Toilet Break

[beeno]

I was in my apairy one day, standing up on the ladder pruning apple trees. The bees had been confined to the hive for over 6 weeks or more. The weather picked up to about 5'c when all of a sudden, all the hives exploded with bees , coming out to deficate at the one time. I started to laugh at first at what was falling from the sky, but with over 50 hives relieving themselved over my head, i had to beat a hasty retreat.

Hi Keith,
Ten of mine came out yday and I did see some yellow snow. They did not make it back in the hives and that's only in a week!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I was in my apairy one day, standing up on the ladder pruning apple trees. The bees had been confined to the hive for over 6 weeks or more. The weather picked up to about 5'c when all of a sudden, all the hives exploded with bees , coming out to deficate at the one time. I started to laugh at first at what was falling from the sky, but with over 50 hives relieving themselved over my head, i had to beat a hasty retreat.

Well, Keith, your affection for bees is well known on this Forum.

Now we know what really happens when the sh!t hits the fan!


Dusty

 

[Into the lions den]

Hi ITLD,
Very nicely explained - thank you. May I be so bold as to ask if defecation took place inside a hive with solid floor/OMF would we notice it in amongst the other detritus including dead bees or does it not fall to the floor?

It can happen anywhere. If they get caufght short they dump wherever they are. You can get it extensively around the entrance to the hive as well, and indeed so called 'staining'..........defecation on the face of the hive (not just the normal brown spotting you get when the bees get a vigorous cleansing flight after a long cold spell) is a fairly sure sign of 'trouble at't mill.'

To begin with you will not notice it, and its not a time of year to go looking as you will just make things worse. Mild cases of in hive defection will sometimes be seen in early spring, and the most common location to spot it is on the lower part of the end bars of the brood frames adjacent to the hive entrance.

Have a gut feel that OMF colonies stain less often than solid floor colonies, but this patern is only really discernable over large numbers. Have never seen a colony attempt to defecate on or through an omf.

 

[beeno]

It can happen anywhere. If they get caufght short they dump wherever they are. You can get it extensively around the entrance to the hive as well, and indeed so called 'staining'..........defecation on the face of the hive (not just the normal brown spotting you get when the bees get a vigorous cleansing flight after a long cold spell) is a fairly sure sign of 'trouble at't mill.'

To begin with you will not notice it, and its not a time of year to go looking as you will just make things worse. Mild cases of in hive defection will sometimes be seen in early spring, and the most common location to spot it is on the lower part of the end bars of the brood frames adjacent to the hive entrance.

Have a gut feel that OMF colonies stain less often than solid floor colonies, but this patern is only really discernable over large numbers. Have never seen a colony attempt to defecate on or through an omf.

Hi ITLD,
Thanks for clearing this up.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hi ITLD,
Thanks for clearing this up.

Would ITLD be prepared to come and clear my bees' poo also?


Dusty