Chemicals

[Focus on Bees]

I had a new thought on ccd lately. If it were something inside of the hive, the bees would leave. So the thought is, would it be possible for the bees to gather contaminated nectar during the summer. Then when they dehydrate the nectar, the poison concentrates and they cap the cells. Then come winter, they open these cells up to use and find its all contaminated they all leave. Any thoughts ??? Let me know what you think.

[Focus on Bees]

Well?? Let me know

[Michael Bush]

It's a reasonable theory that also explains why the hives don't get robbed.

[Mike Gillmore]

Some very interesting thoughts. You may be on to something.

But playing devils advocate.... If the concentrated toxic nectar is repulsive to the bees, driving them from the hive, why did they not evacuate before they capped the cells of this tainted honey?

** Thinking more about your theory. I know there are many reports of CCD hives with ample remaining stores... I wonder how many of those hives have "uncapped" cells of stores? Anyone ever noted that I wonder?

[Focus on Bees]

I wonder if they ever tested the honey in the bad hives ? The bees wouldn't eat the "bad" honey until they needed it. Now on that same thought, people have had bees leave at all times of the year. Would that be from consuming the bad honey at different times of the year, like when they need it for brood ? Then too How much bad honey do they have to eat before they decide to leave ? Maybe they don't have to eat that much before they realize what it is. It would be interesting to know how much is uncapped in those hives.

[Focus on Bees]

Contradicting my idea, why would you be able to air out the polluted hive out for few days before you would put new bees in it. Do they do ok right away, or does it take a toll after a period of time?

[Mike Gillmore]

Do they do ok right away, or does it take a toll after a period of time?

From tests being run in Florida I'm hearing that new packages begin to fail again... unless the equipment has been treated with Acetic Acid or irradiated.

[Focus on Bees]

Hmmm that's quite interesting.

[Mike Gillmore]

Yes it sure is.
That would make it "appear" to be a biological problem rather than chemical. But.... are chemicals first compromising the ability of the bees to overcome something that they would otherwise have no problem with, without the chemical influence.
Lots of questions still.

[Ian]

Focus on Bees,

Thinking about your question posted,

From what has been presented to me, one of the symptoms of this problem is good working hives loosing all its worker population in a short time. A good working hive full of brood pollen and nectar, all of a sudden loosing all its worker population.
Chemical losses dont show this kind of symptoms.
I have experience with chemical losses, field losses and whole colony losses.
In the example your suggesting, whole colony losses where as contaminates are being brought in and fed to the brood, the hive collapses from the inside out. Even if they were to somehow bring the nectar into the nest without injesting it, to open it during the winter, you would find brood damages and sickly bees.

These symptoms are quite different than what is being found with CCD,

[Focus on Bees]

I have not lost any bees to chemicals and ccd. But I can't help thinking about it and all the unfortunate keepers that it affected. Its in the back of my mind and I do wonder about different causes.

Did they ever test the honey from the lost hives ? I have heard (don't know if its true) that some of the ccd hives lost had still a few bees and sometimes the queen left in the hive, barely surviving. Could that be ccd or could it be something else ? Its a case where just about all the workers "left" . If thats the case have they ever tested any of those bees ? It will be nice when they figure it out.

[dickm]

>>>>>Did they ever test the honey from the lost hives ? I have heard (don't know if its true) that some of the ccd hives lost had still a few bees and sometimes the queen left in the hive, barely surviving.<<<<<

They did test the honey as well as dead bees, live bees, and pollen and wax.
Tracheal mites will cause a small cluster with a queen. They have been eliminated,


Dickm