Beekeeping > General Beekeeping
Dead Bees and Strange Landing Board Behavior
The15thMember:
--- Quote from: Bakersdozen on May 03, 2022, 11:21:05 am ---The only thing I found was an April 2019 Bee Culture article. It refers to exposure to low dosages of clothianidin and the honey bees reaction is reduced grooming behavior.
I don't know if it would help, but I would be inclined to feed this split to give them a boost.
--- End quote ---
Thanks, I was planning on it anyway, since our spring flow hasn't come in yet. I saw some multiflora rose blooming today and the blackberries look about to start, so hopefully that will help turn things around.
The15thMember:
--- Quote from: Zweefer on May 02, 2022, 04:30:05 pm ---Also the additional frames from that hive - where did they come from?
--- End quote ---
Sorry, Zweefer, I realized I never answered this question. They were frozen last fall and stored over the winter and were just partially filled frames that the hives abandoned as they condensed for the winter. They were from my hives only, but I'm not sure which ones came from which hive anymore. I did have a few frames from a deadout in Feb., but I don't think any of the frames I gave them were from that hive.
The hives look the same today, although there are less bees grooming on the landing board. I put some syrup on the hive that is exhibiting the grooming behavior, along with the other hives I'm feeding right now.
The15thMember:
I just went up to look at the bees again because this is the same time of day I noticed them yesterday, and there are just as many bees grooming on the original hive as yesterday, and one of my other hives had a few bees doing it today where they weren't before. This new hive doesn't have the pile of drones, so I'm going to say that is unrelated, as this new hive is genetically unrelated to the other two. The affected bees' behavior looks like a panicked grooming. They are not stumbling around or gyrating incoherently, they are just grooming as if something is really irritating their cuticle, something that I can't see and they can't seem to get off. It really makes me wonder if they didn't get into a something (pesticide/herbicide/etc.). On the hives that are acting normal, sometimes the bees fly in, they groom themselves for a few minutes, especially if they are carrying pollen, and then they go in, and their grooming is casual. These bees look like a person would if you dumped a load of ants on them, and they were trying to brush them off while screaming "GET THEM OFF ME!"
iddee:
Do you use diatomaceous earth for anything around the area.
LazyBkpr:
What were they treated with and when? If I was worried I would look inside and see whats going on with the frames... Are they angry? If they are riled or hurting they WILL be angry and not happy with you.....
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