Chilled Brood?

[Ann]

We went up to the Maine beeyard this weekend and found this http://annzoid.com/images/Bees/me-deadlarvae.jpg

I'm thinking the brood got chilled in this hive and they tossed them. There are actually more than this, many are on the ground. It was pretty chilly last weekend but it was supposed to get warm, so we took the bottom covers off the SBB. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[George Fergusson]

You've got yourself a case of chalkbrood. Get them into the sun if they're not already and make sure they've got top ventilation. And complain to your bee supplier.

[sistone]

It looks like pictures I've seen of chalk brood. Do the larvae look like little mummy's?

[Ann]

Yes, they do look like mummies. Great. They're in full sun. George, I got those bees in Buckfield. So how do bees get chalkbrood? And is there a cure? For the money they should have been healthy bees! :mad:

[George Fergusson]

Yes, they do look like mummies. Great. They're in full sun. George, I got those bees in Buckfield. So how do bees get chalkbrood? And is there a cure? For the money they should have been healthy bees! :mad:

Sigh. Chalkbrood is caused by a fungus. I'm not aware of any treatment for it other than making sure the colony has sufficient ventilation, is not located in a low-lying area where the ground will stay wet and humid air won't collect, and where it will be warm enough to help keep the hive dry. I suspect chalk is also related to stress. You often see it in small colonies struggling to build up in too big a box. In such cases sometimes moving them into a smaller box more suitable for their numbers can help.

Bad cases of chalk can severely hamper a colony's build up. Usually, chalk is a minor problem that clears up on it's own. A couple of swarms I caught late last summer and which wintered over in single deeps looked great around the first of April, but by the first of May they had a serious case of chalkbrood going on and currently are lagging way behind my other hives. They should have been booming by now. The last time I looked the brood pattern was full of holes- it looked like a good 50% of the brood in the hive was affected.

Susceptibility to chalk is genetic hence the standard suggestion that you requeen. By conscientiously breeding from chalk-free stock you can pretty much eliminate it as a problem, which is why I suggest you complain to your bee supplier- they need to know they're producing (or purchasing) chalk-susceptible queens. Tony Batchelder has a good reputation. He'd take your report seriously.

Other people will no doubt have something to say about chalkbrood and what to do about it. I'm certainly no expert.

[woodchopper]

Thanks George. The hives are on stone dust which is pretty dry but the lawn right in front of them is getting pretty deep and no doubt holding alot of moisture. I almost reduced the entrance a bit this morning and after reading your post I wish I did it. Also with the SBB I'd imagine they have plenty of ventilation. Had I known this was Chalkbrood I would've gone into the hive today and looked into it a little more. Because of my job I'll have to wait until next weekend to do anything about it. One of the drawbacks of having a beeyard in another state.

[Ann]

Of course the other drawback was we had no bee clothing with us whatsoever or I would have swept away all the little bodies. I'll contact Tony tomorrow.

[George Fergusson]

I've never met him, but I've heard good things about him and his bees. Tony Jadczak speaks highly of him. I reckon rearing quality queens with demonstrated resistance to tracheal mites, chalk brood, and varroa mites not to mention low swarming potential, high honey production, and a friendly disposition to boot makes for a very small and fast moving target.

[Michael Bush]

Classic Chalkbrood.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#chalkbrood

[hrogers]

Howdy Ann --

About 6 years ago, Chalkbrood showed up in a yard of bees alongside a busy highway. My landlord (psroperty owner) had found a hive body of bad old,old
combs containing some honey which had fallen off of somebody's truck. He had seen me put scrap comb with honey about 50 yards from hives to let the bees clean it up. So he did it with the junker.

The next spring I had Chalk which went on for 3 years. Because my sugar syrup I started feeding Feb 1 for stimulation was growing black mold. I began
adding Chlorox to the syrup to help reduce the mold. The bees seemed to like it. Chalk began to diminish. This spring (a rainy one) thesre has been no Chalkbrood.

It may just be a coincidence.

Doc

[Troy]

What strength Bleach solution did you use? I believe most std bleach is 5% hypochlorite.

I assume you used something like a Tablespoon per gallon or so?

[hrogers]

Standard off-the-shelf is 5% I think. I put about a pint per 5 gallons of syrup. Very scientific ie: glug, glug, glug.

Doc

[Michael Bush]

A cup of bleach to five gallons of water dumped down a well is the correct dosage to shock a well. Seems like a tablespoon or two would do for syrup.

[Robert Brenchley]

It's a perfect example of chalk; the good news is that the bees are clearing it out. As has been said already, susceptibility is partly genetic, and it's encouraged by damp. I cured it in one strain by putting the hives on screen bottoms. Last time I had a major outbreak, it was in a queenless split where capped brood was devastated by chalk.