dead and crawling bees at entrance!

[justme]

Hi, I'm a new beekeeper who got a 5 frame BS nuc 4th May this year.
I'm using an OSB hive with OMF and no foundation. I'm feeding them well, first with ambrosia then and now 1;1 sugar syrup.
I moved them into an OSB box with a small eke when they'd almost filled their nuc box. A week after, when the weather warmed up lots I opened the floor.
Last week they'd almost filled their OSB box so I put another on top, aiming to build them to double brood.
All seemed well, healthy brood, eggs, queen, 2 mt queen cups, stores, bringing in pollen, young bees playing at entrance and so on.

Today a pile of dead bees at the entrance, a few others nearby and some crawling! Not drones.
I saw a couple of bees dragging dead ones away.

They've still got feed and bees inside appeared healthy (apart from some dead ones on the floor) as did brood. lots flying and bringing in pollen.

Help please!

 

[snoop]

Sounds like they flew it a pesticide being sprayed . A filed of whest next dorr to me was sprayed a few weeks ago same thing happened
Clumps of dead bees or semi dead in and around the hive entrance

 

[RoofTops]

It might also be the aftermath of robbing - all that food could be attractive to other bees as well. If you haven't already done it try reducing the entrance and look for bees trying to force a way in - they may be zig-zagging in front of the entrance.

Check also the queen has space to lay - i.e. the frames are not full of stores. This has nothing to do with the dead bees but if you have lost some of the population they need to build back up quickly.

 

[justme]

Thanks, snoop & rooftops,
No signs of robbing and small entrance already, also new box on top to lay in including new comb.
Looks like poisoning could be right, I forgot to register with the spray liason officer, have done so now. Also saw similar thread after I posted mine.

 

[justme]

More bees crawling outside this morning! Other bees still flying and bringing in pollen. How long does a poisoning episode last on average please?
Spray liason officer had no reports of contracteral spraying for the week so guess it must be an unknown.

 

[justme]

More bees crawling outside this morning! Other bees still flying and bringing in pollen. How long does a poisoning episode last on average please?
Spray liason officer had no reports of contracteral spraying for the week so guess it must be an unknown.

Spoke to and arranged for local bee inspecter to come over, due to the weather this will more likely be tomorrow now instead of today.
She thought more likely virus than poisoning. Watching the dying bees outside they appear now to have K wing
I see someone else has posted a question on this subject and I'm eagerly awaiting a reply as I also know not what to do.

Any suggestions please.

 

[Polyanwood]

Mine that were poisoned had K wing. B inspector sent off a sample and found the most common insecticide used to kill wasps, so it looks like someone had killed off a wild honey bee nest with a wasp killer and my bees then died robbing it.

Nothing you can do apart from moving your bees, preferably 3 + miles away.

Commiserations.

 

[merylvingien]

common insecticide used to kill wasps, so it looks like someone had killed off a wild honey bee nest with a wasp killer and my bees then died robbing it.

Commiserations.

If this was a pest controller that had killed a bee colony off, he must by law block any entrances after treatment, preferably on the same day!

It amazes me how many pest controllers dont know this and just carry on oblivious.