Bringing out the Dead and the Varroa Mite

[tillie]

It's warm in Atlanta and the bees are flying and bringing out the dead.  There are hundreds of dead bees on my deck.  In examining their little corpses, it's clear that I have a Varroa mite derived problem going on:



and see the deformed wings in both pictures:



When can I start powdered sugar shakes?  We are likely to continue cold weather over the next four weeks or so.

I also noticed these white spots in front of each hive, but I think this is bird poop from the wren eating the dead bodies - should I be worrying about something else instead?



Thanks in advance for perspective and advice,

Linda T worried in Atlanta

[annette]

Linda

I have been in touch with MB for the same problem (minus the deformed wings, but I appear to have a large population of mites) and he told me to do the powdered sugar treatment now as long as the bees are flying. I have high 40's and low 50s right now.

I do have a message into him about just powdering the top super. Usually I take all the supers apart, but obviously in this cooler weather we do not take the supers apart.

This will be a new experience for me also, opening up the hive and dusting in this colder weather. Have to be quick.

Annette

[KONASDAD]

as usual, great photos for people to see DWV and K-wing bees. I learned the hard way last year, but hive made it despite me. So will yours. I let them handle it themselves and started sugar shakes after they were free flying daily. They were able to get ahead in the spring.  Needed thymol after flow (august)however so they would be strong for winter. Know thats not an option for you. 

[Scadsobees]

I saw the white things too in front and thought "chalkbrood", but then I re-read it and you mentioned bird poop.  If it is loose and off-white, then it *might* be chalkbrood, but if stuck to the deck, then it is just gross, go wash your hands  :roll: :-D

If you have temps over consistently 60F, then you could try a thymol treatment.  Otherwise a sugar shake treatment every 5 days won't hurt any.  I had one hive that consistently had crinkled crawlers all summer, they are still out there humming.

Rick

[Michael Bush]

>When can I start powdered sugar shakes?

Anytime they are flying would be fine.

[tig]

it kinda looks like chalkbrood.  can you take a close up picture of it?  i hope it's not.

[Cindi]

Linda, oh dear.  Yes, you have a varroa mite issue.  I hope that the sugar treatments help a whole bunch, keeping this blasted pest under control is a tough thing, work hard.  About the white stuff that may be chalkbrood.  I pulled up a really good picture of a chalkbrood problem that I had in my first year of beekeeping.  I had a colony that had a really bad issue with it, the picture is almost two years old and I don't want to see this again in my apiary.  I hope the picture will give you a really good glimpse into what the chalkbrood disease looks like, up close an personal.  Look at the size of the mummies compared to the bees, do yours appear this same size, or so?  If the white stuff that you are seeing is way, way smaller, it may be bird poop as you said it may have been.  Have a wonderful day, Cindi

[tillie]

It's bird poop - I took a close-up but it's on my home computer and I'm at work.  I think my deck is a gourmet feast for the wren and other birds.

Linda T

[Understudy]

Those birds are eating well.

Tillie, I see the bees with the K wings. So you have some mites. As you already know.

Do the sugar shake. Then in about a month go in and cut out a section of drone comb throw it in the freezer overnight. Take it out and examine each drone cell and see how many of them have Varroa. (Neocropsy)

If most of the cells have Varroa you still have an issue.

Sincerely,
Brendhan