headless bees

[bluesman]

when inspecting the two hives yesterday only to quickly slip some extra fondont in i noticed a few headless bees at the entrance of both hives -can anyone tell me why this is ? bluesman

 

[oliver90owner]

Mice?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Mice?

did it smell musty or mousey

 

[dickndoris]

when inspecting the two hives yesterday only to quickly slip some extra fondont in i noticed a few headless bees at the entrance of both hives -can anyone tell me why this is ? bluesman

I too have had this but outside the hive and only on 1 hive. There were maybe 30-50 all with their heads removed. I took it they had ventured out in the snow, got chilled and the birds had tried them but not liked them? Or is there a more sinister reason?????????? ;-)

I had boards on the entrances to block the light/sun after clearing the snow as it would have melted pretty quick in any case.

 

[drstitson]

What race are they? Hessian by any chance?

 

[scuttlefish]

Got bottom bee space on your hives? Maybe those were some poor unfortunates poking their heads out when you slid the crown board back into place at the last inspection...!

 

[dickndoris]

I too have had this but outside the hive and only on 1 hive. There were maybe 30-50 all with their heads removed. I took it they had ventured out in the snow, got chilled and the birds had tried them but not liked them? Or is there a more sinister reason?????????? ;-)

I had boards on the entrances to block the light/sun after clearing the snow as it would have melted pretty quick in any case.

;-)

 

[RoofTops]

I have seen headless bees before. I think it is just a natural result of dessication/decomposiiton - the head sometimes falls off first.

 

[scuttlefish]

Nah. Rogue microscopy students have been practicing looking for tracheal mites on those bees and dumping their poor decapitated bodies back in the hive. Deffo. Unless...

...bee version of Highlander???

 

[For want of a better word]

Perhaps they had been sticking their heads out... or did not wind their necks in quick enough?

 

[bluesman]

headless bee mystery

i know it sounds freaky and perhaps a horror movie could be made of this...but i really want to find out the course- i think i might have a mouse in one hive -when sliding out the inspection tray it looked like a bit of mouse pee but that was the same in autumn -wouldnt the mouse be dead by now -but i certainly have not got a mouse in the other hive and that had the most headless bees!!
any out there know whats happening to my bees???

twighlight zone

 

[drstitson]

surely the whole point of mice getting into hives is in order to survive the winter?

 

[bluesman]

i was informed that mice eventually die in the hive and the bees embalm the mouse to keep hive clean of contamination and i would probably think by now with the colony reduced over winter i would have hardly any bees left -this is not the case -bees in abundance!

 

[thundercat]

It's not mice

I am very doubtful that the cause is mice. Mice would eat the whole bee, not just the heads. Moreover, the thorax is the most nutritious part (not the head).

As was already mentioned, decomposition is a more likely cause. If you have a mouse guard on already, then as the housekeeping bees tried to move the dead bodies, shoving them through the openings could decapitate them. Check under the hive floor and you will probably find the missing heads.