I don't really know what to look for with the inspections so far. We just went out today and noticed allot of new things.
Some of the bees were emerging from their cells, others were in late larva stages..I knocked a varroa mite (little red dot) off one.
The other hive had misc holes in the middle of brood (maybe from being recently emerged?).
Then the strangest most unexpected thing... i saw a bee with NO ABDOMEN!! How is that possible? Its pictured in one of the last ones..it has wings but no abdomen at all... anyone else ever see that?
So please let a newbee in on where I stand this year. Any suggestions or thoughts please share.
I uploaded a bunch of pics so I'll just link to the album on photo-bucket if that is okay:
http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc304/SystemShark/April%2009%20Bees/
Also my girlfriend made a funny joke I wanted to share with you! We recentlly got some chics and they are growing up fast.. today we went outside with them to introduce them to the yard... soo today we were learning.. THE BIRDS AND THE BEES! hahaha =p
You probably damaged her body while removing the frames. It is still moving around but will soon die. She could have been in a cell of comb connecting one frame to another.
I didn't see anything out of the norm. But then again it is just pics. I would agree that the 1/2 bee was damaged. The misc holes are more than likely from the bees being hygenic. they will often remove dead larva or larva that are mite infested or deformed or not "right" for a number of reasons. The pics don't show or atleast we can see if there are eggs and larva in diff stages of groth. As long as you see the various stages of growth your queen is working well. You mentioned finding a mite. Look for symptoms of mite problems like deformed wings. They will look like shrink wrap thats has been heated. If you see this it is past time to treat for mites and you need to start some sort of treatment. Look into your local group for an experienced Beekeeper to take a look with you. They will be able to point out the different things to look for and give you some very valuable hands on instruction. Many states have bee inspectors that are more then willing to come look. Many people think state bee inspectors are evil. They are an extremely useful tool. They also know what issues are common in your area.
I've seen the same. I'm sure I damaged her somehow and was unaware of it.
thank you very much - great help!