All dead on their back on the corflute

Found the ‘critters’ all dead on their backs on the corflute. !5 in total. Black body except for a white underside. About the size of a big SHB or even a bit bigger, about 2.5mm, but didn’t find a single one anywhere in the hive, or any of these anywhere but on the corflute and all of them dead. Colony is very strong and calm.
I have thought of a sudden mass attack of SHB as the corflute was clean 4 days ago. There is no SHB in the hive and none in the beetle blaster traps.
So I’m wondering if SHB have a very white underside?
Cheers

Is it Old Chalkbrood? Pic from this site: https://beeaware.org.au/archive-pest/chalkbrood/ image

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It’s not reportable in SA, not sure where you are. I moved my hive into a sunnier position to help hive health but I will then be battling the ridiculous Summer temps that caused hive meltdowns here last Summer.

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Nothing on Qld. Dept of Ag site about reporting it. Ok, sounds like you have nailed it for me.
I’ll feed then 50/50 sugar water for a couple of weeks which is one of the suggestions, but it seems weird to do it as they are foraging well and a very full hive of bees, queen is laying strong and a big brood.

Maybe the move upset the apple cart with my hive.
I had record temps and lengths of heatwave last Summer and not a single day of any rain in the 3 months of my wet season. really soul destroying and the first time I had my hives go backwards in stores. Heaps of flowers but no nectar in them.
Go to bed, sleep well and thanks Helen.
Peter

In my area the small hive beetle are a mahogany colored under belly. That’s to chubby for what we get in my area. It looks like a different but all together.

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I stayed up researching Chalk-Brood and SHB on the internet and nowhere found any info on the belly color of SHB, I have done squishing but that only shows their back. But I have gone on what Helen Adel suggests. She had it in her Hive last Summer - early Autumn.
The size is smaller than the info I have found but otherwise it is a fit but I spent nearly 2 hours in the hive yesterday and found no symptom of anything wrong. But I will monitor the corflute a couple of times a week and do full inspections weekly till I know more.
Thanks for your advice and interest Martha
Cheers

Hey Peter,

I had the same in one of my hives in March (after a move) didn’t take any photos but as soon as I saw yours I recognised it. I think Helen nailed it as Chalkbrood. I had about 50 of them that the bees had dumped in the corner of the bottom board.

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Helen told me she had an infestation of chalk brood straight after moving her hive and I also moved my hive about 6 weeks ago, and now with you having moved your hive sort of makes me think chalk brood can be triggered with moving a hive.
I have only seen chalk brood and that was at least 40 years ago so I wouldn’t bank on my memory. But what Helen described and having crossed all the other possibles off my list I am more sure of chalk brood. your info has confirmed it for me so thanks for input.
Cheers

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Update: I have mashed some banana onto the tops of the brood frames having found some advice about the use of it to combat chalk brood on the forum. 1/4 of a banana and it has nearly all gone in 3 days. But there is still no more mummies above the 15 I originally found on the cor flute.
I spoke to a DPI bee expert today and to his knowledge Chalk Brood is not notifiable in any state of Australia and certainly not in Qld.
Cheers

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Further update. The Apiary inspector I previously spoke to on the phone called in for a ‘social chat’ yesterday and looked at the mummies I had kept in my freezer. He confirms it was chalk brood. Unofficially he is of the opinion that chalk brood is more often than not related to stress in the colony based on that he has 4 Flow Hives and has had chalk brood three times after having moved his hives, but added that excessive rain and sudden temperature changes can also be a cause. He had a good look thru the infected hive and gave it an ‘all good’.
The banana went black and it seems the bees hadn’t touched it so I scraped it off the frames.
A lesson well learnt but fortunately it was not a big issue, but one to remember for the future.
Cheers

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So glad you identified what that was. Did the banana help?

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Visually I have to say they didn’t touch it at all. I used a fork to mask it onto the frame and the fork marks were still in it. For me it is an ‘urban myth’. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:
Cheers

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