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Author Topic: Colony death  (Read 6030 times)

Offline Sindirt

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Colony death
« on: June 24, 2017, 05:17:08 am »
Not having much luck it seems after losing a hive to wax moth, admittedly a weak swarm I had captured. Now I was checking my hives here in Perth and one of my strongest hives has died! Literally dead bees all around the entrance and the inside of the hive is covered in dead bees in the bottom and lots of dead bees half emerged. Any thoughts? :(

Offline Anybrew2

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2017, 05:37:04 am »
Poor Bugger maybe some one has been spraying pesticides

Offline azzkell

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2017, 01:55:48 pm »
Not good. I would suspect pesticide also. How were the honey stores. Was not a starve out?  Did the bees have heads down bums up in the cells?

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2017, 05:51:12 pm »
Bees dead outside and on the bottom is not a starve out. I agree with the hive being sprayed with poison. If it were a normal mosquito spraying, the dead bees would only bee on the outside.
Jim
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Offline Sindirt

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2017, 03:23:15 am »
No experience of one but sounds like  pesticides related travesty... There were lots of honey stores. Concern now should I destroy all the comb and honey frames?

Offline Sindirt

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2017, 05:01:44 am »
To add to this thought I'd upload some pictures of hive frames, not sure if you can make out but there are bees dead both coming in and out of the comb. Still scratching my head as to what happened as I have another 4 hives in the same location and none of them were affected???

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2017, 10:39:45 am »
The bees coming out of the comb would bee bees trying to hatch but were not strong enough to make it out of the cell. Probably too cold due to no adult bees to keep them warm enough to have the strength.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline eltalia

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2017, 01:51:40 am »
To add to this thought I'd upload some pictures of hive frames, not sure if you can make out but there are bees dead both coming in and out of the comb. Still scratching my head as to what happened as I have another 4 hives in the same location and none of them were affected???

G'day.
Would you please renew links to those jpegs... seems they are no longer available.

Thanks.

Bill

Offline eivindm

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2017, 08:09:35 am »
The pictures are back now. The last few pictures from just before the migration to the new server yesterday were missing. Robo just corrected it now with a sync of the missing pictures.

Offline eltalia

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2017, 10:05:58 am »
Thanks eivindm, got a visual now, and ask... is someone able to comment
on the shade (colour) of those capped cells in both pix?
The resolution is not sufficient to gather any real detail of
the uncapped cells yet the mass of 'bleached' cappings is something
I have never seen in any frame from a working colony.

As interesting as it is striking.

Cheers.

Bill

Offline Robo

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2017, 01:02:30 pm »
is someone able to comment on the shade (colour) of those capped cells in both pix?

It is what is know as 'bloom'.   Over time wax will get a white film on it.  It is normal and not an issue.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline eltalia

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2017, 07:22:17 pm »
Thanks Robo... a new one on me.
That being a normal landscape feature I cannot offer any further insight.

Cheers.

Bill

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #12 on: July 26, 2017, 04:31:25 pm »
Greetings.  Sorry about the dead out.  Out of couriosity I would expose an insect to comb and see if the insect dies.  An ant, beetle, or even a bee: place comb in a jar, or wire the comb to trap the insect.  Is the comb is poisoned, contaminated is what I am trying to figure out.  Place some grass collected from near the dead out and insect test for poison as described.

Any chance some kid could have sprayed this one hive?

Offline Andersonhoney

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2017, 07:12:42 am »
Beekeepers kill  more bees than anything else.
Did You do a hive inspection late in the afternoon before a cold night.
When was the last time you were in that hive?
What did you do?
How long did you have it open?

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #14 on: July 27, 2017, 10:54:16 am »
If that's not mold (and I can't tell from the picture) then it's probably just white cappings.  Cappings are white when they leave a bit of air under them.  Cappings are "wet" when they leave no air under them.  Both are normal, but dry cappings are strikingly different looking.
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Offline eltalia

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2017, 05:52:46 pm »
[duplicate post deleted by Author]
« Last Edit: July 27, 2017, 06:06:05 pm by eltalia »

Offline eltalia

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2017, 05:58:21 pm »
[duplicate post deleted by Author]

Offline eltalia

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2017, 06:00:39 pm »
If that's not mold (and I can't tell from the picture) then it's probably just white cappings.  Cappings are white when they leave a bit of air under them.  Cappings are "wet" when they leave no air under them.  Both are normal, but dry cappings are strikingly different looking.

I am seeing a blueish grey interspersed amongst white Michael.. but as said this "smart device" is low on render power, and as I am "on the road" I cannot get a
clearer view from those pix. Annoying as the SD is struggling for an answer.

Cheers.

Bill

Offline Sindirt

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #18 on: July 29, 2017, 07:10:05 am »
Hi all, so the pretty sure it wasn't inflicted by me, the last time I checked the hive was on a not too cold day, and I only checked the super not the brood and very briefly at that just to check for wax moth as I was paranoid having lost a weak hive. The hive was probably the strongest I have, plenty of honey stores/bees and in rude health, hence thinking it was pesticides. It's at my in laws property which is big and pretty isolated, no real pedestrian traffic and a long way from the road so unlikely to be anything malicious. My father in law did spray some weeds with pesticides before this happened (round up), I scolded him telling him not too in future but in fairness he used it only on weeds which he said had no flowers and all done a good 25m plus from the hives. Still puzzled why it only affected the one hive anyway.

Good idea regarding testing the existing frames/comb with other insects or even a bee or two.  I'll try that and report back. Thanks again for all the replies

Offline eltalia

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Re: Colony death
« Reply #19 on: July 30, 2017, 10:03:07 am »
"Still puzzled why it only affected the one hive anyway."

What condition is the hive body in SD... you posted first June 24, is it possible frost is in the picture somewhere?

I am surrounded by farmer spray (ers) including aerial dusters, as well I regularly use Glycosate (sp?) on my own crops and farm surrounds.
As long as the bees don't take a direct hit we are told it is all good, so far I have no evidence to question that advice.

Other than sudden death by environment change the explanation could be
as simple as a major attack by robbers causing mass evacuation, the dead emerging bees being those left behind aa brood unattended.
Woud be unusual for a winter's day in your part of the world but not unheard of where stronger hives seek food in a wintery dearth.

Cheers.

Bill



 

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