Deformed Wings & Bees Carrying Out New, Not Fully Formed Bees

[Bob D]

The other day I saw a bee walk out of the hive, fall down the landing board and start walking all around funny. Upon further examination, it's wings were mostly gone.

Today, I saw two more the same way.

Later today, a worker bee carried out a young, not fully formed (still white) bee and dropped it outside.

Is this Varroa Mite problems?

This is a new hive. Just bought everything this year and installed the bees on the 16th of last month.

What could this be and What can/should I do?

Please let me know. Feel free to reply to me at bobd@northeastintune.com

Thanks you kindly!

Bob

[Axtmann]

Bob your bees are probably highly infected with Varroa mites. I would recommend buying an electric vaporizer and treating the hives at least 4 or 5 times a week apart.

There is no harm to bees or queen and the treatment is totally independent from weather and outside temperatures contrary to formic acid.

As soon as the mites are gone the colonies are back to normal. If a colony is already weak and can’t clean out the deformed bees and larva the best is destroy the brood completely and let the queen start again. In this case you should simulate a steady nectar flow so the queen will not stop laying. Feed, feed, and feed.

[dickm]

Bob,
This is deformed wing virus. Mites are the vector for it. An occasional bee isn't too bad but it can increase. There isn't much to be done about it but keep the hive as healthy as possible otherwise.
The question you ask about mites is one we should ask you. How many mites do you have? If you don't know ... that's part of the problem. If you don't have a screened bottom board with a pull out tray you need to do something else. Do a search for a "sugar roll" or an "ether roll" test.Or ...
Cut a piece of white material(cardboard, tin, 1/8 inch tileboard) slather it with canola oil and insert it in the hive bottom board. Leave it 3 days. Count the mites and divide by 3. That's a number that means something. It's the daily mite drop. If it's close to 20 at this time of year I'd treat for mites. If its more I'd definitely treat right away. We had a few show up from new packages from Ga. Where did you get yours?

Dickm

[Bob D]

Thanks for the replies. I believe our package came from Georgia. You could have something there.

[dickm]

Hi Axtmann,
Glad to see you checking in once in a while. I treated last fall 4X with the vaporizer you mentioned. I had 60% losses and the ones that survived had very poor queens. Only 2 were healthy hives of 18. I don't blame the O/A but I'm thinking. I really think it was a case of poorly mated or poor quality queens.
Bob put a package on new stuff less than amonth ago. It's alittle hard to see how he could be riddled with mites with that few brood cycles.

Dickm

[Bob D]

I really want to thank everyone for coming to my aid here. I’m new at this and this is my first package.

As far as the missing or partial wings I’ve noticed on 3 bees (so far) that have strolled out of the hive and fell on the ground,
I know this can be a virus caused by the Varroa Mite. However, I’ve read someplace that it isn’t uncommon for some of the “older bees” to have frayed or missing wings. However, it isn’t a good sign to have it on young bees.

Is this true and how do I tell the older and younger bees apart?

Secondly; as far as a worker carrying out a live, but not fully formed (and all white) bee (looked like a bee, jut not mature and all white), would that have something to do with this same problem? They spotted a deformed young and got rid of it?

[Axtmann]

Hi Dickm

I always treat 3 – 4 times right after harvesting the honey, middle of August, and than one or two times during the brood free time end of November beginning of Dezember. The sticky board tells me when it is enough.

This year I had no losses…. I should nock on wood. My oldest queen is from 2003 and still fine. I will replace here this year.

In some cases first you kill your own mites and than you have kill the Varroa from your neighbors, who enter your hives.

>>>I really think it was a case of poorly mated or poor quality queens.<<<

Well, sometimes this is the case but I know lots of beekeepers using Perizin <cumaphos checkmite> and there wax is so high contaminated that queens stop laying after several month. I don’t know whether this can be happen when leftovers from Apistran is in wax?

What I heard, queens lay till fall and never start again in early spring. They’re all kinds of stories about the chemicals residue in wax.
I can buy guarantee residue free wax and the label says, “imported form South Afrika”. It’s a shame.

[Robert Brenchley]

If the bees are removing pupae then it could be that they're removing the infested ones. In that case, they could have a degree of resistance, which would make then extremely desirable bees! Meanwhile, as it's your only colony, get a treatment on straight away.