I am doing my spring clean up and have discovered that I do not have any bees, dead or alive. I have checked for mites and have not seen any. Looks like there is plenty of honey so no starvation. I am new to beekeeping and was hoping someone can give me some input. These are pictures I took of some of the frames and hoping you can tell me what I’m looking at and if these frames are salvable for new bees this year. Are the white areas in cell dead larvae?
Hey Tammy,
The absence of bees, dead or alive suggests they absconded at some stage. They abandoned developing pupae (capped cells), so it was likely a desperate move.
The capped cells look a bit dark and slightly sunken. The question is, did the pupae die after the colony absconded or because of disease or pest, that then led to the absconding. Open some cells to see what’s inside.. Are the pupae reasonably intact or liquified. What colour? Are there mites in there? Let us know what you find, take pictures.
I can’t explain the white clusters in a number of cells. They don’t look like larvae to me. There’s a lot of liquid in those cells. Is it nectar/honey or perhaps water. Did condensation rain down from the lid and collect in cells? That might have triggered the absconding. Perhaps those are cells with candied honey.
With even a hint of the possibility of disease such as foul brood, I wouldn’t reuse those frames. I’d dispose of them, clean up the boxes(scorch the insides with a torch) and start with new frames and a nuc.
Mike
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Mike,
Thanks for responding! I am new to beekeeping and am trying to learn everything I can. I took a few videos today and looks
like I have a lot of honey but also found some bees in the holes. There is some whiteish globs and brown globs too. Take a
look and let me know what you think.
Thanks
Tammy
Tammy,
Thanks for the videos. With no snotty ropes coming out with the toothpick and no hard scale with tongues stuck to the wall of the cell, we can reasonably assume AFB is not the culprit.
You could send a smear slide to your state lab for disease assessment, but I still recommend disposing of the old comb and start fresh for spring. Locally produced nucs are best if they’re available.
Losing colonies is a part of the learning process, and winter is when most losses happen. Most of us force our bees to live in substandard housing requiring extra work from the bees to compensate for the poor insulation. Add mites to the burden and a tipping point may be reached.
As beekeepers we’re obliged to do what we can to compensate. Ensure low mite count going into winter. Are there plenty of stores? Are the bees strong and healthy all through autumn? Remove empty supers. Maybe add an insulation wrap and definitely add insulation under the lid.
If you haven’t already, join a bee club. There’s a wealth of local knowledge that can help you become a better beekeeper.
Most of all, have fun. Bees are amazing.
Mike
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