Poo streaks across the entrance

[JonnyPicklechin]

Please look at attached pic. This is a thriving hive. I'm going to open up today.
Any suggestions on what to look for actions please.

 

[madasafish]

Looks like nosema.
But have you opened the hive recently? Stress will induce bees to poo everywhere as well.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Not opened for almost 2 weeks.

 

[madasafish]

Nosema.
Choices: do nothing.. bees will eventually recover or not.
Use a proprietary approved medicine like Nozevit.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

And change out comb using Bailey?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And change out comb using Bailey?

If you intend to do that, ideally you want a box of sterilised drawn comb for them to move onto immediately

 

[pargyle]

Nosema.
Choices: do nothing.. bees will eventually recover or not.
Use a proprietary approved medicine like Nozevit.

If you have access to a microscope or someone with one I would check a sample of bees first to see if it is a Nosema problem ... it certainly looks like it from the front of the hive but I would also expect to see streaks of faeces on the frames as well. If the frames are clean then it may not be. A sample of bees and a microscope will tell you for certain and then you can make a plan.

You could also take a sample of the faeces on the front of the hive and check that for Nosema spores (a trick introduced by Hivemaker) although it will not confirm the faeces came from that colony.

Normally I would expect signs of Nosema coming out of winter ... starting signs effectively in spring is a bit unusual if there have not been presvious signs ... as has been said, dysentery can be a sign of colony stress or even bees collecting excess water and returning to the hive.

Lots of reasons for colony stress ... even opening them up can be sufficient to induce some degree of stress ... a heavily varroa infested colonny can get stressed.

There is some evidence that spraying the frames with Hivemakers recipe will help if it is Nosema ...

 

[Kaz]

Please look at attached pic. This is a thriving hive. I'm going to open up today.
Any suggestions on what to look for actions please.

I found very similar yesterday, except all this was on the back of the hive, very little on the front and nothing inside on the frames. I now have a little sample of bees chilling in the freezer to test for nosema. A horrible process, I have to say, but worth knowing for sure. My hive is also thriving, 11 frames of bees and 2 supers well on the way...

 

[Erichalfbee]

I found very similar yesterday, except all this was on the back of the hive, very little on the front and nothing inside on the frames. I now have a little sample of bees chilling in the freezer to test for nosema. A horrible process, I have to say, but worth knowing for sure. My hive is also thriving, 11 frames of bees and 2 supers well on the way...

Try Randy Oliver’s Quick Squash. You need only ten bees
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-16-the-quick-squash-method/

 

[Kaz]

I found very similar yesterday, except all this was on the back of the hive, very little on the front and nothing inside on the frames. I now have a little sample of bees chilling in the freezer to test for nosema. A horrible process, I have to say, but worth knowing for sure. My hive is also thriving, 11 frames of bees and 2 supers well on the way...

Update: this is the outcome of the nosema test. At the risk of looking a complete idiot... can someone with microscopy experience tell me if this is nosema ceranae please?

 

[Murox]

Please look at attached pic. This is a thriving hive. I'm going to open up today.
Any suggestions on what to look for actions please.

For clarity, this is from Randy Oliver's quick squash paper ...."As far as I can tell, nosema does not cause dysentery–this is a common misconception. Dysentery can spread nosema in the hive, but it doesn’t appear to be an indicator of nosema....."

 

[pargyle]

Nosema apis is associated with dysentery Nosema ceranae is not ...

 

[pargyle]

Update: this is the outcome of the nosema test. At the risk of looking a complete idiot... can someone with microscopy experience tell me if this is nosema ceranae please?

What magnification is that slide at ... on my phone I can't see it clearly enough...?

 

[Kaz]

What magnification is that slide at ... on my phone I can't see it clearly enough...?

40x. On my phone I can enlarge the picture for a better view? Sorry although there's a lot of "stuff" on the slide, when I compare it with images of nosema spores I'm not sure.

Is this one any better?

 

[hemo]

Needs better clarity at 400x mag, top rhs there may be some Apis spores but there is so much other matter and what I might call fat globules.

 

[pargyle]

Like Hemo says you really need 400x magnification .... You said that you only had 40x magnification ... are you sure about that ... without teaching granny to suck eggs - you have two lens' in the microscope .... the eyepiece (Ocular) would normally be set at 10x and the lower one in the turret would be at 40x giving you 400x.

At 40x you would not get enough detail to make out the Nosema spores clearly enough - now - if the slide is at 400x ... you don't have Nosema there. If it's at 40x then some of the solid oval shaped black blobs at that magnification could be Nosema but you need to get up close and personal to be sure.

At 400x it's really easy to spot the Nosema spores and there's usually quite a lot of them ...

 

[drex]

I agree with Pargyle. Really needs 400 magnification. I think this is much less and I think it does show Nosema, but cannot be sure. I can never tell difference down a scope between Apis and Ceranae. Ceranae does not usually lead to dysentery
If they are spores and the dilutions were right, it is a heavy infection