[djstory]

Hi- a neighbor of mine opened one of his hives and found a weird puddle of goo on his bottom board. He said that the puddle was about 3 inches in diameter and the material looked like the whitish glaze off a donut. Any ideas of what it was or what caused it?

He said that the hive appears weak with only a small number of bees clustered together.

Thanks for any insights you can offer me that I can share with my neighbor. He only has two hives and would like to not lose this one if he can figure out what is happening.

 

[NC Beeman]

Sounds like crystallized honey. Did he taste it? Smell it? What was the consistency of it? Was it clear or white? Has he been feeding thick syrup?

 

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I went through half of my hives last Sunday and found the same thing. Except I know what it is. I feed HFCS, when I was stirring it in the top feeder I sloshed some into the hive that dripped down to the tray under the SBB.

 

[Michael Bush]

I have sometimes found a slimy substance I assume was some kind of fungus on the bottom board of a hive that needed more ventilation.

 

[Dave W]

I have found that a grease patty will "weep" puddles. I replace the patty.

 

[xC0000005]

"Hi- a neighbor of mine opened one of his hives and found a weird puddle of goo on his bottom board."
"Sounds like crystallized honey. Did he taste it? "

I think I've got a ways to go toward being a bee keeper if that means being willing to stick any ooze I found at the bottom of my hive in my mouth for identification purposes.

 

[NC Beeman]

"Did he taste it?"
I would have put a smiley face at the end of that one but I can't figure out how to work this machine.

You know the old joke, "Looks like it, smells like it, tastes like it. Glad I didn't step in it."
"A weird puddle of goo" doesn't give us much to go on to try to help identify it.

 

[djstory]

No, he didn't taste it. Would you?

The only additional description he gave me was that the 3" diameter puddle looked like the sugar glaze topping on a donut. He said it was a bit runnier than honey, but similiar in consistency.

 

[NC Beeman]

Hi Don, No thanks, not unless it's crystallized honey. You can tell that by the texture (it's grainy) and smell (like honey).

 

[newbee 101]

It is honey, I found the same thing.It looks like glazing from a donut. I was smart enough to smell it before I tried it.

 

[djstory]

Thanks. Yep, he did say it looked just like donut glazing.