Recently I have noticed an odd behavior in my hive. On three separate occasions I've seen what looked like a worker removing a dead bee from the hive. As I looked closer though I could see that it was a live bee but with deformed wings. This seems like a good thing to remove a source of infection but I was wondering how normal or common this is.
ejecting workers with deformed wing virus
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When did you do your last mite check? August is the month mite population tends to explode in the hive.
Rusty
Rusty
My bees have always ejected old bees with damaged wings. You can't work you don't eat.
It's pretty sad to watch. The old bee will just be scratching and clawing to stay in the hive. When they throw her off the porch she will climb as high as she can on a blade of grass and try to fly but it's a no go.
I usually go ahead and step on them at this time.
It's pretty sad to watch. The old bee will just be scratching and clawing to stay in the hive. When they throw her off the porch she will climb as high as she can on a blade of grass and try to fly but it's a no go.
I usually go ahead and step on them at this time.
Sounds like your hive needs a good powder sugar dusting. Make sure you have a Freeman Beetle trap, West SHB trap or sticky board under the screen bottom board. There are videos on youtube on how to do this. There is mites in your hive that is spreading a virus.
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I watch my hives all the time. I had a 3 frame observation hive last summer until this spring in my house, and Ill take a lid off and watch or film regularly. Bees regularly cast out really small bees, bees with deformed wings, both are signs of mites. Sometimes its one bee thats dragging a sick bee out and sometimes its 2 or 3 dragging a sick bee out. Very common, its their health care system. Kick out the weak, and if theres not enough food (protein).....eat the larvae !
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