The Color Of Mites

[golddust-twins]

I've been counting my mites and have found them to be different colors -- clear, white dark reddish and empty shells. Can anyone tell me what the different colors mean?

Thanks
Corinne

[megank]

You're seeing mites in the various stages of the maturation process...

If you're seeing mites as you describe, I suspect your hive is in trouble.

Whe do you begin your mite treatment

[golddust-twins]

If you're seeing mites as you describe, I suspect your hive is in trouble.

Whe do you begin your mite treatment

G-R-E-A-T!!
Just pull Mite-Away II out of hive on 12/04 and this was the first count from under a screened bottom board since the removal. Mite-Away II was in hive for recommended time. The mites I was able to count while Mite-Away II was in hive was around 1,000 dead.

thanks
Corinne

[CSbees]

Gender could account for the difference in color. The male mite is considerably smaller and very light.

[golddust-twins]

Gender could account for the difference in color. The male mite is considerably smaller and very light.


Thanks CSbees, You have calmed me down.

Corinne

[megank]

Thanks CSbees, You have calmed me down.

Corinne

Well the reason I suspect your hive is in trouble cuz it's almost mid-December and you have 1000 mite drop. Not good at this time of year. It means your winter bees have had to deal with a high mite load

In the PNW it's best do have your mite treatments finished by mid to late August

Now with that said...It's just my opinion..and opinions are like...well...you know

[golddust-twins]

Well the reason I suspect your hive is in trouble cuz it's almost mid-December and you have 1000 mite drop. Not good at this time of year. It means your winter bees have had to deal with a high mite load

In the PNW it's best do have your mite treatments finished by mid to late August



Original treatment with aspitan was finished by late August but mite load was high by late October so I decided to treat with Mite-Away II in early November. The 1,000 count was at the beginning of November treatment. Mite-Away II was taken out Dec. 4th and 24 hours later I did a mite count--it was 24 which I think is still high for December...and that is my personal opinion.....;) :D But you know the bees are still bringing pollen when it isn't raining. We had a real strong storm come thru here and I thought that would end everything for a while.

[dcross]

. Mite-Away II was taken out Dec. 4th and 24 hours later I did a mite count--it was 24 which I think is still high for December.

You may still have been seeing the effects of the treatment at that point.

[Dave W]

>clear, white dark reddish and empty shells . . .

When found on sticky board,
Empty shells (clear) are the "skins" the mite sheds as it molts.
White mites are immature mites that have fallen from the cell as the bee hatched or was removed (hygienic behavior).
Dark reddish mites are mature females, fallen from cell, or from bees.

>The male mite is considerably smaller and very light.
AND rarely found OUTSIDE the cell. When you do see them on a sticky board, they (mine :) are off-white and shriveled.

NATURAL fall mite counts should be taken BEFORE any treatment is applied.
The NATURAL fall numbers are important "indicators". Mite counts done during and/or following a treatment are NOT "natural fall", they are known as an "induced drop", and they are being produced by the applied chemical, and only indicate that mites WERE KILLED. After treatment has been removed, AND some time has PASTED (the amount has never been defined), new NATURAL fall counts can show how "effective" the treatment was (the "after" numbers should be MUCH lower than "before" numbers).

>1,000 dead . . .
Maybe there is only a few left or . . .
Maybe you only killed 2% :)
How do you know?

As a side story - A few years back, I used Apistan and counted the mites that fell during the entire treatment period. Want to guess the amount of dead mites?
There were more than 1000 the FIRST DAY!
And over the 43 day treatment period, more than 15,000 dead mites were removed.

How many mites are left in YOUR hive?

[golddust-twins]

>NATURAL fall mite counts should be taken BEFORE any treatment is applied.

Mite count in November & December
11/01 64 mites
11/02 76 mites
11/03 56 mites
11/04 122 mites
11/05 62 mites
11/06 51 mites
11/07 110 mites Mite-Away II in after this count
11/08 254 mites This is where I started to see different colored
mites and empty shells.
11/09 264 mites
11/10 270 mites
12/04 476 mites Mite-Away II came out after this count
12/05 24 mites

Since 12/05 mite drop has been in the low 20's each day....

>After treatment has been removed, AND some time has PASTED (the amount has never been defined), new NATURAL fall counts can show how "effective" the treatment was (the "after" numbers should be MUCH lower than "before" numbers).

.........and I will continue to count my mites.......;) :)

[megank]

>NATURAL fall mite counts should be taken BEFORE any treatment is applied.

Mite count in November & December
11/01 64 mites
11/02 76 mites
11/03 56 mites
11/04 122 mites
11/05 62 mites
11/06 51 mites
11/07 110 mites Mite-Away II in after this count
11/08 254 mites This is where I started to see different colored
mites and empty shells.
11/09 264 mites
11/10 270 mites
12/04 476 mites Mite-Away II came out after this count
12/05 24 mites

Since 12/05 mite drop has been in the low 20's each day....

>After treatment has been removed, AND some time has PASTED (the amount has never been defined), new NATURAL fall counts can show how "effective" the treatment was (the "after" numbers should be MUCH lower than "before" numbers).

.........and I will continue to count my mites.......;) :)


Excellent..You know what your mite count is which is more than many other beekeepers know.

I originally read your post as saying you had a drop of 1000 mites/day during your treatment in December.

Still...a drop of 400+ in Dec. seems a little high....especially after treatment

[golddust-twins]

>Still...a drop of 400+ in Dec. seems a little high....especially after treatment

The 476 count was just before I removed the Mite-AwayII. Also I had not counted during treatment because of the rains we were having eventhough temps were in the 50's. So we will keep counting mites thru the winter and see what January holds for us.

My mite counting I must admit was due to the encouragement of all the great people and I do mean great people on this board. For the first and almost half year of beekeeping I really didn't know what counting mites was all about but I'm learning.....:)

[Axtmann]

To golddust..

Your natural mite fall was 64, 76, 56,122 and so on. After that count you put Mite-Away (formic acid) in and you are happy the mite drop after that treatment?
If the outside temperatures are not over 15C / 59F for a longer time the treatment with formic acid is almost useless.
You might have killed a few more mites in the first couple of hours when the formic started with room temperatures but in the long run you will never get the result this treatment should bring you.

>>>> Since 12/05 mite drop has been in the low 20's each day....<<<<
With a mite drop like this in my colonies I would act right away. Let us know in spring how many colonies with a drop like this survived the winter.

In many areas bees start breeding again in early February and from they’re on the survivor mite’s double each 21 days. Colonies with a high mite start collapse before May.

Remember formic is like Thymol …… a spring, summer or early fall treatment, but never a winter treatment.

For the Apistran and Perizin (chumafos) users….be sure the mites are not resistant.

IMO the sugar treatment is totally useless, a friend treated his colonies in early September with sugar two times a week apart and I helped him to see how it works.
There was a mite drop between 35 and approx 60 in different hives and he was happy to catch so many mites.

Than he used one time Perizin (chumafos liquid) the end of October in the same colonies and the lowest mite drop in one hive was approx 850 and the highest more than 3500.

To all the sugar theaters…. Bee careful and keep an eye on your bees.

[Axtmann]

Sorry I made a writing mistake in the last sentence.

I mean …… To all the sugar users.

[golddust-twins]

Thank you Axtmann for all of the information. I can't seem to find where Perizin is available in the U.S. If you have anymore info on this product please advise. I did try Apistran in August and my mite load was high by October.

[jdpro5010]

In the U.S. I believe a similiar product to what he is referring to is Check Mite Plus. This uses coumophos (?) as it's main ingredient.

[golddust-twins]

In the U.S. I believe a similiar product to what he is referring to is Check Mite Plus. This uses coumophos (?) as it's main ingredient.

Correct. I believe what Axtmann is refering to is in liquid form. Both Perizin and Check Mite Plus are put out by Bayer.

[Dave W]

>I mean …… To all the sugar users . . .
I like sugar "treaters" much better :)

IMO, powdered sugar works well IF your infestation is low, AND you use it OFTEN.
Just "dumping" some sugar a few times w/ a LOT of mites "HATCHING" does not do much good.

>Perizin is available in the U.S. . . .
I would NOT consider using ANY "coumophos" product(s).


golddust-twins . . .
Can you determine IF you still have brood in your hive?
If you have CAPPED brood present, as the bees hatch out, so do more mites!

If your present drop stays "steady" (you say about 20/day), you could have killed all the phoretic mites and the steady drop is just mites dying of "old age". OR . . .
If brood is present, the steady drop could be from both "old" mites AND NEW mites that are reproducing. Either way, 20/day IN WINTER is very high.

Have you seen ANY deformed wings?

[golddust-twins]

>Perizin is available in the U.S. . . .
I would NOT consider using ANY "coumophos" product(s).

Personally neither would I but I would like to find info on all products that are out there.

>golddust-twins . . .
Can you determine IF you still have brood in your hive?
If you have CAPPED brood present, as the bees hatch out, so do more mites!

It's a little warmer today than yesterday so I will go see what I can see.

Thanks,
Corinne

PS I did find 2 dead bees with the deformed wings day before yesterday...bad news I know. :(

[golddust-twins]

>golddust-twins . . .
Can you determine IF you still have brood in your hive?

I have two deep and could not find brood in either upper or lower hive bodies.

>I like sugar "treaters" much better

Well guess what I did while checking for brood yesterday??? :) Brought the powder sugar with me and the girls got a quick dust bath.

>If your present drop stays "steady" (you say about 20/day), you could have killed all the phoretic mites and the steady drop is just mites dying of "old age".

Last 3 days the mite count has dropped to 15/day. We will count them today and see if more have fallen since the powder sugar dust bath.


Thanks
Corinne

[Dave W]

>could not find brood in either upper or lower hive bodies . . .
Without brood present, mite REPRODUCTION has ended (for now).
That's a GOOD thing!

The bad part is, the mites that are there are FEEDING on the "winter bees", the bees that are needed to nurse all the bees come spring.

If you have no brood, AND the bees are clustered, I'm not sure applying a dust (that requires the bees to remove it) is a good idea.

If you have no brood AND the bees are not clustered (as in warmer temps), maybe flying once in a while, then would be a good time to kill mites because none would be protected by capped cells.

>see if more have fallen since the powder sugar dust . . .
This time of year, the colder it gets, the fewer mites you'll find on the sticky board.
So, if your present count goes from 15 to 1,2,3,4, doesnt necessarly mean the PS got 'em all.

Nothing is easy when it comes to mites! :)

[golddust-twins]

>If you have no brood AND the bees are not clustered (as in warmer temps), maybe flying once in a while, then would be a good time to kill mites because none would be protected by capped cells.

I live on the Southern Oregon Coast and the weather temps can change from day to day. When I dusted the bees they were flying and temp was around 50 to 55. Today I had a count of 15 -- 9 large dark reddish, 1 small dark reddish (tiny compared to the others), and 5 empty shells. Do mites shed their shells and are the empty shells sheddings from the mites as they mature or are they left behind after the dead bodies decay?

>This time of year, the colder it gets, the fewer mites you'll find on the sticky board.

I was wondering about this, if I would find fewer mites as it gets colder.

>Nothing is easy when it comes to mites!

So I'm finding out. ;):)

Then I have a question --approximately when does the queen start laying again?

[Dave W]

>empty shells sheddings from the mites as they mature . . .
Mites molt while inside the cell and shed the "skin".
The skins "fall out" of the cell as the bee hatches out OR they are removed by house bees preparing the cell for a new egg.

"Skins" are white & transparent (same size as a mite) and often have a "notch" missing - looks like "Pack Man" :)
Sometimes you will find "ready to hatch" mites that were not mature when the bee left the cell. These "whole", "normal-looking" mites are PURE WHITE and ooze when mashed. Mature mites (brown) "pop" or are crunchy. Small wax globs just "mash" :)


>when does the queen start laying again . . .
In your area, I am not sure.

Here are some quotes:
The new year for a honey bee colony begins w/ the initiation of brood rearing late in the winter [Ref 12, p88]. Queens in most overwintered colonies begin egg laying (whole country) in late December [Ref 3, p56, Ref 12, p600, BC, 9/05, p50] or early January [Ref 5, p345 & 355, Ref 12, p600, BC, 9/05, p50].

[golddust-twins]

>Queens in most overwintered colonies begin egg laying (whole country) in late December [Ref 3, p56, Ref 12, p600, BC, 9/05, p50] or early January [Ref 5, p345 & 355, Ref 12, p600, BC, 9/05, p50]

Thank you. I just wanted a general idea.

>"Skins" are white & transparent (same size as a mite) and have a "notch" missing - looks like "Pack Man"

These I did find on the sticky board when I first put in the Mite-Away II. The shells I am finding now are a light almost orange in color or the dark red and empty.

I know this is changing this discussion but when is the soonest I could introduce drone cell foundation for drone trappings?

[golddust-twins]

12/18 ---9 mites and 3 empty shells :)

I was up in the wee hours reading past threads on varroa when I came across the thread entitled "24 Hour Varoa Count? *UPDATED* " http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191810 Started by longarm. Very educational--I advise everyone who is having problems with varroa read this thread ---especially for those newbees like me. I could see my situation being quite similar.....:( ...sad.

My immediate plan is to treat with OA dribble on Sunday. I will have a 24 hour window of no wind and rain and warmer weather. Would this be unadvisable at this time? Then add drone foundation for drone trappings as soon as possible (I know timing is crucial for this). I would like for this hive to make it till the Spring so I can requeen with a hygienic queen and change a few other things.

Thanks,
Corinne

[Dave W]

>The shells I am finding now are a light almost orange in color or the dark red and empty . . .

>shells I am finding now . . .
>almost orange . . .
>dark red and empty . . .

Almost Orange?
Mature female mites are DARK reddish-BROWN to almost BLACK.
If you examine them using a magnifying glass you may find the dark colored "shell" have legs :)

The "longarm hive" is a VERY typical "Mite Factory", all of us "have" or "have had" them.


>when is the soonest I could introduce drone cell foundation . . .
IMO, about 30 days before anticipated apple blossom.

TIMING – Drone brood removal should be carried out as soon as bees have begun to draw foundation (before swarm season) [http://www.biavl.dk/english/varroa-english/Strategy.htm].
 Place frame in colony sufficiently early, end of March / beginning of April, so it can be quickly drawn and laid in [http://www.apis.admin.ch/en/krankheiten/docs/biotech/drohnnenbrut_e.pdf ].
 April through June [ABJ 1/06, p67].
 Apple blossom until end of goldenrod flow [BC 2/06, p19].
 26-30 days before apple blossom [BC 2/06, p21].
 During first spring inspection, place a frame of Drone Cell Foundation in brood nest [http://nanaimo.ark.com/~varipm.htm].
 Removing drone brood as early as possible in spring helps reduce swarming [BC 1/03, p43].
 Colonies often restrict drone production in late summer, causing Varroa to shift into worker brood [BC, 3/06, p37].
 In general, small colonies of bees are unlikely to produce drone comb. In normal colonies, there is an average of 17% drone comb. Since bees do not produce this level of drone brood, this comb is used for both male bees production as well as for food storage [BC, 2/07, p31]. Drone brood production drops sharply in late August [ABJ, 11/04, p846].
 Drone frames may be left in upper brood chamber year-round. Once drone production slows down in late summer, these combs will be gradually filled w/ nectar, then honey. Come spring the honey will be gone, replaced by early drone brood [ABJ, 3/06, p229].

>plan is to treat with OA dribble . . .
I am not fond of OA.
There are some reports that Oxalic acid may damage bee Malpighian tubules [BC, 5/07, p18].

>I would like for this hive to make it till the Spring . . .
At this point in time (season), I usually just "cross my fingers" and "bite my nails" til spring. (And try to learn more about keeping bees :) )

[golddust-twins]

12/19 15 mites
12/20 35 mites

>If you examine them using a magnifying glass you may find the dark colored "shell" have legs
How right you are. This is too scary. And the lighter color ones which I thought were shells are shriveled w/legs. What makes the count jump from just 15 one day to 35 the next?

>"Mite Factory" -- yes the hive is and I should go into business selling the mites.

>IMO, about 30 days before anticipated apple blossom.
Thanks for this info. My apple trees Bloom in March. The pears and filberts bloom 2 weeks before the apple. I'm thinking I'll put the drone comb in the hive in Feb.

>There are some reports that Oxalic acid may damage bee Malpighian tubules [BC, 5/07, p18].
I will not be performing the OA treatment as originally planed and thanks for this info.

>And try to learn more about keeping bees
There is a lot to learn.

Thanks again Dave W for coming to the rescue of "MY MITE FACTORY and I" for the second round in explaining the "Life of Mites" :) :). You and yours have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Everyone on this board have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Thanks to everyone for their help
Corinne

[Axtmann]

In your situation I would treat the hive / hives with OA vapor. OA evaporation will kill almost all mites with no harm to the bees.
With a natural mite drop or 35 Varroa the day………grrrr your colony must have several hundreds - thousands mites.
Remember, it’s the best time of the year to treat because the colonies should have no brood. If you would live in California it would be a different story, in a warm area you need probably several treatments to reach good result.

I treated my colonies with OA vapor December 04 and removed the sticky board two day ago.
The best result was 1 Varroa and the worst was 26 mites in 14 days.

Happy Holidays to all
Herbert Axtmann

[golddust-twins]

Thank you for your sound advice, Herbert. I know this hive is in serious trouble. I would need to purchase a vaporizer and need to know what kind. I have the OA.

Thanks,
Corinne

[Dave W]

>lighter color ones which I thought were shells are shriveled w/legs
If they are also "round" (females are oval-shaped), they are male mites.

Do you find ANY SHELLS without LEGS?


>What makes the count jump from just 15 one day to 35 the next?
This is a "normal variation" if you leave your sticky board in place ONLY for ONE 24 hr period. You will also see they "clean" more on warmer days, too.

During winter, there is not much debris falling along w/ the mites so you can leave the sticky board in place MUCH longer than just 24 hrs. If you leave it in place say for 5 (10, 20 maybe 30) days, just count all the mites you find and divide by 5 (amount of days) to get a "24-hr" drop. In summer, most recommend that the SB be in place for 3 days (example: 75 / 3 = 25 per 24 hrs).

>>"Mite Factory" -- yes the hive is and I should go into business selling the mites.
Oh GREAT! Now I'm going to have some competition :)


>You and yours have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays . . .
Thank you. And the same to you :)

[golddust-twins]

12/22 16 mites 10 shells
12/23 18 mites 6 shells

>If they are also "round" (females are oval-shaped), they are male mites.
Do you find ANY SHELLS without LEGS?

I wish I could say yes to all mites but only a few look like what you discribed. The ones which are NOT dk red are almost gelatinous and clearer in color. I figured these are ones which fell off sometime back and this is a stage of decay. Am I incorrect to think this?

thanks
Corinne

[Dave W]

>ones which are NOT dk red are almost gelatinous and clearer in color . . .
Do they have legs?
Immature mites, ones that are still developing, fit the your description :) and are only present when mites are reproducing. If you do not have brood, the mites are NOT reproducing.

"Shells" (skins) do not have legs.


>a stage of decay . . .
I dont think so, but . . . I'll check some of my "old collections" (that have had plenty of time to decay) and try to get you an answer.

[Dave W]

>I'll check some of my "old collections" . . .

I have mite "collections" for the past several years.
None of the mites collected (now between clear contact paper)
shows any sign of decay.

They all look the same as they did the day I counted.
Although, some have moved :)

[golddust-twins]

>I have mite "collections" for the past several years.
None of the mites collected (now between clear contact paper)
shows any sign of decay.

Well Dave, thank you for your kindness in looking up the mites. Never thought about keeping them for further informational purposes. Great idea :). I've been putting mine on the wood fire :D.

So this is what has happened. You were right the "shells" were "sheddings" of the mites as they developed. I had to look thru a microscope to clarify this (eyesight--older age :().
We had a week of 50+ degree weather so I went into the hive and took a better look and sure enough I found a frame of brood hatching out (only a few to be hatched out were left at this point) which I had missed. I pulled the frame to take a better look later. As the temps started to drop (a storm was starting to come in) I called a friend with the equipment and we OA vapored. Counted over 2000 dead mites. The frame I pulled still had various stages of bee development. So I took a toothpick and crack open a few cells to see what was happening. OH MY WORD :eek: There they were..not one..not two..but several mites in each cell I opened waiting to hatch out with the new bee.
This is a very good experience in what one learns...how to read the development of mites as they mature. This lesson is very important.

thanks,
Corinne

[Dave W]

>Counted over 2000 dead mites . . .
>several mites in each cell . . .

All In JANUARY!!!!

[golddust-twins]

What do you mean >All In JANUARY!!!! Is this not right? Too many?--too few for treatment? I have only had this hive since April of '06 so I am really new to beekeeping.

thanks,
Corinne

[Dave W]

>All In JANUARY!!!! . . .

Most folks don't expect mites to be reproducing in January.

Your count of 2000 (after OA vapor treatment) and "sveral mites in each cell" shows that you had (and maybe still have) LOTS of mites (in winter).

Hope you are "still counting" :)

[golddust-twins]

>Most folks don't expect mites to be reproducing in January.

That's what I thought. When my counts rose to 87 mites within 24 hours before treatment I decided to do what I did. I would like to keep this hive so I can make some changes to it and maybe the mites will lighten up.

>Hope you are "still counting" :)

AHHHH yes :) We won't stop here now.

I have a question on the "skins". At what point does the mite shed it's skin before it enters the cell or after the bee hatches?

thanks,
Corinne

[Dave W]

>At what point does the mite shed it's skin . . .

The skin is shed INSIDE the cell as the immature mite develops from one stage to another.
It is shed (inside cells) BEFORE the bee (and mites) leave the cell.

[golddust-twins]

Then Dave, what is the life span of a single varroa?

thanks,
Corinne

[Dave W]

>life span of a single varroa . . .

They live from 60 days in summer to 8 months in the winter cluster.

[golddust-twins]

>They live from 60 days in summer to 8 months in the winter cluster

UGH!! I figured as much. You are right nothing is easy with mites :).

1/16 /08--3 mites. One has chew marks along it's side about a quarter of the way down. Does that mean the bees are chewing the mites? We just got over 31 days of rain. The last 2 days have been sunny and in the 50's and tomorrow will be warmer. The bees have really been flying and packing in the pollen. I plan on going into the hive in the afternoon to see what is going on unless it is not advised at this time. Could it be this hive is never completely without Brood? I know Varroa is lurking in the corners of the hive waiting to start up again.

thanks for all your help,
Corinne

[Dave W]

>chew marks along it's side . . .
Would mean a bee chewed it while it was phoretic (not in the cell).
This could be a "good thing", hygentic bees remove mites (by biting them off?).

>packing in the pollen . . .
Usually a sign of "raising brood" (and a queenless hive :))

>not advised at this time . . .
If they are flying, what can it hurt?

>Could it be this hive is never completely without Brood . . .
The "books" make it sound like EVERY hive is "without brood in winter",
but most field reports differ. At this time of year, and w/ known pollen collection, and PALE mites on sticky board, sounds like you may have "lots of brood".

If you go in, please note brood qty and give us a FULL, 10 pg report! :)

>Varroa is lurking in the corners of the hive . . .
I havent looked "there" yet :)

[golddust-twins]

>If you go in, please note brood qty and give us a FULL, 10 pg report!

UPDATE:
1/16/08
Temp: 65 no wind sun shinning.
Mite count: 4--Some with indentation marks, no skins.
Orientation flight from 12PM till 1PM. Saw very young drones flying. Saw bees packing in pollen. Opened hive 1:30PM: Saw lots of bees 1&1/2 frames of brood at various stages of development. Some capped, some young larva about 6 days old. I added drone foundation for drone trappings. Could not find Queenie.

1/19-08
Temp: 50 -- cloudy
Mite count 10 --No skins
Hazelnut, alder, Meyer lemon blooming
Bees still bringing in pollen
Saw drones flying

1/23/08
Temp: 65--no wind sun shinning.
Mite count 6 --No skins
Opened hive: lots of bees. Saw drones flying. Bees drawing comb on drone foundation. Still bringing pollen. Did not see Queenie.

1/26/08
Temp: 47--rainning
Mite count: 5 --No skins

1/28/08
Temp: 31 --snow on ground
Mite count: 1--No skins

>>packing in the pollen . . .
Usually a sign of "raising brood" (and a queenless hive )

Is this definitely queenless or strong possibility queenless :)?
To tell you the truth I have never seen the queen. I have always left this issue up to the hive. Hoping the new Queenie would mix with some of the local boys.

Thanks for all your help -- this hive looks good compared to last year at this time. January of 2007 this hive was almost gone.

Corinne

[Dave W]

>Is this definitely queenless or strong possibility queenless . . .

Here is what I "remembered" (not word-for-word :), had to looked it up)

From The Hive and the Honey Bee, 1963:
Page 358 - Pollen collection, like honey storage, is proportional to colony strength during producing periods. The accumulation of pollen reserves depends upon the amount collected and the amount consumed in brood rearing. Colonies that have failing queens, or are queenless when there is an abundance of pollen in the field, accumulate the largest reserves.

Found this while searching for the above:
Same book, pg 126 - According to Genrikh (1957), removal of the queen resulted in the disturbance of the hive and flight activities . . . flight intensity diminished by 77%, number of bee coming in w/ loads of pollen by 73%, the weight of pollen loads by 50% . . .

In hindsight, maybe “accumulate” really means “left with”.

Thanx for making me “think” about this :)

[BEES4U]

VARROA TRANSPLANT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrjihE3yq3g&feature=related

Regards,
Ernie
Lucas Apiaries

[golddust-twins]

Thanks for all your help Dave :)

Good clip Ernie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrjih...eature=related

thanks,
Corinne

[golddust-twins]

Dave W,
I am bringing this thread back up to the front to let you know you were right again. Back in January I made a statement that my bees were "packing in pollen" on the first sunny day after a series of rainstorms. You posted >Usually a sign of "raising brood" (and a queenless hive ). You were right on. Yesterday as I was changing out some pierco frames for sc PF100s I pulled one pierco frame with some gnarly comb on it and 4 hatched queen cells. Just thought you might like to know. By the way this hive is now doing tremendously well. Again thanks.

regards,
Corinne

[Dave W]

Are you sure about the "age" of the queen cells? (about the time of "packing in pollen")

[golddust-twins]

Are you sure about the "age" of the queen cells? (about the time of "packing in pollen")

What do you mean? Are you asking if they could be older :)?

[Dave W]

Older or . . . newer.

[golddust-twins]

I see... Three are in a cluster and I do remember seeing them when I opened in hive in January. I didn't look to see if they were empty at that time. The bees were very defensive and I got stung for the first time then 4 times . Thru my veil and on my chinny-chin-chin :). These cells are located in the center of the frame. The last cell same location but looks like it may not have been fully developed--it doesn't protude as far.

thanks,
Corinne