View Full Version : Wings not develpoed or Chewed?
I am a new bee keeper in NC. The strongest hive ( I thought)has some dead bees on the entrance. Their wings are deformed or rather frazzled. I had noticed a few before but thought it might be from fighting, etc. I treated with menthol and apistan strips. Any ideas on what might be going on? Any help is appreciated.
SilverFox
10-07-2006, 12:49 PM
Sounds like mites to me. Me think-iths you best be treating, I use powered sugar, country rubes web site will tell you how to use powered sugar, or :eek: you can use chemicals.
Just re-read your post- try the powered sugar and do a mite count 24 hours later and see what you wind up with.
If it is mites they MAY have built up a tolerance to the chemicals.
[ October 07, 2006, 01:51 PM: Message edited by: SilverFox ]
Sundance
10-07-2006, 01:20 PM
Like Silverfox said. It sounds like
deformed wings from mites.
Do a sugar roll test to get an idea
on what load you have. Search the
archives for the roll methodology.
Good Luck
power napper
10-07-2006, 01:28 PM
LT-when the bees wings are frazzled it happens when a bees life is worn out--worked to death, the bees crawl away from the hive to die though, not on the landing board.
Michael Bush
10-07-2006, 02:10 PM
If the wings look shriveled and the bees look fuzzy, I'd say it's DWV. If the bees look old and shiny and the wings look frazzled, I'd say it's old field bees.
I looked again today. There were about 15 bees some on the entrance and some on the ground that had died or dying and their wings looked chewed off. About 2 weeks ago I removed the apistan strips that had been on the correct length of time. Any suggestions on what I should do? Reaply strips or treat some other way?
Unfortunately at this time of year beating the mites and hopefully gaining ground on the virus is difficult. We are entering the time of year when bee populations are building up their winter cluster and those dead bees you see at the entrance are a harbinger of the many that are likely in cells yet to hatch. This is your winter cluster being decimated. It's good you got the apistan on quickly. I'd work to treat the symptoms making certain these hives have plenty of stores or are fed so center frames will have easily accessible food stores to support a smaller winter cluster. If you have another weak hive that is other than diseased this might be a good time to do a newspaper combine and take your losses in the fall. In your area the bees still have time to reorganize and take on feed. In addition to the virus isses weak hive going into winter due to mites are also not likely to winter due to demoraliztion and PMS issues.
The strips will kill the DWV carrier being the mites but like all virus's the disease will continue until it has run it's course with out a vector to continue the spread.
Good Luck!
[ October 08, 2006, 10:14 AM: Message edited by: Joel ]
Dave W
10-09-2006, 08:28 AM
LT . . .
Do you have mite counts from Jun, Jul, and Aug?
If so, what were they? This mite problem showed up long before the wings became deformed.