Image

Cross section of comb showing cell with wax moth worm hole going through the bottom of the cell into adjoining cell where the cap has been pushed up higher than the rest of the cells cappings, showing the path that the worm took. Some of these cells along the path had been opened by the bees exposing the pupa at the purple eye stage. Upon inspection, pupa had worm feces attached to them.

Barry - Illinois

From: ImkereiKober@aol.com
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 13:22:25 EDT
To: BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Uncapped/Bald Brood - One Explanation

barry@birkey.com wrote:

>> I'm still unclear
>> how the feces got into the cell with the pupa. Any ideas?

Hi Barry,

could it be that a very young wax moth larva has eaten a long thin tunnel
through the mid rib of the comb, starting from an open cell somewhere close,
and touching a line of brood cells?

I have read about this in an old book dated 1960 (long before Varroa). They
called it "tube brood" because the pupa is pushed somewhat out by the wax
worm and is not sealed. This pushing outwards forms a short tube or prolonged
cell, which makes it different from what we call "bald brood". The cause is
not not the usual large wax moth, but the small wax moth which is active in
living colonies. Could this be the case in your colony?

Best regards,
Thomas

********************

Hello Thomas -

You got me to cut the chunk of comb out and inspect it closely. You are
quite right, there is a small hole running through the bottom of these
cells. I scanned the comb for your inspection.

Regards,
Barry