what's this brown stuff?

[steve_e]

Can you tell me what the brown smudges are? Found during a varroa count on the varroa board. They are between .5cm and 1cm big. When I took the board out last night they were shiny like lumps of toffee, but today (when I took the photo) they were like fudge in appearance and consistency.

 

[huntsman666]

Only a guess. Could it be discarded pollen?

 

[VEG]

bee crap ?

 

[RosieMc]

looks like some wax shavings, pollen 'lumps', a few dismembered bees, and quite a few varroa. Did you make your varroa board sticky so that the mites can't just walk back into the hive?

 

[steve_e]

I guess it could be pollen - but the quantity is quite large for each discrete lump. I'd have thought pollen would be cleared out in smaller quantities?

The same for bee crap Veg? I'd hate to produce that quantity in relation to my body size...

 

[steve_e]

Yes Rosie - I smeared vaseline over the board. It's five days accumulated stuff but I'm still a bit puzzled at these big lumps you can see, which seem to be individual productions of something.

I'm not very experienced so I was slightly worried someone might suggest it was the bees trying to clear out EFB or something terrible.

 

[Swarm]

If it's sticky like toffee, I'm tempted to say propolis.

 

[RosieMc]

Yes Rosie - I smeared vaseline over the board. It's five days accumulated stuff but I'm still a bit puzzled at these big lumps you can see, which seem to be individual productions of something.

I'm not very experienced so I was slightly worried someone might suggest it was the bees trying to clear out EFB or something terrible.

I think you would have know something was really wrong when you opened up your hive. Have a sniff at the board. Foulbrood has a distinctive odour.

Try Beebase for images https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm?pageid=89

I see you live in East Sussex. There does not appear to be any reports of foulbrood in your area. Check -

https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/public/BeeDiseases/colonyStatistics.cfm

If you are not a member of BeeBase, I strongly recommend you register. For new beekeepers, please take a look at the links

 

[VEG]

remember this had to pass through the mesh onto the tray.
So I still go with bee crap.

I watched a bee on a flower after it had rained for a few days and was shocked at the amount of crap that came out of it before it flew off.

 

[steve_e]

Thanks Rosie - Not EFB then. I scraped up a piece and rolled it around in my fingers to see how sticky it was - doesn't feel sticky like Propolis (thanks Swarm), just feels a bit fudgy. Doesn't smell at all so not EFB.

So could well be bee crap then Veg? Which makes me feel so much better about rolling it around in my fingers and sniffing it...

 

[steve_e]

And yes, I'm registered with Bee Base from this summer, so thanks for the links!

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Which makes me feel so much better about rolling it around in my fingers and sniffing it...

Well I was going to suggest the taste test to see if it tasted like toffee

Bee crap gets my vote.

 

[Swarm]

Ah, right. If it's not that sticky I'd go for bee poo. I've watched a bee relieve itself as well, it must have been half its body weight.

 

[MuswellMetro]

but if it is bee pooh, why is it in the hive and not over the neighbours washing , could it be the start of a Nosema Apis infection

are the frames stained with brown splatters

 

[steve_e]

...and there was me starting to relax. I'll need to check the frames, but thanks for the suggestion MM.

 

[huntsman666]

He didn't mention an omf.

EFB doesn't have a smell (or very little) unless there is a secondary infection. (Not a wise thing to sniff at any suspected hive disease.)

Anything harmful to the bees they totally remove (if they can) not dump it on the floor.

Bees are very clean and will only vent outside the hive. And yes, if needs must, they can store an amazing amount of poo.

Still thinking pollen but why would they duimp any If it was good enought to store in the first place? Could they have been discarded by tunnelling through the frames?

 

[steve_e]

Sorry, yes this was underneath an OMF - didn't think to mention that.

Hadn't really thought about the individual grain size of the OMF but that would be significant really wouldn't it? Is it possible this stuff came from outside the hive? There are potential gaps on each side of the varroa board at the back. Otherwise the gloop would have had to drip over a period of time to look like it was one splodge.

 

[huntsman666]

Okay, so that rules out an awful lot.

I'm stumped! Wild guess, dead slugs.

 

[oliver90owner]

Bees are very clean and will only vent outside the hive.

Just not true. Healthy bees, yes. Nosemic, no.

Healthy bees will normally cleanse well away from the hive, hence problems with washing, and the odd Merc, spotted.

The classic indications of nosema are streaks (dysentry) on, and around the hive entrance, in the spring. If the problem is so serious, such that defaecation takes place inside the hive, the colony can be in danger of imminent collapse. Normally the symptoms are seen in the late winter/springtime period and often, if not too serious (and a strong colony), clears up witout treatment. Manifestations of the disease at this time of the year are not so common and would be making alarm bells ring, needing autumn treatment to avoid dead outs over winter, I would think.

 

[huntsman666]

<Just not true. Healthy bees, yes. Nosemic, no.>

Oliver why did you have to do your usual thing and jump on that?

We were cosidering normal venting as a possible answer.

Give it over please and kindly make your own suggestions without trying to discredit others.