help needed

[Bmark]

hiya i open my hive to day and found this can anyone help

 

[Tom Bick]

I may be wrong but it looks all right to me apart from perhaps not so many bees. How many went into the winter.

 

[Bmark]

Thanks for that, this is my first year just did not like the look of all that gray on the comb
A fair few bees went in to winter but as i say this is my first year, so what i think was a fair few my be total wrong, as my so called mentor was not much help, but I have found a new one LOL( Ploy Hive) has been a great help and so has this forum.

 

[Tom Bick]

Its better to ask than not to you are in good hands with Poly Hive one of the main contributers to the forum and is always on the button (apart for the hives) sorry but I had to put that in but right with everything else. Like i say to me it all looks ok apart from what seems to be not so many bees but others may have other opinions.

 

[VEG]

Looks fine as said not many bees on the frame shown but you probably shook them off to take the picture. They look to have plenty of stores on the frames that can be seen.

 

[Bcrazy]

on my first inspections I study what's showing and will scrape off the cappings from any stores that remain allowing the bees easy access to food which saves then energy by not having to uncap the stores.
At first sight the top photo I thought the bees were dead but as you say they are not, May I ask what was the tempreture when you opened the hive? Were your bees out flying? I ask this because my bees have not shown for two weeks now but I am not concerned as the tempreture has not risen enough for them to fly, but when they do I'll be in the hive like a shot.

Regards;

 

[Bmark]

Bcrazy my bee have been out for a few weeks know, bring in pollen so i thought they were doing very well, this weekend I was giving them some HIVE CLEAN for Varroa, so i thought i would have a peek, and did find bits of mould all over the place,

There are a good few bee on the othere frames so I hope they will be ok
thanks for you help

 

[grizzly]

Those stores just look granulated to me, under the cappings. as Bcrazy said, give them a scrape if you want them cleaned out later on.

 

[Heather]

different topic but help needed here
I was sent this email - and am putting out to the 'experts' to advise please, as there are those out there with much more knowledge than I

I have convinced my daughter to investigate Bee Colony collapse for her A
level biology dissertation. We've been able to find quite a bit about
possible (biological) causes of it, but very little about possible
(biological) solutions. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions of any good
resources for finding out more on this.

 

[Black Comb]

There is no CCD in this country so it will be hard.

What about asking FERA as a start?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hi Heather
being that the scientists don't really know the cause yet, it will be impossible to find out what the cure may be.
You could read BEE-L to learn more about what may be happening,or perhaps contact the usda.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572

 

[Brosville]

http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/
-chapter and verse!

 

[Bcrazy]

Also try this one; http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/070906.htm

Regards;

 

[Heather]

Thanks for those links.
I know what I think - and American behaviour with bee farming has a lot to answer for - but I know its not the full answer. Knew you would have the links to hand. Cheers