be here tomorrow. I have sealed up the dead hives so they are completely bee proof and will torch them in a isolated spot soon.
It could also be EFB which in later stages shows similar symptoms I believe.
ahahahahaha :'(
Cheers
Steve
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:(
That is pretty poor for a package supplier. I guess the DPI will notify all their past customers.
Dr Lone, BeeD
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Dear Doc BeeD, no the supplier is not to blame at all, the Packages are awesome!
There are a few feral colonies around me in the bush and I have caught a few swarms over the last few years and I suspect it came from them, as they died out and I reused the comb.....idiot!!!!!!!!!
I have learnt so much about Bee's these last few years, there is always some thing going on.
It would be nice to have a good run with them :roll:
Such is life.
Cheers
Steve
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Sorry for your loss, Steve.
Joe