wondervet
House Bee
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2010
- Messages
- 102
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- west yorkshire
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 6
This was a fairly strong healthy colony (I thought) late March. Nothing heroic but 3 frames BIAS and plenty of bees.
Thymol in autumn, oxalic at xmas. Almost no mite drop recently and can't see any mites on dead bees.
Since bad weather started we didn't inspect for 2 weeks until 14th when found the floor 2cm deep with dead bees (workers and drones) and dead larvae. Q+, few larvae, no other brood. Quite a few bees with heads buried in empty cells. No stores centrally but still patches of capped stores at sides of winter super.
Assumed they had clustered and become isolated from remaining stores so bunged on fondant and thought had rescued them.
yesterday, another floor-full of dead and crawling bees including lots of drones. The weather had been good enough that there was a bit of fresh nectar in a couple of frames. Many very sluggish bees (and some dead ones also scattered about on frames) throughout the colony. Lots tucking into fondant but some dysentery in the fondant pot (none on outside of hive).
No deformed wings. no visible varroa on bees. Would have thought the chances of any toxins v small -no arable crops within miles.
Going to do some Nosema preps tomorrow.
Q1: Can Nosema cause this kind of spectacular die off?
Q2: If so, is there good evidence to support the use of any medication or do they have a reasonable chance of pulling themselves together as weather (perhaps) improves.
Q3: possible weather/population dynamics? as described by ITLD a few weeks back -winter bees overworked in good weather in March. But then can't see why drones dead too.
Q4: anything else I haven't thought of?
Thanks for any advice
WV
Thymol in autumn, oxalic at xmas. Almost no mite drop recently and can't see any mites on dead bees.
Since bad weather started we didn't inspect for 2 weeks until 14th when found the floor 2cm deep with dead bees (workers and drones) and dead larvae. Q+, few larvae, no other brood. Quite a few bees with heads buried in empty cells. No stores centrally but still patches of capped stores at sides of winter super.
Assumed they had clustered and become isolated from remaining stores so bunged on fondant and thought had rescued them.
yesterday, another floor-full of dead and crawling bees including lots of drones. The weather had been good enough that there was a bit of fresh nectar in a couple of frames. Many very sluggish bees (and some dead ones also scattered about on frames) throughout the colony. Lots tucking into fondant but some dysentery in the fondant pot (none on outside of hive).
No deformed wings. no visible varroa on bees. Would have thought the chances of any toxins v small -no arable crops within miles.
Going to do some Nosema preps tomorrow.
Q1: Can Nosema cause this kind of spectacular die off?
Q2: If so, is there good evidence to support the use of any medication or do they have a reasonable chance of pulling themselves together as weather (perhaps) improves.
Q3: possible weather/population dynamics? as described by ITLD a few weeks back -winter bees overworked in good weather in March. But then can't see why drones dead too.
Q4: anything else I haven't thought of?
Thanks for any advice
WV
