TheCheatOSX
04-13-2008, 09:01 PM
I put up two Blue Orchard Bees boxes this year but I've not seen any activity in them yet. I'll also be a first time honey bee keepers in a few days. I'm using some homemade top bars hives for this.
Anyway, I went out to the two top bar hives today to do some final preps before the honey bees get here and I find a BOB (well, I assume its a BOB) in one. It was sitting on the bottom screen very lethargic. We had a major cold snap here the last couple of days, down in the low 30s, which may explain the behavior. Then I open up the other hive, and there is one in there too! I thought this was very strange. I don't know if they were trapped in there or what. Or if something attracted them? I did dip these hives in copper naphthenate, which I now regret, but that was over three weeks ago. I hope it was just the cold affecting them.
I took them in the garage to get a good look at them and take some pictures. I noticed under a 10x loupe that they are both covered in mites. I assume Krombein's Hairy-Footed Mite, Chaetodactylus krombeini as they have very large legs and claws.
In the warmth of the garage, one came around and started crawling around, the other is barely moving a leg. It's supposed to get warmer here tomorrow so I'll release the one, the other will go in the insect collection. Maybe I can show it my nice BOB box and it will lay some eggs in there. :) At least I know they are around.
Does any of this sound crazy to anyone else?
Here's a pic of the bee and mites through the loupe. Most are in between the thorax and abdomen. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/2412358120_9de3920fb5_b.jpg
Anyway, I went out to the two top bar hives today to do some final preps before the honey bees get here and I find a BOB (well, I assume its a BOB) in one. It was sitting on the bottom screen very lethargic. We had a major cold snap here the last couple of days, down in the low 30s, which may explain the behavior. Then I open up the other hive, and there is one in there too! I thought this was very strange. I don't know if they were trapped in there or what. Or if something attracted them? I did dip these hives in copper naphthenate, which I now regret, but that was over three weeks ago. I hope it was just the cold affecting them.
I took them in the garage to get a good look at them and take some pictures. I noticed under a 10x loupe that they are both covered in mites. I assume Krombein's Hairy-Footed Mite, Chaetodactylus krombeini as they have very large legs and claws.
In the warmth of the garage, one came around and started crawling around, the other is barely moving a leg. It's supposed to get warmer here tomorrow so I'll release the one, the other will go in the insect collection. Maybe I can show it my nice BOB box and it will lay some eggs in there. :) At least I know they are around.
Does any of this sound crazy to anyone else?
Here's a pic of the bee and mites through the loupe. Most are in between the thorax and abdomen. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/2412358120_9de3920fb5_b.jpg