dead bees in pieces outside hive

beesandcoffee · July 15, 2015, 06:29:39 AM

Hey Team,

I live on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria AUS. Tonight I noticed that I had bees out the front in pieces ( heads, Bodies and bums) as well as a couple of other bees 1/2 alive. Is that normal?

It is currently winter here.

Cheers

Maggiesdad · July 15, 2015, 07:36:38 AM

Sounds like hornets... do you all have them down there?

beesandcoffee · July 15, 2015, 07:41:00 AM

Quote from: Maggiesdad on July 15, 2015, 07:36:38 AM
Sounds like hornets... do you all have them down there?

No hornets in down here, we have European wasps though ?

Maggiesdad · July 15, 2015, 07:51:54 AM

...dunno.
Something is chewing on them, tho.
I vote not normal.

beesandcoffee · July 15, 2015, 07:57:20 AM

yeah agree.

i might reduce my entrance a little more and see how that goes.

beesandcoffee · July 16, 2015, 05:20:37 AM

I think it might be the bees themselves. They chucked out a cluster of bees today (100-150 bees).

Its the middle of winter.

Honeycomb king · July 18, 2015, 10:20:01 PM

Post a photo would be good. Where they pupae or adult bees. If the brood had got cold (and it's been a cold winter) they might be tossing out the dead. Is there any pollen coming in? This can be a sign of brood rearing starting up again and the bees cleaning inside the hive. Beetles , mice etc can or could have been living in there. Nice weather today and even better on Monday and Tuesday to have a quick look.

Richard J · July 23, 2015, 06:59:40 AM

Check under your hives for signs of mice, there is a small marsupial can't remember the name of it but it will eat bees and just leave like the outer shell of the bee.They look just like a mouse but on closer inspection look like a small bandicoot

azzkell · August 12, 2015, 11:19:28 AM

Hi beesandcoffee (sweet name bty)
All above are possible. Perhaps also drones that have been killed by the workers because it's winter. They will tear them apart to save honey stores. Hope find out, keep us all updated.