Shriveling Wing Disease?

[Joel Acheson]

At least I think it is called shriveling wing disease (SWD), when the newbees emerge with deformed wings. I had been of the understanding that this was one of the signs of a major varroa infestation - the infestation causing such stress that it allows the microbe causing the wing problem to surface - and that presence of this sign meant that your colony was in the final stages of a crash. Is there any other condition in a hive which could cause this to occur?

I entered a post in one of the other forums about 2 wks ago wherein I stated that I had a colony with odd sized foundation going through a varroa crash, right next to a healthy colony on 4.9 comb. I made this statement because I saw a newbee with deformed wings in a newly requeened colony (from supercedure) with about 5 frames of brood, and the rest honey or just empty, so I thought it was weak from varroa. I did nothing for that colony, and checking it two wks later, it is thriving and well, with no sign of SWD, or any other problem. The queen is doing an excellent job, and all appears wonderful.

So what else could have caused that newbee to have SWD?

Thanx, Joel

[Michael Bush]

I believe it's DWV as in Deformed Wing Virus? Anyway it's usually due to the Varroa spreading it. Get rid of the varroa and it will probably go away.

[Joel Acheson]

Hi Michael
Thanx for correcting me on the terminology. As I stated in the post, it has gone away, and there is no more evidence of varroa. So I doubt my original assessment of varroa. I repeat the question: What else besides varroa can stimulate this disease?
Thanx, Joel

[Michael Bush]

I don't know, but I got the impression that it was spread by the varroa by the bites.

[ChellesBees]

Chilled brood... nothing to do with varroa. When the hive population grows, they recover.

[Robert Brenchley]

You will get this occasionally in any winged insect, but its best to assume that in bees its due to high varroa levels, at least until proved otherwise.

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Regards,

Robert Brenchley

RSBrenchley@aol.com
Birmingham UK

[Steve-]

Hi All:

Do bees that hatch with DWV carry on normal hive behavior until it is time for them to become field bees or does DWV interupt their pre-field duties?
Steve

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