Dead bee parts????

theriverhawk · January 26, 2011, 11:24:50 PM

Had a first today that I wanted to ask you guys about....

I run SBBs. Thought I'd pull the boards out today just to see what was on them. One hive had ALOT of dead bee parts on it. The others just the normal few little parts. This one, though, had a literal pile in the corner. Any ideas what it could be?

Kathyp · January 26, 2011, 11:34:13 PM

sometimes bee parts just fall through, but often those parts are the leftovers of robbing. any of that been going on?

theriverhawk · January 27, 2011, 12:13:33 AM

No robbing...been too cold. This is a reasonably strong hive.

T Beek · January 27, 2011, 07:53:08 AM

50F isnt too cold for robbing, I've watched it happen. Bits of bees is a usual indicator.

thomas

kdm · January 27, 2011, 08:22:49 AM

Somtimes,if a mouse gets in the hive, he chewes the combs & the vibration causes a few bees to leave the cluster they get stranded & get to cold to get back to the cluster. The mouse chewes the stranded bees up for the protein. Over a peroid of time you get a pile of bee parts.

theriverhawk · January 27, 2011, 08:35:48 AM

Going to be 60 degrees this weekend. I'm going to open them up and see what's going on...

Who knows...They may have gotten this genetically. I, also, tend to pile up my dirty clothes in the corner. Drives my wife nuts. :-D

Rosalind · January 27, 2011, 09:53:35 AM

In a back corner or a front corner?

I found a similar pile around the entrance front corner. Turned out that on warmish days, the local bluejays and cardinals found that the mouse guard restricted traffic to the point that they could perch on the landing board and eat bees as they came out one or two at a time for cleansing flights, without getting swarmed by angry defenders. They are also smart enough to realize that in 3 feet of snow, the dogs will get stuck in drifts and be unable to chase them off effectively. Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself. I knew corvids were smart birds, but this takes the cake.