Bees Sick - what to do

[annsbees]

I have three hives that have been good for three years.
This year hive 1 appeared to have swarmed in mid April. So I put brood from hive 2 into it.
Hives 2 and 3 both had Qcells which we removed and seemed health.
Both appeared to requeen - just a couple of supersede cells. No numerous swarm cells.
Now all three hives look diseased what with ??? and can I recover any hives. Hive 3 is big three supers 2 heavy, hive 2 smaller 1 super - heavish - hive 1 weak.
No queens present - or no normal brood - all very calm - which I find strange as hey're usually an aggressive lot when Q-

Help Please

 

[peteinwilts]

The pictures may not be telling the whole story.

This looks like the remnants of the last generation that are just hatching. (or chilled, and not enough bees to keep them warm)

I can't see any obvious case of disease.

you may have a virgin, or a recently mated queen that is not laying yet.

I can't see many bees. Are those that are present robbing a doomed colony?

can you see any fighting\squabbling
Usually a dead (and robbed) colony also contains wasps also chancing their luck

 

[peteinwilts]

on picture 2, it looks as if there is a very small QC?

 

[madasafish]

Difficult to say but holes in capped brood in picture 5 and shiny stuff in bottom of cells in picture 3 remind me of AFB..

Not that is definite - the pictures are not clear enough but if you have any dried scale in the cells, I would worry about.

I'd call the Bee Inspector and get a (free!!) test...Test kits cost £10 a time (which they don't charge for) and they do it for free

(I may be paranoid after recent infection)

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

on picture 2, it looks as if there is a very small QC?

Which might be on drone brood?
And on 3 a larva is leaving its cell, which suggests to me it is hungry or cold.

 

[masterBK]

1a and 1c = patchy drone brood suggest drone laying queen the problem
2A Chalk brood
2C Suggest it could be PMS (parasitic mite syndrome) ie Varroa with brood dying at various stages and being removed leaving pepperpot pattern.
3A Some bald brood
3C Blurred but also looks like some of the brood has lost their cappings due to greater wax moth larvae

No signs of AFB seen on any of the photos. I would wager that photo 5 (2c) is definitely not AFB . Perforated cappings true but that just indicates that the occpants of the cells have died and undertaker bees have opened the cell up. AFB would produce dark moist sunken cappings with dark scale in what looks like empty cells. Still it can 't hurt to get the inspector in.

 

[sail819]

I agree, possible indicators of AFB, lack of food and wax moth presence. I would respectfully suggest you obtain the opinion of your local bee inspector as soon as possible

 

[alldigging]

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/public/Contacts/contacts.cfm

The bee inspectors are lovely people who will only be too happy to come and have a look.

 

[tidymeup]

drone layer or laying workers, the brood isn't healthy as it's been neglected by the bees that are left.

 

[Finman]

.
And really old combs

 

[oliver90owner]

Looks to me as though they may have suffered from varroa and old queens plus maybe a beekeeper who has removed supercedure cells and the poorly queen has gone.

As mBK, no particular brood disease symptoms. A scream to the bee inspector may result in one surviving colony. Can't do any harm as long as they are not snowed under with a disease problem elsewhere.

No location, early swarm(s) and quite likely no mated replacement queen. Varroa treatment history?

Looking at that lot, there seems few bees for one weak colony. Stick all the worker bees together, find a good laying queen and cross fingers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This year hive 1 appeared to have swarmed in mid April. So I put brood from hive 2 into it.

Lost as to why you put more brood in - was there a QC? when did the new queen emerge

Hives 2 and 3 both had Qcells which we removed and seemed health.

Why did you remove them? did you see the original queen at the time?

Both appeared to requeen - just a couple of supersede cells. No numerous swarm cells.

How soon after you removed all the other QC's - was there BIAS between the two occurrences?

No queens present - or no normal brood - all very calm - which I find strange as hey're usually an aggressive lot when Q-

My initial thoughts - they all swarmed, you knocked down all the QC's, they tried making their own and failed, now hopelessly queenless and dwindling - other symptoms are just developments from this

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Looking at that lot, there seems few bees for one weak colony. Stick all the worker bees together, find a good laying queen and cross fingers.

 

[Mrs Shoot]

My initial thoughts - they all swarmed, you knocked down all the QC's, they tried making their own and failed, now hopelessly queenless and dwindling - other symptoms are just developments from this



Any local beekeepers to you may be able to offer some help, but without knowing where in the country you are (even just county) this would be difficult. Could you contact your local association to see anyone could come and look to see what can be salvaged?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Lost as to why you put more brood in - was there a QC? when did the new queen emerge


Why did you remove them? did you see the original queen at the time?


How soon after you removed all the other QC's - was there BIAS between the two occurrences?


My initial thoughts - they all swarmed, you knocked down all the QC's, they tried making their own and failed, now hopelessly queenless and dwindling - other symptoms are just developments from this

Some pertinent questions from Jenkinsbrynmair and O90O. I wonder if the original training the op had (if any) was sufficient to cover the situation found in the hives? Without a decent mentor to fill in the gaps it's quite possible to freewheel for a couple of years then be hit by a bolt from the blue

 

[annsbees]

To oliver90owner

Left the supercede cells on - two in hives 2 and 3 but 4/3 weeks ago now. Possibly one turned drone laying (hive 2) and the other still waiting or lost on mating flight?? - will take your advice - and hope to end up with one good hive.
Thanks

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Others more experienced may disagree but it may be a good idea to put the survivor colony on new foundation or on any clean drawn comb you have. Good luck; I hope they make it. Still some time and with a bit of weather luck...

 

[BeeJayBee]

To oliver90owner

Left the supercede cells on - two in hives 2 and 3 but 4/3 weeks ago now. Possibly one turned drone laying (hive 2) and the other still waiting or lost on mating flight?? - will take your advice - and hope to end up with one good hive.
Thanks

Assume the "4/3 weeks" means how long since you saw capped queen cells in hives 2 and 3. If so you'd be lucky to have mated and laying queens already.

You don't say how many bees you have in the various boxes, are there enough frames of bees to service brood?

Could you give an indication of whereabouts you are, it doesn't have to be exact. The weather has been so variable this year with a fair bit of rain in some places, less in others, so location is relevant to how your bees are behaving.

Also, are you using nationals? You can add that information in your profile.

Do you have any local beekeeper support, somebody from your association perhaps?

 

[mazzamazda]

+1 AFB on pic 4 and 5, Bee inspector ASAP and dont look again, wash clothing, hive tool etc. I'd love to see behind one of those broken cell caps to know for sure. I hope it isnt. I didnt even look at the other comb pics, that one needs investigated first.

I had a colony like that this week = fire.

I'm going to start a new post.

 

[mazzamazda]

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