think this cant be be normal????

[keith pierce]

your first problem is that you have in you hive Italians, Cornish bred from Hawiian stock.


your second problem is it's acraine.- The acarine mite impairs flight efficiency of adult bees.

Hive 2. Daughter queen of hive 1..the queen is 2rd generation and crossed out to your local bred drones and are probably better able to deal with acairne.
If you have acairne in your hivethis bad so early in the year it will most likly it will not be around come late march and you will be better off for it.
ant hive that i ever had that showed bad symptons like you had i killed off and only ever bed from my best stocks.

Solution to you problem-- use only local bred queen that have been tried and tested ..

sorry for the bad news

 

[Dishmop]

your second problem is it's acraine.- The acarine mite impairs flight efficiency of adult bees.

this is all a bit doom and gloom isnt it?

bees came out of hive and sat on flowers and the diagnosis is that they're riddled with desease? How did they get to the flowers if they cant fly properly.

Some of mine came out of hive, flew about, landed on the grass because they were too bloody cold to fly any more....

 

[Hivemaker.]

your second problem is it's acraine.- The acarine mite impairs flight efficiency of adult bees.

So does paralysis virus,or even getting chilled at this time of year, ect. How can we be sure it's acarine, just by looking at a picture of a few bee's outside a hive in winter?

 

[keith pierce]

i had this years ago, with the exact same symptons and sent samples off for testing.results came back positive for acaire .I just scaped them off the frame and a quick scorck of the blow torch finished them off. this is a lot harder for a beekeeper to do when they only have one hive, but in the long term it is better.



hosting images


hosting images


hosting images


upload images


hosting images


free image hosting

 

[Hivemaker.]

Thats why they need to be tested,as yours were,need to be sure,not just guess.
I have also had bee's with acarine,same symptoms,but i have also had bee's with paralysis,same symptoms...but not an acarine mite in any of them.

Acarine can also be easily treated.

 

[Dishmop]

i had this years ago, with the exact same symptons and sent samples off for testing.results came back positive for acaire .I just scaped them off the frame and a quick scorck of the blow torch finished them off. this is a lot harder for a beekeeper to do when they only have one hive, but in the long term it is better.

Yeh. "Off the frame" .

The original question was about bees sitting on flowers........
in coldish weather..

 

[justme]

Wow! this thread has really got going hasn't it? Next time I see some out I'll bring them home discect them and see if I can see acarine, (bit cold to do in field although I've read that it can be done).

Happy New Year all of you!:.)

ps, looking to requeen both these hives with localish Queens in Spring, possibly also my Carni swarm that I picked up (thats at home).

 

[fredbloggs]

Don't look like drones to me - eyes not big enough and touching significantly in the middle.

they haven't been doing anything to lose those hairs, so perhaps they are just old and past it?


Meg

Meg! - don't know you do I?

 

[tidymeup]

As mentioned it could be paralasys but if at the bees are crawling and trying to get higher then I would gees arcane but get them tested it's easy enough.

 

[chrismcd]

Corr! what a load of Job's comforters.

I still think it is a daft load of Italians who have come out for a BP and been laid low by the cold.

Occam's razor anyone?

Do not give up on them just yet Justme - wait till the spring and see how they do!

 

[Meg]

Meg! - don't know you do I?

Sorry Fred, not that I am aware of, but are you suggesting you are old and past it? I never would suggest such a thing to any beekeeper - might think it 'though!