New species of Bees?

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

sukis-dad

New Bee
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
28
Reaction score
0
Location
birmingham
Hive Type
None
Hi

I have two hives and this is my second season with bees.
I inspected the other day and both hives are very clean with brood and stores.
I have had only 1 or 2 varroa drop per week. So I am not going to treat.
After all that what I want advice on is shown in the attached pictures.
Some bees have a white stripe along their thorax. Sorry the pictures are not that good but I think you can see what I mean.
Unfortunately I didn't get any honey this year so please don't tell me that they have some disease.
Brian
 
HB?

Is this just more of the (fabled) Himalayan Balsam pollen????

and if actually part of the bee it isn't a new species - if you could isolate queens from your colony that allow you to breed true it'll be a new strain.
 
Last edited:
Young or old bees

Sorry, there is another question I have. Sometimes I have bees walking across my patio that can't fly.
How do I know if they are young bees or old bees dying?
 
Sound like bees with damaged wings/wing muscles. You might want to rethink the varroa treatment as mites could be what is causing this.
 
just more of the (fabled) Himalayan Balsam pollen

Certainly not 'fabled'. Many will attest to having seen it, I for one.

Certainly not a new species either, if they were honey bees just a few weeks ago, they are still honey bees now!

RAB
 
Young bees have fur on their Thorax old bees have lost the hair and have a shiny Thorax.

I would treat even with a low mite drop.
You will be supprised how many drop when you start treatment.
 
Thanks for your replies. I have just been to the other beekeeping forum and someone has asked the same question!
Himalayan Balsam it is then.
Peter - the bees are perfect in everyway and I have no problem with varroa.
Other beekeepers are reporting problems with treatments used for varroa.
Thanks Brian.
 
shame on you

"I have just been to the other beekeeping forum"

Admin - Isn't just mentioning the existence of TOBF a serious offence for which rustication is deemed necessary?
 
Other beekeepers are reporting problems with treatments used for varroa.

Thats what scare mongering can do I guess, tales of one-off problems can force you into bad decisions.

You should weigh up what you think the chances are of these "problems" occurring (and I'm assuming this is more than just the queen going off laying during treatment) against the chances of you not being fully aware of a mite problem that could wipe out your colony.
 
Your choice of course, Sukis - Dad, but be aware that many a bee keeper thinks they have minimal varroa,their bees are great, look good- but when they treat- they are shocked at what was hiding in the hive.
The only problem that arises from correct treatment is that the queen goes off lay for a short time. Bees remain well.
Maybe take a little advice until you are more experienced..
 
Last edited:
"I have just been to the other beekeeping forum"

Admin - Isn't just mentioning the existence of TOBF a serious offence for which rustication is deemed necessary?

Even thinking it will cause your bees to swarm before the crop sprayer appears.

Mentioning it will make you go blind,just like that thing you were told not to do as a child.
 
the bees are perfect in everyway and I have no problem with varroa

Except you just asked about bees that couldn't fly...you could well have a problem with varroa...If they are young bees that can't fly it could be a big indicator of a varroa problem.

I would certainly treat to be sure. There are treatments that are generally accepted to be safe if applied correctly.

In your first post you mentioned 1 or 2 drop a week. My drop was similar to this but I treated and got around 60-80 drop each week for the following 3 weeks of treatment and 30 or so in the final week. Any varroa in a colony going into winter is bad news. Act to minimise the numbers as much as possible.
 
I hadn`t seen a single mite since i got my first nuc at end of may, not one, but i thought i would put apiguard in anyway incase i was just missing them, i am just comming up to end of week 4 and have a drop of around 350-400 so am glad i did it.
 
Have you looked to see if the "walking away" bees are drones?
Put your finger in front of them and they will climb onto it.....
 
Mentioning it will make you go blind,just like that thing you were told not to do as a child.

What...eating sweets in bed?? My Mum told me it 'overloaded your eyeballs' at night and you wouldn't be able to see in the morning...
 
Your choice of course, Sukis - Dad, but be aware that many a bee keeper thinks they have minimal varroa,their bees are great, look good- but when they treat- they are shocked at what was hiding in the hive.
The only problem that arises from correct treatment is that the queen goes off lay for a short time. Bees remain well.
Maybe take a little advice until you are more experienced..
:iagree:
Two of my hives were dropping 2-3 mites a day until treated, they then starting dropping them by the 100's and are still doing so after three weeks of treatment.
I would be inclined to stick a tray of Apiguard in the hive to see what happens...what do you have to lose?
Cheers
S
 
White stripe along the thorax? A juvenile racing bee perhaps. They fly around like ghost riders in the sky. I think that the go-faster stripe is a case of transfered genetics from the Balsam - I understand it to be relatively addictive. :biggrinjester:
 
I feel a lot better about my woodwork now though . . . :)

The bees on the balsam returning to my hives seem to be more pronounced (longer); spooky as they descend to the landing board. Mine are Carniolan escaping bees!

You'll have to excuse the humour. :rofl:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top