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Author Topic: Lethargic acting hive?  (Read 1746 times)

Offline derekNGA

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Lethargic acting hive?
« on: April 10, 2018, 11:14:45 am »
History....hive was a package last spring.  To my eyes observance they always seemed less active, but all seemed well and looked well inside.  Comparing buildup and stores inside, they were same as 2 other packages bought same time.
Im in Georgia so weather is like a roller coaster.  During winter on warmer spells hive activity seemed normal as other hives but there would be dozens of lethargic bees all over front board, hive front, box and on ground.  Moving slowly or non at all only to be dead later in same position.  Mainly this activity seemed to occur after rains and or temperature drops. Late winter we had a long warm spell and I went in to find literally about 2 inches of dead bees built up on bottom board.  The lethargic spells are still happening.  Inside the hive appears to my novice eyes all good.  Bee numbers seem good, not high, but not low, beautiful frames of full brood.  One wall of the brood chambers box is saturated wet as well as moisture on a few frames beside it.  Obviously something is not right but what, and what can I do to stop the die off.  I fear its not gonna get better, but end up a slow long hive destruction.
Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.

Offline AR Beekeeper

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Re: Lethargic acting hive?
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2018, 12:43:02 pm »
The bees are probably infected with viruses.  There is no medication that you can use for the viruses, you can only control your varroa mites and see to the bee's nutritional needs by feeding syrup.  You can add a frame of sealed brood taken from your active colonies to strengthen your nurse bee numbers, this helps with the feeding of the larvae.  The larvae often are infected by sick nurse bees passing on the viruses in the brood food. 

The number one thing you can do to aid a colony is to control the varroa population.  If you have not done an alcohol wash to determine the infestation rate, you should. 

Offline jtcmedic

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Re: Lethargic acting hive?
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2018, 03:57:06 pm »
Agree with feeding, is there stores? Had same thing reduced to 5 frame nuc added 1:1 and 3 weeks later ready to go back in to a 10 frame but gonna add a 2 nd story 5 frame to watch them.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Lethargic acting hive?
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2018, 05:48:45 pm »
If you are saying you can see moisture on frames then my simple answer is ventilate although the ventilation issue could be the lethargic bees.  If you don't have a screen bottom board I would suggest some kind of roll.
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