Inspection Min temps

[BrianO]

hi

Really need to inspect a Strong Double Brood national and ( yes, should have done before ) clip and mark queen.

Opened last Sunday ( as prev post ) and exploding with bees but could'nt locate Queenie, no QC's, now concerned that there might be a qc given their vigour.

Problem is soonest can inspect is tomorrow and next few days max temp is 13 degrees ... Opinions ?

 

[B+.]

Problem is soonest can inspect is tomorrow and next few days max temp is 13 degrees ... Opinions ?

You do what you have to do.
Ideally, they say you should only open a hive when you can work comfortably in shirt sleeves (about 16degrees C). Its better to get it done even if it isn't ideal

 

[EdNewman]

You do what you have to do.
Ideally, they say you should only open a hive when you can work comfortably in shirt sleeves (about 16degrees C). Its better to get it done even if it isn't ideal

Due to time constraints of when I can do inspections and crappy weather I haven't done a single check this year in +16c conditions. Despite that I have had the do artificial swarms on two hives and all the rest are going great guns.
Not always, but fairly often doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

Ed.

 

[Travelator]

There's no real danger of low temperatures injuring the bees or the brood during an inspection - I've seen a few anecdotes on the forum of bees and brood surviving short spells in a deep freeze!
However, if it's cold enough that the bees aren't foraging then the inspection will be hard work because:
1. The bees will all be in the box, making it harder to see what you're looking for
2. They will resent you opening the hive and getting them cold
3. Combination of 1 & 2above means that getting stung is more likely than usual!

 

[B+.]

Not always, but fairly often doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

I think thats exactly what I said

 

[Obee1]

Just make sure you wear extra layers under your suit. Being confident they can't sting you is comforting. In cooler weather I leave crown board on the top box- lift box and crown board and place on upturned roof. They can sit there practically unaware you are there. Then start by inspecting the lower box first. I use an old towel folded over to double thickness to keep the brood box warm and dark. Just fold back enough towel so you can access a little at a time. When bottom box is inspected you lift top box back on, remove crownboard and place towel on this box. Uncover as few frames at a time as possible. It's a lot of faffing about but keeps more bees in the box than just opening up and digging in!

It's better to get in and check rather than wait for good weather only to find they swarmed.

Good luck
Obee

 

[Finman]

.
If chalk brood bursts after inspection, then you know that it was too cold or you kept hive open too long time.

Temp with wind means much and direct sunshine. It is very different, if hive is in sunshine or in shadow.

 

[B+.]

.
If chalk brood bursts after inspection, then you know that it was too cold or you kept hive open too long time.

Don't you mean CHILLED brood Finman?

 

[Finman]

Don't you mean CHILLED brood Finman?

Yes, that I mean. Sometimes chalkbrood is only in one frame. So it has been outside of brood box in cold weather.

Some years ago I had a hive, which was really bad infected by chalkbrood. I thought that it is doomed to death. When I looked it after 2 weeks, there was no sign of infection. It must have caught cold during inspection. And many other stories.

 

[B+.]

Yes, that I mean. Sometimes chalkbrood is only in one frame. So it has been outside of brood box in cold weather.

Some years ago I had a hive, which was really bad infected by chalkbrood. I thought that it is doomed to death. When I looked it after 2 weeks, there was no sign of infection. It must have caught cold during inspection. And many other stories.

Just to be clear, CHALKBROOD is a FUNGUS. CHILLED brood is caused by a drop in the temperature without sufficient bees to keep it warm.
There are too many beginners on here to mislead people

 

[user 6228]

Just to be clear, CHALKBROOD is a FUNGUS. CHILLED brood is caused by a drop in the temperature without sufficient bees to keep it warm.
There are too many beginners on here to mislead people

However chalkbrood fungus strikes when the nest is cold Google chalkbrood and Flores(a leading researcher in to chalkbrood ) Nothing is simple

 

[Finman]

Just to be clear, CHALKBROOD is a FUNGUS. CHILLED brood is caused by a drop in the temperature without sufficient bees to keep it warm.
There are too many beginners on here to mislead people

Do you understand yourself, what chalkbrood is? It hits too, if YOU chill the larvae during inspection.

 

[jd101k2000]

In other words, if you have chilled your brood, you make them more susceptible to chalk brood... the fungus already being present in the hive.

Chill your brood and you are more likely to see chalk brood

(It's a bit like in humans getting chilled doesn't give you a cold, it's a virus. But getting cold makes you more susceptible to the cold virus - recently proved after our mothers have been telling us for centuries.)

 

[Finman]

Chill your brood and you are more likely to see chalk brood
.)

Exactly

But if the colony has poor tolerance against chalkbrood, it shows itself in first brood in spring.

 

[B+.]

However chalkbrood fungus strikes when the nest is cold Google chalkbrood and Flores(a leading researcher in to chalkbrood ) Nothing is simple

My point being that you can get chilled brood without necessarily seeing chalkbrood.
I may be splitting hairs but it would have been easy for a beginner to read Finmans comment and think the two were synonymous or always appeared together.

IF the fungus is present you MAY get chalkbrood, but the colony might just as easily clear it out so you may not see it at all. You may also get it when the weather is warmer.
In post 7 Finman was talking about chilled brood which you may well see if the queen tries to expand the nest ahead of the workers ability to keep it warm.

Chalkbrood
http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?sectionid=69"Chalkbrood is caused by the fungus Ascosphaera apis which is ingested by the larvae where it then penetrates the gut wall to absorb nutrients"
http://www.vita-europe.com/diseases/chalkbrood/

 

[B+.]

(It's a bit like in humans getting chilled doesn't give you a cold, it's a virus. But getting cold makes you more susceptible to the cold virus - recently proved after our mothers have been telling us for centuries.)

a cold is a bacterium, not a virus....but you are close enough

 

[Finman]

My point being that you can get chilled brood without necessarily seeing chalkbrood.
I may be splitting hairs but it would have been easy for a beginner to read Finmans comment and think the two were synonymous or always appeared together.

.

You mean that I am teaching wrong here when more than 80% writings here are nonsense.

Your point was that you wanted to see my comment that way. When there is something simple discussing in the chain, you cannot demand that every answer feed beginner with 5 years experience. The beginner should study himself .

And like you see yourself, I would say that I am very good expert in chalkbrood handling, and
You have tried to prove in many writings that I do not understand at all the issue. Our climate is little bit colder here and we must understand here, how cold is cold and how to nurse hives.

 

[B+.]

You mean that I am teaching wrong here when more than 80% writings here are nonsense.

Your point was that you wanted to see it that way.
.

No Finman. Chilled brood is caused when the queen lays eggs and the bees aren't able to keep them warm. The cold kills them. Chalkbrood is when living larvae ingests a fungus which kills them even if it is warm. The two conditions are different. Check what it says on the FERA link above.

The fungus can also be ingested through the cuticle. This is why I tried to establish in post #8 if Finman meant chilled brood as he was talking about the brood being chilled by the hive being open for too long.

 

[iand]

hi

Really need to inspect a Strong Double Brood national and ( yes, should have done before ) clip and mark queen.

Opened last Sunday ( as prev post ) and exploding with bees but could'nt locate Queenie, no QC's, now concerned that there might be a qc given their vigour.

Problem is soonest can inspect is tomorrow and next few days max temp is 13 degrees ... Opinions ?

Sounds tropical to me, but crucially what wind speed & direction/temp have you got. That has been our biggest problem this spring for months (indeed most years @ Osr time), for us cold north & east winds are our biggest chill dangers.

 

[Finman]

No Finman. Chilled brood is caused when the queen lays eggs and the bees aren't able to keep them warm. The cold kills them. Chalkbrood is when living larvae injests a fungus which kills them even if it is warm. The two conditions are different. Check what it says on the FERA link above.

No Bee. You should read more carefully, what researching says about conection of chalkbrood, larva stage and temp of larva.

Goood heavens. I have nursed bees over 50 years. My yeard suffered 10 years for bad chalkbrood and I have studied everything about chalkbrood. Then I breeded chalkbrood away from my hives in 5 years. Now my bees are chalkbrood resistant. However, I can arrange chalkbrood into my hives if I want.

Sorry Bee, but your knowledge about chalkbrood is very limited. I know about it more more than you. I can read it between your lines.

I understand that because Carniolan is not sensitive to chalkbrood as Italians., but now we are telling to beginners whatis proper inspecting weather.