Are these dead varroa?

[Sr. Tanya]

I really don't like to show these photos- (It looks like a shanty hive) This was taken after a rain and I removed the half brick holding the reducer so there were lots of what I think are dead varroa under the brick.

One of the photos is a little blurry but can you tell if they are varroa?

http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb182/Tanyaocd/album%20name/

Thanks!
Tanya

[ScadsOBees]

Maybe.

I don't think that a definiative ID can be made from those pictures, but it looks sort of like them. Perhaps all the dead mites that dropped since the brick was placed were carried out and kicked under the brick, mimicking my method of sweeping everything under the rug.

Do a google image search on varroa, and compare those to the pictures.

Nice shanty :p

Rick

[Sr. Tanya]

ScadsOBees,

Yep, no rugs in the hive so they end up under the brick. :rolleyes: I know the photo wasn't close enough to really see them but thought those who know the "look" could tell me. I'm thinking they are. These were the results of my fall formic acid treatment.

Most of the google photos show the up close views... and the rest, I guess, look like mine.

Thanks!
Tanya

[ScadsOBees]

Sorry, I meant to get one of your "specks", look at it up close, and compare them to the pictures. A magnifying glass could be in order, depending on your eyes.

[Sr. Tanya]

Oh, good idea. I'll get my magnifying glass and see.
By the way the temp yesterday, Dec 11th, went up to 61 degrees here and everyone was flying. They did a good clean out of the hive- Thus the dead bees in front.

Thanks!
Tanya

[Sr. Tanya]

With specks and magnifying glass I could see some dead varroa. I don't know what all the lighter stuff is. I'm waiting for it to dry and then maybe can identify it. It could be a mixture of junk and varroa debris.

Tanya

[Dale Hodges]

Looks like that hive has been robbed, Might be the picture , but it looks like particles of wax.

[tarheit]

It looks like debris from robbing to me as well.

-Tim

[Sr. Tanya]

All three of my hives have the same debris- some a bit more, some less. If it was robbing then I would hope they've all ended up with enough honey from each others hives to last them throught the winter. :D

The weight of the hives is heavy. Perhaps there was some robbing earlier and this is the result.

Tanya

[Axtmann]

Tanya there is nothing wrong with the yellow particle on the landing board. When bees feeding on their winter storage they have to remove the wax capping to reach the honey. IMO it is shredded wax the bees removed when they clean the hive bottom on a warm day.

Build a scraper, a long stick of wood like a porch in a bird cache but longer an nail a flat piece sheet metal on one end, cut from an empty can, go through the enter and clean the hive bottom. You helping your bees and you also can see what’s dead on the bottom. Mites, bees, wax moths, capping, mold and so on.
The derbies gifs you an idea what’s going on in the colony during winter.

[Sr. Tanya]

Axtmann,

I can make that easily. Does your scrapper have a short curve at the end? Something like a hoe only a smaller curve? You did say flat though I was wondering if the curve would pull out more debris.

Thanks!
Tanya