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Bee feces

7K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  wildbranch2007 
#1 ·
Ok I'm not terribly concerned about this but I figured it wouldn't hurt to check with you guys. One of my hives has feces all over the front below the top entrance and I was wondering how normal this is? It has been too cold to crack open the hive to see if its on the frames or not but they have been flying lately. Also, is 30-50 bees dead on the landing board normal for about every 2-3 days? Just trying to get a feel for what an average is. Good news is its Jan. and I just saw bees bringing in pollen!

I have a picture but for some reason the forum won't upload it from my tablet. I'll add it later.
 
#8 ·
It doesn't look dark enough to me to be nosema. They are obviously taking cleansing flights and it maybe they can't hold it long enough to clear the runway. I've had several hives with nosema and it was much darker.
 
#10 ·
Depends on which variety -- the old one caused dysentary, with dark feces all over the front of the hive, and inside as well. The new variety won't cause dysentary anywhere near as much, and you have to look for the parasite.

Other things can cause excessive fecal matter, though -- pollen substitute, cornstarch in fondant, etc.

And yes, bees can store up quite a bit of fecal matter. They don't defecate in the cells, so the entire amount of waste that they produce during development is held until they get out of the hive. I watched a drone make his first trip out last year, deposited a surprising amount of yellow/brown material and then flew back in.

Peter
 
#11 ·
And yes, bees can store up quite a bit of fecal matter. They don't defecate in the cells, so the entire amount of waste that they produce during development is held until they get out of the hive. I watched a drone make his first trip out last year, deposited a surprising amount of yellow/brown material and then flew back in.
Peter
How long can a bee hold it during the winter time when they are unable to fly?
 
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