Worried about a colony

[Sadders]

I am a one hive wonder on 14x12 nationals.

Last week I had QCs so did an AS.

Inspected again today. The original colony now without queen and moved to the side is doing as expected with a decent sealed QC. The others were knocked down by me last week. The second hive with a frame of BIAS and queen on the original site is a worry.

It is not coming on. No signs of the marked queen and no eggs. Some sealed brood is left over and there is a patch of small, brown, dead larva. These are soft. I didn't have a match stick to dip so dipped the J end of my hive tool and they appeared to string. I dipped a stalk of grass and they did not string.

Of course my main worry is EFB so I have notified the apiary manager to notify the regional bee inspector but on a bit of a search on google images after getting home EFB seems to be more yellowy than dark brown.

Anything else it could be?

I am tagging in @MuswellMetro as I think he still has a hive on this apiary.

 

[Sadders]

Hopefully meeting with the RBI tomorrow to check.

Worried.

 

[justsmith]

The RBI should be able to clear what it is, My random man from the internet guess is chalkbrood.

 

[Sadders]

The RBI should be able to clear what it is, My random man from the internet guess is chalkbrood.

Chalkbrood gives yellowy larva that are hard. These are small, brown and soft. They look like little poos.

 

[beeno]

Could be chilled brood.

 

[BeeJayBee]

.... Some sealed brood is left over and there is a patch of small, brown, dead larva. These are soft. I didn't have a match stick to dip so dipped the J end of my hive tool and they appeared to string. I dipped a stalk of grass and they did not string.

Of course my main worry is EFB ...

EFB doesn't 'string'.

Both EFB and AFB have "scale", which is where the dead larvae have decayed and the remains have settled on the lower parts of the cells. You can check the symptoms here http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?sectionid=26

Let us know how you get on with SBI and, if possible, take some photos.

 

[Tremyfro]

Do you think it is possible that your queen swarmed anyway.....since you can't find her ...or eggs...and some bees remained with the brood...but not enough so some got chilled?

 

[Sadders]

Do you think it is possible that your queen swarmed anyway.....since you can't find her ...or eggs...and some bees remained with the brood...but not enough so some got chilled?

As usual, time and reflexion is preferable to panic.

Yours is probably the correct response.

I got some more bees into it yesterday by swapping sides with the mother hive, but might add a frame with eggs to see if they raise a queen but numbers may be too low for that.

 

[Sadders]

I had another look today and they have cleared the whole lot out. No signs at all which I take as a good sign.

My money is now on chilled brood.

As there were no eggs and no sign of the queen I've added a frame with queen cell from my main hive.

Fingers crossed.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Hopefully meeting with the RBI tomorrow to check.

Worried.

What did RBI or SBI say?

Seriously, if you think you've got either of the foulbroods in one colony the last thing you should do is swap its location with another colony.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What did RBI or SBI say?

Seriously, if you think you've got either of the foulbroods in one colony the last thing you should do is swap its location with another colony.

Yes....what was the outcome. If you reported it the SBI would have turned up to look at all the colonies

 

[Sadders]

My association disease officer is having a look tomorrow.

 

[Tremyfro]

Fingers crossed for you...hope all is well.

 

[Sadders]

Fingers crossed for you...hope all is well.

Thanks but I am almost 100% sure it was a mixture of chilled brood and my panic.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My association disease officer is having a look tomorrow.

I'm wondering why this is dragging on. Surely if you were rightly or wrongly suspecting a foulbrood or other disease problem and had told your association it should have been given immediate response either hotfoot to look at it with you or call in a bee inspector

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm wondering why this is dragging on. Surely if you were rightly or wrongly suspecting a foulbrood or other disease problem and had told your association it should have been given immediate response either hotfoot to look at it with you or call in a bee inspector

But then again - it is Laaaaaarndon - they do things differently in that country

 

[Sadders]

I'm wondering why this is dragging on. Surely if you were rightly or wrongly suspecting a foulbrood or other disease problem and had told your association it should have been given immediate response either hotfoot to look at it with you or call in a bee inspector

Its probably because after a bit of research and a nights sleep I let them know that it was unlikely to be EFB.

Prudence dictates that they should still have a look but the urgency is less.

 

[Sadders]

But then again - it is Laaaaaarndon - they do things differently in that country

Outskirts of London but point taken.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Outskirts of London

That'll be Cornwall then

 

[Sadders]

All good. No diseases to report apart from 3 cells of sac brood and a few QCs that I had not spotted (or they had built since the weekend).