Help with poorly bee

[smith.james0]

I have only had bees since Wednesday of last week. Today I found a Drone about 2m from the front of the hive, it was unable to fly due to it's wings being damaged. Is it anything to worry about? My bee friend is on holiday this week.

James

 

[VEG]

high varroa load

 

[tonybloke]

now't to worry about, bees often chew the wings off of drones when they are evicting them.

 

[Heather]

Too early to evict- am sure this is varroa- and drones get hit hard as they are the juicier larvae- spending longer in development

 

[Hivemaker.]

now't to worry about, bees often chew the wings off of drones when they are evicting them.

I agree,and some colonys are evicting drones now,in this country.. and seems to be the same in USA due to weather conditions.
Link below.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?270565-Drones-are-already-being-evicted-in-NE-Ohio

 

[Poly Hive]

Uncap some drone brood and see what is there.

PH

 

[Moggs]

James, the reference to varroa is associated with deformed wing virus - varroa being a vector for all sorts of bee ailments, as the parasitic damage weakens their defences.

If this damage is borne by varroa, you will undoubtedly see other signs in the hive, one of which is a high varroa load in brood cells (especially drone brood as that is the varroa mites' preference). Hence drone brood uncapping will reveal the level of infestation. You could also monitor varroa mite drop to gauge the need for any treatment.

I would be inclined to start with a comprehensive check over the bees in the hive and some careful brood checks.

 

[fox403]

a good thought out reply for the beginner moggs..

 

[oliver90owner]

Let's get a better picture of the whole situation.

Was this a nucleus colony until this last week? Some suppliers, who throw together nucs virtually on the day, may be the culprits. There should not be a large drone brood population in a nuc - that would indicate to me that frames of brood had been put in the colony from another source.

It may be a colony bought in from a person not looking after the colony sensibly, or it may be an isolated instance for one, or just a few, unfortunate drones.

If it was a gift, then don't look in it's mouth!

Likely it needs treatment soonest, but until one knows the whole story there is little point in jumping to conclusions hastily

There may, or may not, be good reason to worry. Don't start yet. Treatment may be straightforward. Ignoring the signs is bad, so you are right to investigate further.

 

[itma]

... Is it anything to worry about? My bee friend is on holiday this week. ..

James

...
Likely it needs treatment soonest, but until one knows the whole story there is little point in jumping to conclusions hastily

There may, or may not, be good reason to worry. Don't start yet. Treatment may be straightforward. Ignoring the signs is bad, so you are right to investigate further.

The simplest thing to do, ASAP, is to put in the "inspection board" under the hive's mesh floor.
And make a diary note of when it went in!
Leave it in for a few (at least 3 or 4) days before counting the dead varroa that have collected on the board.
That test can then be ongoing while your mentor is away.
The (average daily) body count needs interpretation (particularly with a small colony), but it would give a useful indication.
And your mentor's return would be a good time to count the dead mites together (especially if you haven't done it yourself previously).

Don't go trying drone culling on your own, in your first week! (It shouldn't be THAT urgent...)

 

[smith.james0]

Let's get a better picture of the whole situation.

Was this a nucleus colony until this last week? Some suppliers, who throw together nucs virtually on the day, may be the culprits. There should not be a large drone brood population in a nuc - that would indicate to me that frames of brood had been put in the colony from another source.

It was a colony before last week, living in a nuc box before being transferred to my hive. I have not properly inspected, thats on my jobs list for Wednesday.

It may be a colony bought in from a person not looking after the colony sensibly, or it may be an isolated instance for one, or just a few, unfortunate drones.

If it was a gift, then don't look in it's mouth!

It wasn't a gift! I have known the Guy for sometime, he keeps about 30 hives and sells nuc and queens.

The simplest thing to do, ASAP, is to put in the "inspection board" under the hive's mesh floor.
And make a diary note of when it went in!
Leave it in for a few (at least 3 or 4) days before counting the dead varroa that have collected on the board.
That test can then be ongoing while your mentor is away.
The (average daily) body count needs interpretation (particularly with a small colony), but it would give a useful indication.
And your mentor's return would be a good time to count the dead mites together (especially if you haven't done it yourself previously).

Don't go trying drone culling on your own, in your first week! (It shouldn't be THAT urgent...)

I left the board in when I got the bees so heres a couple of pics

James

 

[Andy Duff]

It was a colony before last week, living in a nuc box before being transferred to my hive. I have not properly inspected, thats on my jobs list for Wednesday.



You sound like you are looking after these bees on your own. You need a mentor (not the guy who you got the bees from).

A new colony or a collected swarm needs to be inspected properly asap, not put off until a convenient day in your diary. Personally with the weather like it is at the moment I am inspecting every 5 days or less.

 

[Moggs]

James, the varroa floor analysis isn't particularly useful. The mites would simply walk off or find another host. Inspection floors need to be sticky. I use sticky adhesive label sheets (sticky side up of course), others use a thin film of oil (I don't for fear of it going rancid).

Your inspection routine may reveal more detail - photo's could be useful.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

James, the varroa floor analysis isn't particularly useful. The mites would simply walk off or find another host. Inspection floors need to be sticky. I use sticky adhesive label sheets (sticky side up of course), others use a thin film of oil (I don't for fear of it going rancid).

Your inspection routine may reveal more detail - photo's could be useful.

Hi Moggs do you use full size sheets or just a small area

 

[Alabamaeee]

I've starting using a P-A-Y-N-E-S 14x 12 and before inserting the correx inspection sheet I put a border of thinly smeared vaseline around the edge of the sheet. It stops them walking off and falling out of the hive, which should give a more accurate count.

I like the idea of the label sheet though, as it will probably trap all the mites better, especially if using a solid floor. Some mites on the solid floor hitch a ride on returning foragers!

 

[itma]

James, the varroa floor analysis isn't particularly useful. The mites would simply walk off or find another host. Inspection floors need to be sticky. I use sticky adhesive label sheets (sticky side up of course), others use a thin film of oil (I don't for fear of it going rancid).

The principal idea of the inspection board is to be able to monitor the average natural (unassisted) death rate - and from that to estimate the population.
Sure there are inaccuracies, notably in factoring in the bee colony size, but a measurement over a known number of days will give a fair idea -- which is all you need.

But its not about trapping live mites!
If the mite can walk away, it ain't dead and so can't help with the statistical calculation of the total population from the natural death rate!

Some people put the board in to see how many their treatment is killing.
But it is massively more important to do a standard check a few weeks after finishing the treatment -- because that will reveal what level of problem remains, and how soon more treatment is likely to be necessary (or not).
Particularly if treatment produces a massive mite fall, check again to see whether there are still enough survivors to cause a problem, now or soon.

 

[FreeFall]

I like the idea of the label sheet though, as it will probably trap all the mites better, especially if using a solid floor. Some mites on the solid floor hitch a ride on returning foragers!

Wouldn't the bees get stuck to it if you put it on a solid floor? I use sticky paper on my flat wooden inserts to stop mites being blown away and veg oil on the metal insert trays - both of which are under mesh, so no issues for the bees.

 

[Moggs]

But its not about trapping live mites!

Indeed - sorry for misleading, my post should have been split into two distinct sections. Act in haste....

Hi Moggs do you use full size sheets or just a small area

Jeff - a large sheet of sticky, floor completely covered. A4's will do it, if positioned carefully.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Some mites on the solid floor hitch a ride on returning foragers!

Thus the added advantage now of using mesh floors