Happy Acres wanted to post the following photos of the frames from one of his hives that died over the winter. Notice the circles of dead bees. The bees in the center look dark as if they were burned. Notice the white substance around them as well. Does anyone have any ideas as to what might have caused this?
Please make a comment below. Thanks.
1 comment:
"Hi,
From the photos, it looks like typical overwinter death. The various colors you see are molds growing on the dead bees, and comb. Lots of good nutrients there to grow stuff! The lack of honey in the comb also may indicate a starvation issue. The cluster size also looks very small. Were there more dead bees found on the bottom board? The scattered brood cappings to the left of the dead bees in the photo may also be a problem. Any chance you could send a few more shots of those brood cells, with some of them opened up? The concern would be AFB, but it is too difficult to tell in the original photos.
Regards,
Steve
Stephen G. Parise
Agriculture Resource Management Specialist /Apiculturist
116 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620-2901
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