Some help on what has happened here

[Antipodes]

who said they'd seen that?

Post #16

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

no he didn't

 

[Antipodes]

no he didn't

Let's just let him answer?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

OK, you're the expert on varroa I suppose

 

[Antipodes]

OK, you're the expert on varroa I suppose

No, I'm absolutely not!
In a case like this where the OP (CaptainCymru) has had this varroa issue and it kills the colony, what happens to the adult bees? You've answered the question well, thank you, but I'm also interested to hear from Madasafish and the OP (or anyone else) about their experiences with what happens with the adult bees when you get a colony that suddenly crashes - particularly a big one.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

what happens with the adult bees when you get a colony that suddenly crashes - particularly a big one.

you've been told but seem to be happy to remain in ignorance, I've seen it happen more than once and have been told of others from people who have witnessed it.
The OP himself has convinced himself (with no evidence) tjat they swarmed themselved to a standstill, but I think that is more based on guesswork than fact.

 

[Karol]

It doesn't look like foul brood to me, looks more like a virus epidemic, those hatching bees with their tongues poking out is the classic look of varroa collapse.
Maybe too little too late with treatment or domino effect of other collapsing colonies in the area.

Tongues poking out is also a sign of chemically tetanized muscle.

 

[Erichalfbee]

what happens to the adult bees?

They die in the field and dead and dying bees are cleared away by the living. I don't know if you've seen undertakers at their job? Yes, some bees are simply tossed out of the entrance but most are carried away.
OR
As once happened to me in mid-winter they remain dropped on the floor, deep enough to cut off air supply so that any remaining living bees suffocate.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Tongues poking out is also a sign of chemically tetanized muscle.

In emerging bees?

 

[CaptainCymru]

So upon further investigation

The split hive has a new queen .

The original hive has the same queen (found her wondering the frames alone , which was heartbreaking ) .

There wasn’t many dead bees on the floorboard , perhaps a handful , although only there were quite a few chewed off heads , perhaps wasp attack later on.

I agree that I got it wrong with the 2 hives into winter thing even though my gut instinct told me not to do that .

I’m going back to using the strips for varroa treatment and the gas vap for early spring .

I’m just surprised the varroa load built up so quickly In one season even after giving a few knock downs in Sept.

The last thing that is bothering me and you guys can help , I had a heavy bind weed infestation in the garden , think jungle and gave it a heavy dose of roundup , I’m wondering if that may have killed them too or added to stress ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

The last thing that is bothering me and you guys can help , I had a heavy bind weed infestation in the garden , think jungle and gave it a heavy dose of roundup , I’m wondering if that may have killed them too or added to stress ?

I was at the NHS and there was a piece about how glyphosate affects bees despite “common knowledge” that it doesn’t

 

[Newbeeneil]

I was at the NHS and there was a piece about how glyphosate affects bees despite “common knowledge” that it doesn’t

I was looking to see if that video was up on YouTube yet…… it isn’t

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sometimes they take a while. Nigel Semmence’s one is.

 

[CaptainCymru]

Thank you for all your replies , at least the season wasn’t a complete waste .

 

[mbc]

They die in the field and dead and dying bees are cleared away by the living. I don't know if you've seen undertakers at their job? Yes, some bees are simply tossed out of the entrance but most are carried away.
OR
As once happened to me in mid-winter they remain dropped on the floor, deep enough to cut off air supply so that any remaining living bees suffocate.

The majority of relatively vigorous adult bees do actually abscond* in most cases of varroa collapse.
As the morale of the colony fades the scent becomes less and less attractive to returning foragers and so they find they're way into more attractive hives, hence the whole domino effect as they take some of the pathogens and varroa with them.

Edit:* they abscond in dribs and drabs rather than the more usual absconding on mass associated with the word when used in reference to bees.

 

[CaptainCymru]

The majority of relatively vigorous adult bees do actually abscond in most cases of varroa collapse.
As the morale of the colony fades the scent becomes less and less attractive to returning foragers and so they find they're way into more attractive hives, hence the whole domino effect as they take some of the pathogens and varroa with them.

I’m wondering if that’s what’s happened to me , someone’s hives nearby . To collapse in one season seems bizarre .

 

[mbc]

I’m wondering if that’s what’s happened to me , someone’s hives nearby . To collapse in one season seems bizarre .

Quite likely, depends on the base rate of varroa infection your bees started with mind.
The other side of the coin is that you might have neighbour's scratching their heads wondering where this sudden varroa influx has come from as your colonies collapsed