After a lengthy inspection in 95 degree heat, full sun, and high humidity, I noticed that the workers were removing larvae in varying stages of development. Was it the heat?
After a lengthy inspection in 95 degree heat, full sun, and high humidity, I noticed that the workers were removing larvae in varying stages of development. Was it the heat?
Possibly. Heat can kill larvae.
Michael Bush bushfarms.com/bees.htm "Everything works if you let it."
My book: ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
Heat can kill them, but 95 degrees sounds just about perfect if you're pulling frames out to inspect them...
Thanks for the replies. I saw only 5-6 dead larvae brought out in the first hour or two after the inspection.
I thought this colony might be queenless, due to decreased foraging for pollen, lots of drones coming and going, and they seemed somewhat jittery.
The hive currently consists of one deep, and three medium supers. Two of the supers are full of capped honey, and the third is about half drqwn out.
What I found in the brood box was lots of bees, a whole lot of capped brood, a few larvae, and finally some eggs in the last frame I pulled.
I never did see the queen. But I suspect that either I missed her, or that she ran up into the first super when I smoked the entrance.
This colony does have more reddish-brown droppings on the outside of the hive than my other three hives, so there may be nosema, and maybe thats why this hive is less productive.
I'll be pullling the reserves in about two weeks, and I'm thinking I should treat all four with fumilgan.
Thanks again for the replies and to all who post regularly and share their knowledge.
Opening a hive often damages any larvae they build between boxes and sometimes you bump some other brood. it doesn't take that much to damage a few.
Michael Bush bushfarms.com/bees.htm "Everything works if you let it."
My book: ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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