Bee heads?

[flemage]

Hi all

just come back from my first inspection of the session.

Found some thing I have never seen before and was wondering if any one knows what's going on.

I was cleaning the floor (mesh) of one hive and there were about 40-50 bee heads there. no bodies or other parts just heads.

any ideas?

as an aside there was no trace of any varroa in any of the hives and I have had the inserts in for a few months now. These hives had in the past DWV and a lot of Varroa. I did hivemakers thymol treatment in august but not oxcelic acid.

so pretty pleased with that.

 

[domino]

Sounds like a hornet.

 

[flemage]

are they active this time of year?

 

[beeno]

Hi Flemage,
Have it on good authority, regional bee inspector no less, that will be mice. In case you wonder what's happened to the rest of the bees' bodies they have been eaten, as they are the tasty bits!

 

[Midland Beek]

Sounds like a hornet.

That gets my vote for the worst response to this thread possible.

Heads are the bits of bee that mice dunna like.

 

[flemage]

Now that makes sense

Thanks beeno that would have bugged me for ages.

time to look at mouse guards then!

 

[Easy Beesy]

Shrew does the same

 

[domino]

That gets my vote for the worst response to this thread possible.

Heads are the bits of bee that mice dunna like.

Thing is I remember watching a hornet chopping the heads of critters. Hence the suggestion; live and learn.

 

[Silly Bee]

mice/shrew. Had it happen last year. No bodies in the hive, but found heads a few feet away in a mouse nest.

 

[keith pierce]

I wonder are they taking the dead bees as they drop to the floor or are they taking the from the cluster

 

[beeno]

I wonder are they taking the dead bees as they drop to the floor or are they taking the from the cluster

Hi Keith,
As mice usually enter hives when bees are in cluster, the bee inspector explained that it was the cold bees that fell to the floor and the mice had them.

 

[keith pierce]

nice and fresh

 

[mbc]

Sounds like a hornet.

In my imagination it sounds more like a trombone

 

[lilybetbee]

Took my mouse guard off today then read this - am I too early?

 

[Dishmop]

am I too early?

That should be Twirly.

 

[Polyanwood]

Took my mouse guard off today then read this - am I too early?

I have taken all of mine off now too. There is a lot of pollen going in now and some gets knocked off by the mouseguard.

 

[mbc]

That should be Twirly.

Tool eight