dead pupa

[dgc1961]

I noticed this morning that there are several dead pupa on the ground and landing board of my one hive.  Is this normal?  Or is this a sign of something wrong.

[JP]

How many is several? Are they drone brood, could be just hygenic behavior, which is good behavior. Were you in the hive yesterday or the day before?

If so, you may have damaged some section of the brood comb when you put the frames back in and prompted the bees to pull out the affected brood.


...JP

[eri]

Saw the same thing yesterday at my queenless nuc and wondered as well. Looked like drones to me. Supposedly these bees are Italian/MN Hygienic brats. It's been raining in NC for days now, a possible correlation?

[Gware]

alot of rain may mean its chalk brood

[Brian D. Bray]

Drone Larvae would indicate hygenic behavior, a very good thing.

Worker larvae could also mean hygenic behavior but if the weather has been irratic with cold spells it could indicate chill brood.  When the weather gets colder the bees will cluster and any brood (capped or otherwise) outside of the cluster area will chill and die.  This is normal and again a good thing.

Prolonged cold spells were the brood being ousted is more dehydrated and chalky looking means chalkbrood.  The bad news is that chill brood can turn into chalkbrood which is bad.