Any ideas what this is?

[Tonych224]

Just done an inspection, this is a Nuc from beginning of May, now over all 11 frames and 3/4 of their way through first super.

However one frame in only this patch looks like as pictured, it's purely over these few cells all the rest of the frames are fine.

All normal brood around but this small area of a translucent milky type of capping, there appears to be nothing in the cell that I can see just goo.

Any ideas??


View attachment 8734

 

[Hachi]

Afb?

 

[flemage]

hum... thought about for a while and to be truthful I don't know, but could it be a type of honey that just hasn't been capped?

I know that mine have been putting honey in brood cells while waiting for supers to be drawn.

Its the milky white thing that has me stumped

 

[For want of a better word]

Stick a matchstick into one of the milky cells and pull it out.
Is it nectar... or gooie string... or disgustingly smelly?

If not nectar Call your local bee inspector for further advice.

 

[Tonych224]

Well it is quite solid, as you can see I poked with the hive tool and it felt solid... I guess I'll go back with some matches tomorrow. In the meantime I have sent the pictures to my local bee inspector for advice.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Pollen...

 

[mbc]

Pollen...

could also be encapsulated pollen where they have covered it up when its got a bit manky
Doesnt look like anything more sinister to me

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

AFB is a capped cell disease, so you'd see distinctly concave cappings, and they would appear dark and 'greasy', some cappings would appear perforated and eventually you'd get a 'pepperbox' effect as the queen won't lay in infected cells.
Looks healthy to me - I agree with the others - pollen

 

[galileo]

Pollen indeed - any poppies out near you yet?

 

[REDWOOD]

and what I can see of the uncapped brood also looks good

 

[psafloyd]

Just done an inspection, this is a Nuc from beginning of May, now over all 11 frames and 3/4 of their way through first super.

However one frame in only this patch looks like as pictured, it's purely over these few cells all the rest of the frames are fine.

All normal brood around but this small area of a translucent milky type of capping, there appears to be nothing in the cell that I can see just goo.

Any ideas??


View attachment 8734

The bee inspectors I met last week said pollen (and presumably nectar) that is contaminated will get capped off like that.

 

[Polyanwood]

I had to do an AS in an emergency and had to use drawn frames that I had kept and treated with acetic acid. The pollen was no longer fresh and the bees covered it over like that.

 

[Tonych224]

Thank you all - putting my mind at rest, I have heard of them entombing contaminated Pollen but never seen it, so this makes sense considering these few cells are the only ones I have found in the colony and all the rest looks healthy.

Have sent pictures to my local bee inspector, by the sounds of it he will say the same, will post the comments I get.

 

[MuswellMetro]

I have similar capped pollen but mine is yellow rhodadredron pollen from a very large bush close to the colonies, they collect the pollen then seem take a dislike to it

did a x400 microscope slide and confirm it as rhodadredon pollen