Bumblebee question

[Boston Bees]

Just been contacted by someone who apparently ordered a bumblebee nest, with accompanying box, this spring. Imported of course.

We all know she shouldn't have done this (foreign bumblebee disease, etc etc), and I have told her so, but her immediate question is, what is coming out of the hive, and should she clean it.

I have never seen the like of it. It looks like poo to me, and I am tempted to tell her to wipe the worst of it off, but am not sure if this might backfire.

All diagnoses welcome.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Can I borrow your photo to ask an expert? Please

 

[Boston Bees]

Can I borrow your photo to ask an expert? Please

Yep

 

[pargyle]

Looks very much like dysentery doesn't it ? You just don't know - as they were imported bees perhaps they had just been cooped up for too long ? It will be interesting to hear what Dani's expert has to say - Bumbles do suffer from the same diseases as honey bees so could be Nosema ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wax moth has been suggested.

 

[pargyle]

Wax moth has been suggested.

Interesting .... there's only one way to find out it if is wax moth and that's to look inside the box. An infestation will be pretty evident. I've never seen wax moths in any of the bumble nests (normally in bird boxes) that I've come across ... there is very little wax in them usually so perhaps not much to encouage wax moths to take over.