Inpsection 5/17/08

[watercarving]

With text and photos: http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-inspection-051708/

1. Bees bringing in lots of gray pollen. Trying to figure out what in north GA produces gray pollen.
2. Is the coverage of the nurse bees in N1 too light for those frames? Others are more covered but these are pretty bare.
3. Saw some brown streaks on the front of N1. Possibly Nosema? What's a good natural treatment?

Thanks!

[Brian D. Bray]

With text and photos: http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-inspection-051708/

1. Bees bringing in lots of gray pollen. Trying to figure out what in north GA produces gray pollen.

I'm getting grey and green from some fruit trees.

2. Is the coverage of the nurse bees in N1 too light for those frames? Others are more covered but these are pretty bare.

That's the way a frame looks when the bees are re-expanding into last years comb, cleaning it up before they are used.  The population explosion and harvest should soon have those frames covered with bees.  That is, unless all of you frames are like that, then I might think the hive was robbed out.

3. Saw some brown streaks on the front of N1. Possibly Nosema? What's a good natural treatment?

Thanks!

I use cider vinegar in my syrup when feeding 1st thing in the spring.  Also, some streaks are not usually considered a problem, brown is better than yellow, if your hive is covered in yellow streaks you figure Nosema for sure.