Any idea?

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Bear

House Bee
Joined
Aug 17, 2019
Messages
257
Reaction score
28
Location
Aberdeenshire
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
8
99D12337-9332-4D4C-ACCA-A4A381431A87.jpeg
Any idea what’s wrong with her or what she’s got? No it’s NOT Himalayan balsam before it’s suggested. Her hair is missing and it’s white also she has 1 wing missing. That was from an inspection on Saturday. All the other bees were ok only this one had a deformity.
 
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Any idea what’s wrong with her or what she’s got? No it’s NOT Himalayan balsam before it’s suggested. Her hair is missing and it’s white also she has 1 wing missing. That was from an inspection on Saturday. All the other bees were ok only this one had a deformity.
Could it be just a ‘one off’ deformity, a freak of nature?
 
Do you guys that side of the pond have a lot of DWV - deformed wing Virus?

Looking at the pic, besides the missing wing the first thing that caught my eye was the dull colouration of the bee. Also looked a bit bloated and out of shape.
Is this a possibility?
 
Do you guys that side of the pond have a lot of DWV - deformed wing Virus?

Looking at the pic, besides the missing wing the first thing that caught my eye was the dull colouration of the bee. Also looked a bit bloated and out of shape.
Is this a possibility?
Not much if you are on top of varroa.
 
Not much if you are on top of varroa.
Must admit, I have never seen it before...
Have seen pics that showed more deformity than wing missing... Almost as if wing stopped developing ???

I hope for Bear's sake its just one of natures occasional cruel jokes...
 
I have what I think is DWV in one of my hives. I first saw signs of it late last year. I saw no more until about August this year. Its in a hive infested with mites too. So as Dani says, its spread is linked to varroa. I have also read research papers showing that OMFs help stop the spread of DWV.

It never seems to be a serious problem, I only see a few max per inspection. I mostly see the odd one or two crawling on the grass in front of the hive.

I always try to collect any I see (especially inside the hive) and dispose of them in an effort to prevent spread. I would have removed that bee from the hive.

The bees I see have deformed wings, not missing wings. Sometimes one wing will be almost perfect, and the other a little messy stub. But never one wing perfect and one missing. The ones in the hive are sometimes still fully/partly hairy, but the crawlers outside are usually darker and bald.

It is possibly a rare mutation rather than DWV. The fact you state this was the only bee seen with a missing wing and mite levels are low also suggests its not pathogen related.

Please don't blindly accept what I say as a diagnosis for your bees, I am no expert and am only sharing my thoughts based on what I have seen in my hive.

Hopefully its just a one off and you wont see it again. But please update if you do?
 
I have what I think is DWV..
It never seems to be a serious problem, I only see a few max per inspection. I mostly see the odd one or two crawling on the grass in front of the hive.

If you're seeing any at all, it's a serious problem. Bees infected with DWV have a very short life, many die as pupae. Those which emerge are evicted very quickly, along with all evidence of their existence.
The ones in the hive are sometimes still fully/partly hairy, but the crawlers outside are usually darker and bald.
The dark hairless ones crawling outside quite probably have CBPV. Both viruses are vectored by varroa.
 
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If you're seeing any at all, it's a serious problem. Bees infected with DWV have a very short life, many die as pupae. Those which emerge are evicted very quickly, along with all evidence of their existence.

The dark hairless ones crawling outside quite probably have CBPV. Both viruses are vectored by varroa.

You have me a bit worried now.... Have you experanced problems with DWC/CBVV before, if so what did you do?

They don't look like CBPV, they are not that dark and don't twitch - but I could be wrong.

Both last year and this year I have only seen them for about a 4-5 week period. This year I found 4 in the hive and about 10-15 on the ground. I saw at least double last year. I also saw them carring out a little chalk brood last year around the same time.

The hive in question has a lot of bees, currently a brood, 1/2 and super at the bottom all packed with bees. So my thinking was that relative to the population it was not problematic. And figured the best cause of action was to check for mites after the supers come off.

Sure enough it was infested. I have been sharing the details of my on going OA battle on another thread. I have probably killed 10000+ mites and there are still more. I was very worried about the mites but think I am getting there now. (Thanks Dani)

This hive has been extremely healthy and vigorous this season, filling 5+1/2 supers (from foundation). I saw exactly the same signs of DWV last year and it quickly diminished, as it has done this year when OA treatment started.

I am a little concerned that its shown up twice now in the same hive, but think if I can wipe out the mites, it will likely take care of any DWV.

I have read that DWV is a background or endemic virus in bees that will often persist in low levels. But can become problematic if veroha are introduced as an additional vector.

Its not a burn the box situation like foul brood or beetles right? (I hope....)

So that is why I state "It never seems to be a serious problem".

I can only talk from the little experience I have, just over 1 year! So please anyone with a similar problem don't blindly listen to me.

And if its back again in the spring and starts spreading, then my opinion will quickly change!

If anyone has any recommendations of what I should do if I see it again, then I am all ears.

Out of interest, has anyone lost a hive to DWV/CBPV?
 
Its not a burn the box situation like foul brood or beetles right? (I hope....)
So that is why I state "It never seems to be a serious problem.
No sorry, not serious as in nothing can save it, as in AFB. But serious as in it's a serious indicator of disease which would be fatal to the colony if left untreated.
Treatment is mite control. As you're already doing that, carry on. And do OA in midwinter to knock out the remainders.

CBPV is vectored by varroa but also aggravated by close contact amongst the bees in a crowded box. If only a few bees affected, that should resolve as the colony diminishes in size. Bees with CBPV don't always twitch, depending on strain.

Sorry if my using the word 'serious' worried you. It is serious but only when people ignore the signs and symptoms. Some people can be quite blase about problems, "it's only a few bees". But you obviously aren't one of those. Keep doing what you're doing and it'll all end up ok. 🙂
 
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You have me a bit worried now.... Have you experanced problems with DWC/CBVV before, if so what did you do?

They don't look like CBPV, they are not that dark and don't twitch - but I could be wrong.

Both last year and this year I have only seen them for about a 4-5 week period. This year I found 4 in the hive and about 10-15 on the ground. I saw at least double last year. I also saw them carring out a little chalk brood last year around the same time.

The hive in question has a lot of bees, currently a brood, 1/2 and super at the bottom all packed with bees. So my thinking was that relative to the population it was not problematic. And figured the best cause of action was to check for mites after the supers come off.

Sure enough it was infested. I have been sharing the details of my on going OA battle on another thread. I have probably killed 10000+ mites and there are still more. I was very worried about the mites but think I am getting there now. (Thanks Dani)

This hive has been extremely healthy and vigorous this season, filling 5+1/2 supers (from foundation). I saw exactly the same signs of DWV last year and it quickly diminished, as it has done this year when OA treatment started.

I am a little concerned that its shown up twice now in the same hive, but think if I can wipe out the mites, it will likely take care of any DWV.

I have read that DWV is a background or endemic virus in bees that will often persist in low levels. But can become problematic if veroha are introduced as an additional vector.

Its not a burn the box situation like foul brood or beetles right? (I hope....)

So that is why I state "It never seems to be a serious problem".

I can only talk from the little experience I have, just over 1 year! So please anyone with a similar problem don't blindly listen to me.

And if its back again in the spring and starts spreading, then my opinion will quickly change!

If anyone has any recommendations of what I should do if I see it again, then I am all ears.

Out of interest, has anyone lost a hive to DWV/CBPV?
I have lost two to CBPV
As far as I know it’s not vectored by varroa but obviously a colony with a heavy varroa problem are under a lot of stress
 
No sorry, not serious as in nothing can save it, as in AFB. But serious as in it's a serious indicator of disease which would be fatal to the colony if left untreated.
Treatment is mite control. As you're already doing that, carry on. And do OA in midwinter to knock out the remainders.

CBPV is vectored by varroa but also aggravated by close contact amongst the bees in a crowded box. If only a few bees affected, that should resolve as the colony diminishes in size. Bees with CBPV don't always twitch, depending on strain.

Sorry if my using the word 'serious' worried you. It is serious but only when people ignore the signs and symptoms. Some people can be quite blase about problems, "it's only a few bees". But you obviously aren't one of those. Keep doing what you're doing and it'll all end up ok. 🙂

No need to apologize, it does not take much to get me worried when it comes to bees.

And when I do start worrying about my bees, its usual poor Dani that ends up spending her time reassuring me.

No matter what I do with bees, I always seem to have a niggling doubt in the back of my mind and wonder if I am doing the right thing. So its good to know you agree with my cause of action.

Sorry if my last reply was a bit of a ramble. But have found if I take a bit more time to explain things, I usual get better advice.
 
I have lost two to CBPV
As far as I know it’s not vectored by varroa but obviously a colony with a heavy varroa problem are under a lot of stress

I agree that there is no evidence that it is directly transmitted by varroa. But I have seen a lot of research that talks about hives that are subjected to other "stress" factors being more susceptible.

I think the vague link they make between "hive stress levels" and increased spread is a bit of a cop out, and basically shows how little we relay know.

Although its believed that mites do not directly transmit the virus by biting an infected, then non infected bee. I still think a bee covered in veroha feeding sites is likely to be more susceptible to catching viruses. So although they are not direct vectors, I still think they could possibly play a roll in its spread.

This is just a theory, I have little evidence to support it.
 
No need to apologize, it does not take much to get me worried when it comes to bees.

And when I do start worrying about my bees, its usual poor Dani that ends up spending her time reassuring me.

No matter what I do with bees, I always seem to have a niggling doubt in the back of my mind and wonder if I am doing the right thing.
You are not alone
It took me years to relax about my bees
I used to dream of the cock ups I had made and was going to make.
Bees are pretty resilient. They survive most of our mistakes.
 

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