What is this?

ThomBee · June 16, 2006, 01:33:47 PM

I went and checked on the bees today. Hive 1 is still not doing good. It doesnt look as though theire is anymore bees than last time. I have some new comb but I found one area where the bees were dead have way out of the cell. Almost like they died while being born. I also found this white crystalized substance on a frame. Does anyone know what is going on?
Hive number one is doing excellent lots of activitie and lots of bees. Should I just combine the two. Thanks ahead for the help

amymcg · June 16, 2006, 06:16:01 PM

Thom,

You need to link the picture from an online photo host, not from your own computer, we can't see it.

Look at this if you have no idea what I meant by that.:

http://www.beemaster.com/beebbs/viewtopic.php?t=1430

Amy

ThomBee · June 16, 2006, 06:39:44 PM

Here is the picture I just happen to be working on my web site so I posted it on there. Hope it works Thanks amymcg[/img]

Brian D. Bray · June 17, 2006, 08:07:44 PM

Do not combine the bees, you will contaminate the other hive with whatever the hive with the disease has. I've seen that signature once forty years ago and can't recall the name--Chalkbrood keeps popping into my mind but I don't think that's right--but then I haven't experienced a case of that in forty years either.
Let me delve into my copy of The Hive and The Honey Bee on diseases and see what i come up with.

TwT · June 17, 2006, 10:05:58 PM

to me it looks like crystallized sugar water or a lite crystallized honey, some times when you feed 2 to 1 sugar during the fall the sugar they don't use during the winter will look like that when it was uncapped and not all eaten, if that's a disease I have never seen it before!! looks like sugar in the cells to me......

Apis629 · June 18, 2006, 12:37:22 AM

It looks like it's onl in the honey cells so, I'm going to agree with TwT and say that it looks like crystalized honey/sugar syrup. I have to say though, I've never seen anything like it. It does resemble "rock-candy" in a way...*trailing off*

TwT · June 18, 2006, 09:02:13 AM

you know what, I seen this not long ago, did you feed your bee's just plain dry sugar this past year like on a sugar board or just sugar on top of the intercover? I seen them pack sugar in the cells like that before.....

Brian D. Bray · June 18, 2006, 12:52:04 PM

After a little research (I'm learning) and a long ofrgotten but successfully recalled memory I have to agree with TwT.

Kris^ · June 18, 2006, 01:14:58 PM

I've had that. It formed when I spilled fall syrup on top of the frames and it ran down and crystalized.

-- Kris

ThomBee · June 18, 2006, 07:12:07 PM

I only find it in one of the frames. It is one that came with the NUC. So I don't know what he feed them before I came to pick them up. With the strange weather we have had up here I got them kind of late. When I picked them up I was told that I didn't need to feed them any more. As i originally posted I also found some dead brood have way out of their cells. I think that I have narrowed that down to chilled brood. We had quite a cold snap up here (below freezing). When I went out during it to see what the bees were up to I saw that the strong hive had sealed up their hole with themselves while the weaker hive was wide open. So they probably weren't strong enough to save all the brood. ( i didn't open them during the cold snap) Thanks for the suggestions I am just going to leave them alone for a couple weeks and see what happens.

TwT · June 18, 2006, 07:46:00 PM

well I can guaranty what happens but that is sugar in those cells, wish you luck!!!!

Finsky · June 19, 2006, 01:26:14 AM

.

White is crystallized honey, but combs are so old that they are not suitable to brood any more.

.