Deformed Wings?

[barratt_sab]

A neighbour has a colony in their roof. They are quite happy with it, but brought three bees round for me to look at. The photo isn't very good, but one of them has wings that look, to my untrained eye, to be deformed (rather than just worn).

They said that there were "several bees just wandering around on the ground" and they picked three up to show me.

So, deformed wing virus, or something else that I know even less about?

They say that the colony has been there for several years (although it would be hard to them to tell if it has been continuously occupied, as it is not easily accessible).

They say that the bees swarm every year, and they're happy to have a bait hive nearby to try to catch a swarm - but the question is, do I want the bees?

I have access to another location for hives, that currently has no bees, so I could hive a swarm there, well away from my bees, and treat them.

I know it's hard to diagnose anything from one fuzzy photo of one bee, but all views gratefully received.

 

[MrB]

Looks like deformed wing virus IMHO, and i guess its no real supprise if they have been living wild for a few years.

 

[thurrock bees]

i agree with mr b
That looks like varroa damage, if they kick out a swarm and you catch it, hive them and then treat ( icing sugar or apiguard) after a day or two, but before any capped brood so they cant hide in the capped cells.

 

[barratt_sab]

i agree with mr b
That looks like varroa damage, if they kick out a swarm and you catch it, hive them and then treat ( icing sugar or apiguard) after a day or two, but before any capped brood so they cant hide in the capped cells.

Is there a reason why I wouldn't use another treatment (like Oxalic)?

 

[jezd]

confused, why ask about treatment if these are feral bees in the roof? have I missed something... OA is no good for treating mites in sealed brood

 

[mandabow]

confused, why ask about treatment if these are feral bees in the roof? have I missed something... OA is no good for treating mites in sealed brood

hes asking about a swarm (they swarm every year and he is welcome to put up a swarm trap)

he doesnt want to infect his own hives.. he hasn't mentioned treating the ferral colony. which he said is inaccessible (therby diffecult to know that they have been in residence for years or not). Just the swarm.

if he treats early there will be no sealed brood, as it will be a swarm, so take several days to build comb and lay before any brood is ready to seal..

hope this helps..

 

[barratt_sab]

hes asking about a swarm (they swarm every year and he is welcome to put up a swarm trap)

he doesnt want to infect his own hives.. he hasn't mentioned treating the ferral colony. which he said is inaccessible (therby diffecult to know that they have been in residence for years or not). Just the swarm.

if he treats early there will be no sealed brood, as it will be a swarm, so take several days to build comb and lay before any brood is ready to seal..

hope this helps..

Exactly my thinking. If I can treat early, at another site, then is there a reason I shouldn't use oxalic? I worry that they'd abscond, but it seems to me that thymol might make them just as unhappy as oxalic...

 

[thurrock bees]

Is there a reason why I wouldn't use another treatment (like Oxalic)?

you can use O.A. i just choose not to use it until winter.

 

[bignikki]

Yes a swarm can be treated with OA. Hive them and then treat as you usually would.

 

[barratt_sab]

you can use O.A. i just choose not to use it until winter.

I would normally only use it in winter, but with a new swarm and no brood it seemed like a relatively easy and quick way to knock back a severe infestation. I just wasn't sure if there was another reason not to use it on a newly hived swarm that I didn't know about.

 

[barratt_sab]

Thanks for all the replies - looks like I need to get a bait hive organised!

 

[MuswellMetro]

if you are not going to use the honey in the first year just use Apiguard on the swarm until the drop is below 4 pw, if they a really lousy they may require 3 tubs over the summer

alternatives would, again if not using the honey this year ,be ,apistan or Bayvarol ( about 60 to 90% kill depending on local resitance , must higher than icing sugar

or try a more potent treatment but requires a vets prescription Apivar (amitraz) with a 99% kill and it cost about £30 for a pack for five hives

 

[Hombre]

I do believe that in the "Swienty Girl" moviea about beekeeping from DWf.de (since defunkt) That the packages of young bees taken from the hives were taken to a cool dark room and sprayed with a light syrup - probably an OA mixture and left overnight. The queens were absent as the packages were being conditioned to receive the queen in the morning.

So yes, a spray of the regular OA sugar solution is probably good to go if you have it to hand.