Nosema or just a long cold winter?

[Papakeith]

When I opened up one of my hives this past weekend I was greeted by the following sight.



I swapped out the cover and will check it today.  If the new cover is clean can I just assume too long of a cold snap? 
The sugar I am feeding has honey bee healthy in it if that makes a difference.

sent from my corner of the internet

[apisbees]

Long cold winter they left they inside of the hive to relieve them selves. and it is in specs Nosema would be smears.

[Perry]

Well, look at it this way.
You're at a party, in a nice warm house and you really gotta shake the dew off the lilly. It's too blasted cold outside, but there is an attached unheated garage, and it's dark, empty, no ones around.................that or go outside...................

[Papakeith]

Thanks for the replies. 
Glad to hear that it looks OK.  I just checked the new inner cover and it is clean as a whistle. 
One more question.  If I had just left that cover there would they have cleaned it?

[apisbees]

Probably not until they got crowded and moved up into there to build and fill it full of bur comb and them the would clean and polish the area.

[litefoot]

PK, why didn't you put a screen on that hole? Just curious. Did you have some feed in there?

[Woody Roberts]

Well, look at it this way.
You're at a party, in a nice warm house and you really gotta shake the dew off the lilly. It's too blasted cold outside, but there is an attached unheated garage, and it's dark, empty, no ones around.................that or go outside...................

Yep

[Papakeith]

PK, why didn't you put a screen on that hole? Just curious. Did you have some feed in there?

i WAS supposed to tape it or screen it over.  Just never got to it.  In some ways I'm glad I didn't.  It gave them somewhere to go that wasn't certain death.