Beheaded bees

[Woodland hives]

Today on my varroa tray I found 50 heads of bees - dropped through from the brood chamber. Just heads. Some pollen had dropped through but that's normal. I have not opened the hive - its 4 degrees here on Exmoor - all has been well to date - from other detritus - on the board the bees are building up nicely in this hive.
Any suggestions to this alarming find ?- I took the mouse guards off this week.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Probably bees that have ended up under the OMF and something came along and ate them

 

[enrico]

Today on my varroa tray I found 50 heads of bees - dropped through from the brood chamber. Just heads. Some pollen had dropped through but that's normal. I have not opened the hive - its 4 degrees here on Exmoor - all has been well to date - from other detritus - on the board the bees are building up nicely in this hive.
Any suggestions to this alarming find ?- I took the mouse guards off this week.

Worth checking that the entrance is clear. If they can't drag dead bees out whole they will chew them into bits

 

[Woodland hives]

Probably bees that have ended up under the OMF and something came along and ate them

I think the high number is worrying . No other bee parts found on tray.. Yes something has taken the bodies. I can only think of Asian Hornet that beheads.

 

[Woodland hives]

Worth checking that the entrance is clear. If they can't drag dead bees out whole they will chew them into bits

Hive entrance is clear - could well be the answer that the bees themselves are clearing out dead winter bees. Thank you for the reply. Linda

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think the high number is worrying . No other bee parts found on tray.. Yes something has taken the bodies. I can only think of Asian Hornet that beheads.

Mice voles and shrews

 

[The Poot]

I’ve had a similar issue - dead bees cleared out in front of the hive were being taken and part eaten by some little critter that found a cosy spot on the varroa board overnight. Nothing to worry about if the bee parts are too big to pass through the mesh floor as the critter will be outside of the hive.

 

[user 819]

A bee head is too large to get thru varroa mesh, suspect a rodent cleaning up bees who have missed the entrance or using the board to store dead bees at this time of year. Plenty of winter bees now dying off.

 

[elainemary]

Today on my varroa tray I found 50 heads of bees - dropped through from the brood chamber. Just heads. Some pollen had dropped through but that's normal. I have not opened the hive - its 4 degrees here on Exmoor - all has been well to date - from other detritus - on the board the bees are building up nicely in this hive.
Any suggestions to this alarming find ?- I took the mouse guards off this week.

Hi, I raised this with a very experienced beekeeper who I’ve adopted as my ‘mentor’. I spotted similar to you, Heads, wings etc on varroa floor. He told me same as @enrico, bees will cut up dead bees to take them out the hive as part of their undertaking duties.
Here’s a board I took a photo of showing bee parts that have dropped through the OMF (bottom edge). Nothing to worry about unless see other signs eg mouse droppings, but I agree head scratching and concerning when you first see it!

 

[Erichalfbee]

But why would bees cut up dead ones on the inspection board? Bee heads don’t drop through the omf. They are too big.

 

[Rockape83]

Today on my varroa tray I found 50 heads of bees - dropped through from the brood chamber. Just heads. Some pollen had dropped through but that's normal. I have not opened the hive - its 4 degrees here on Exmoor - all has been well to date - from other detritus - on the board the bees are building up nicely in this hive.
Any suggestions to this alarming find ?- I took the mouse guards off this week.

Have seen a lot of wasps about already, with the temperatures variations a lot of hives are still hibernating and some awake early, so it may be worth just ensuring entrance guarded with mesh and hive fed and watered until the real warm weather is out there, try using fondant with pollen in it to feed for a few weeks, remembering " Nay cast a clout til May be out!"

 

[B_north]

Here’s a board I took a photo of showing bee parts that have dropped through the OMF (bottom edge). Nothing to worry about unless see other signs eg mouse droppings, but I agree head scratching and concerning when you first see it!

Or shrew droppings, shrews will leave bee bits all over, they chew the thorax but leave the rest. Shrews apparently don't live and nest in the hive, they come in and eat the bees but leave.

This guy from the site Mud Songs Beekeeping seems to know his shrews well.

https://mudsongs.org/?s=shrew&submit=Search

 

[masterBK]

I found just heads on the mesh floor in march 2014 (drone heads)

 

[elainemary]

Or shrew droppings, shrews will leave bee bits all over, they chew the thorax but leave the rest. Shrews apparently don't live and nest in the hive, they come in and eat the bees but leave.

This guy from the site Mud Songs Beekeeping seems to know his shrews well.

https://mudsongs.org/?s=shrew&submit=Search

Think v unlikely in mine as 'mouse guard' type entrances so couldn't get in.

 

[B_north]

Think v unlikely in mine as 'mouse guard' type entrances so couldn't get in.

I need a 1/4" mesh screen to keep the shrews out, they can get thruu 3/8". They will go thru a mouse guard. Although, we have pygmy shrews, maybe you do not?

 

[Brian Bush]

I found just heads on the mesh floor in march 2014 (drone heads)

This looks like the work of a pygmy shrew. Our association manager had a similar problem a few years ago and it took some time to get to the bottom of the dilemma. Pygmy shrews are territorial and only the one whose territory the hive is siuated in will feed on the bees. Sometimes a mouse trap baited with chocolate, (snickers is best), will catch the varmint for you

 

[user 819]

Typically UK uses 8 mesh size for varroa floors so heads can't fall thru legs and wings only, under the floor then it is an outside source gathering the bees up or bees entering on to the insert if used, inside on the mesh floor then yes a small rodent.

 

[Frazer Munro]

This is shrews. Not mice, as the shrews diet is of insects only. Mice are more herbivorous.
The thorax on the bee is eaten as that is where the muscle is mainly.
The shrew will pick them off the bottom of the cluster during cold weather .
I had it in one hive this year and I also found shrews loving nearby too.

 

[Frazer Munro]

Living even !