What to do (if anything?)

[xC0000005]

We've had really mild weather for the last few days - temps in the fifties, bees flying. I have one hive that went into winter in a single deep (At the time I had nothing else to combine it with). It's still alive, having eaten its way to the top of the single deep and then feasted on the dry sugar and a jar of honey I put up there.

However - I noticed brown streaks on the front of the hive, and inside on the top bars. There are bees flying, they have a patch of small brood. We had about five weeks straight where the bees couldn't break cluster at all but I suspect that's not too bad since other people have months of sub freezing weather.

So, I read that the brown streaks could be nosema or tracheal mites. Should I treat? Will it do any good at this crucial time of year? When you see the streaks is the damage already done? Mild weather continues - we'll have everything budded out in a week or so, dandelions are coming up but not open. Seems like they are just on the verge of making it through winter.

[Michael Bush]

>So, I read that the brown streaks could be nosema or tracheal mites.

Tracheal mites? No. Nosema? probably not, but that is a possibility. Any confined bees will have dysentary when they can finally get out.

> Should I treat?

It's your call. I wouldn't.

> Will it do any good at this crucial time of year?

That depends on if it's nosema.

> When you see the streaks is the damage already done?

When you see streaks there is probably NO damage done. They just finally got to go to the bathroom after a long confinement. If you want to know for sure then get a microscope and look for nosema.