Chalk brood advice

[Freer4]

Last year I was given a hive and bees, they struggled over winter but servived with some feeding.
The Q is of unknown age but she is laying slowly, but there are little White boodies at the entrance.
I have moved the brood to one side of hive and taken out all the old frames with no brood and stores on and replaced.
Is the chalk brood due to her strugeling or is it strugelng cos f the chalk brood

 

[oliver90owner]

Can't tell definitively. Not enough detail. But if that is what is typical and only one or two frames being used then the colony is really struggling to the point of no return.

Close up the space to the minimum for warmth, feed and pray. It looks like too few bees to look after any amount of brood and so the colony is dwindling. It needs an injection of bees (hatching brood) to recover from that type of scenario. Normally I would have given up on it long ago, but as you only have the one colony....

Further to that the comb seen looks a bit manky and could be 'well past' it's changing date. No good doing that at present though, unless there is drawn comb to entice them t change frames very s l o w l y.

Regards, RAB

 

[Freer4]

I was going to re queen but that's not going to happen.
they are on four frames but just small patches in the middle.
I have a varroa strip in.

 

[oliver90owner]

I have a varroa strip in.

If you are in an area where varroa are resistant to pyrethroids, and most of us are, they are an absolute waste of time, money and space.

4 frames in a box of 11? Close them down for warmth. They are too small for a nuc, let alone a full hive box!

The laying pattern looks reasonable considering their plight and should with TLC improve slowly. Just hope they will get strong enough for another winter.

Can you see any varroa on the bees? Is there any deformed winged bees in the hive? Are there any with 'k' wings (wide apart)?

Are they nosema-free?

If you/she can get them up to a critical size with TLC and steady laying, the whole colony will likely increase very quickly thereafter.

Just needs lots of house bees and lots of food to feed the hungry larvae, which will lead (hopefully) to more house bees and more foragers. Good luck.

BTW, looks like there is pollen in some cells but not seen any nectar/honey. No food - no bees!

Regards, RAB

 

[Freer4]

Not sure about nosema
There is some honey/ syrup was feeding them.