Queen problem, virus maybe ?

[Nige.Coll]

I have a colony that came through winter in a below average state, wasn't terrible but not great. I put that down to them being in an exposed area.
I have done the second inspection and there is low amount of brood and low amount of eggs but some are there. Less than last inspection and a lot less than the bees could cover.
There was an emergency Queen cell that was sealed and small so I removed it.
What brood is present is healthy and fed well, no visible problems with the sealed brood cappings are all fine.
Roughly 4 frames of bees now and numbers are decreasing.
No staining in or out and the hive is kept clean, no dead bees either.
Workers look and act normal and have cleaned loads of cells ready for eggs so housework is being done and brood food being produced.

The Queen,
She is a 2016 queen raised from a swarm cell in the colony last year around july by a friend, she built up to 8 frames of brood late season. Looks like she is drunk and has Parkinsons. She doesn't move in a normal manner and shakes and rears up on her back legs and almost falls over head seems tilted to one side. She has all her legs and apart from the shaking looks fine.
The workers are feeding her and she has a normal retinue around her but she just isn't right or laying like she should and the colony is suffering for it.


I suspect some weird virus.
The most sensible suggestion on FB is nosema, ceranae can affect the queen laying I have seen that before.
No it's not AFB like someone said.

Any ideas ?
I'm thinking of uniting them but don't want to ruin another colony.
Thanks.
Nige.

If you want anymore info I'll have to dig the records out.

 

[Finman]

.
I bet nosema.
Take from a strong hive a frame of emerging bees. IT may save the hive, but those new bees may become sick too.

 

[Millet]

Can you not spray them with thymol sugar syrup to see if that clears a suspected nosema problem.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Classic symptoms of nosema Ceranae

 

[mbc]

Queens are egg laying machines and when they get sick they rarely recover in my experience.

 

[Plenty of honey]

I had one like that last week, gave her the hive tool test (she failed again), reintroduced another one directly and a frame of emerging brood, now their just cruising.

https://youtu.be/Q5Y9pgbhVSk

 

[Erichalfbee]

I had one like that last week, gave her the hive tool test (she failed again), reintroduced another one directly and a frame of emerging brood, now their just cruising.

I've seen Mike Palmer change queens
One queen out another straight in, no messing.

 

[Plenty of honey]

I've seen Mike Palmer change queens
One queen out another straight in, no messing.

It does work well! Peter Little does it a lot too. You have to have a laying queen, laying, swapped with a laying queen, otherwise they may well reject her ! I would not use this method unless I was absolutely sure about it, but it really does work.



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[Erichalfbee]

It does work well! Peter Little does it a lot too. You have to have a laying queen, laying, swapped with a laying queen, otherwise they may well reject her ! I would not use this method unless I was absolutely sure about it, but it really does work.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep...laying is the operative word. Not a posted caged one

 

[Finman]

I've seen Mike Palmer change queens
One queen out another straight in, no messing.

Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes you loose 90% out of your new queens.

I do that direct change in July, but not in August when yield is over. Next time to change queens is during Winter feeding.

I know 30 habits to change the Queen, but it depends on many things. Push in cage is good to see, what is bees' opinion in that moment.

To rear one Queen is a big process. You must have time to take care that you do not loose that one Queen.

 

[For want of a better word]

I have a colony that came through winter in a below average state, wasn't terrible but not great. I put that down to them being in an exposed area.
I have done the second inspection and there is low amount of brood and low amount of eggs but some are there. Less than last inspection and a lot less than the bees could cover.
There was an emergency Queen cell that was sealed and small so I removed it.
What brood is present is healthy and fed well, no visible problems with the sealed brood cappings are all fine.
Roughly 4 frames of bees now and numbers are decreasing.
No staining in or out and the hive is kept clean, no dead bees either.
Workers look and act normal and have cleaned loads of cells ready for eggs so housework is being done and brood food being produced.

The Queen,
She is a 2016 queen raised from a swarm cell in the colony last year around july by a friend, she built up to 8 frames of brood late season. Looks like she is drunk and has Parkinsons. She doesn't move in a normal manner and shakes and rears up on her back legs and almost falls over head seems tilted to one side. She has all her legs and apart from the shaking looks fine.
The workers are feeding her and she has a normal retinue around her but she just isn't right or laying like she should and the colony is suffering for it.


I suspect some weird virus.
The most sensible suggestion on FB is nosema, ceranae can affect the queen laying I have seen that before.
No it's not AFB like someone said.

Any ideas ?
I'm thinking of uniting them but don't want to ruin another colony.
Thanks.
Nige.

If you want anymore info I'll have to dig the records out.

Danish Pastry virus raising its head again this Season?

Nos da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'd be more concerned about Cornish pasty disease!

 

[Nige.Coll]

Thanks. You have confirmed my fears.
The queen is scrap. Last time I had a queen in a colony with ceranae she never recovered. Once her ovaries are effected they are done. She wasn't as bad as this one. I thought I had caught it in time.
I moved a nuc next to them last night I will deal with this at the weekend. She will go under the boot and I'll shake the bees into another box and unite them after spraying with thymol syrup and see what happens.
I feed thymolated syrup every year to try and avoid this.



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[Nige.Coll]

Danish Pastry virus raising its head again this Season?

Nos da

Pork pie virus here I'm not far from Melton mowbray.

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[Nige.Coll]

I'd be more concerned about Cornish pasty disease!

You can only call it that if made in Cornwall. It's protected a name .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You can only call it that if made in Cornwall. It's protected a name .

Maybe the public should be protected by forcing them to be a bit more honest in the name -

Tasteless dough pocket with gristle and bland root vegetables anyone?

 

[Nige.Coll]

Dough pocket full of vomit more like. Lol

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[For want of a better word]

Got to admit the Ginster Pasties are not so brilliant... I prefer a nice Welsh ****** any day!

Yeghes da

 

[Poly Hive]

The lady who runs the very good cheese shop in MM is also a beekeeper.

PH

 

[mbc]

Got to admit the Ginster Pasties are not so brilliant... I prefer a nice Welsh ****** any day!

Yeghes da

Hia love