[BeezByDaBayou]

I noticed all my bees left the hive with a lot of honey behind, and I noticed this on two or three frames. Is this AFB? Thanks!

 

[Gypsi]

I don't think that is AFB. The test for AFB is sticking a toothpick into capped brood and seeing if a brown ropy liquid substance pulls out, like a string on the toothpick. Do the frames have any odor? Those frames are absolutely empty, I'd more suspect mites, bees will abscond to outrun a heavy mite load Some of the cells on the right look white and fuzzy, like maybe moisture built up in the hive and that is fungus? A rough location and climate information would be helpful - if you are in Louisiana, well its been rainy in Texas

 

[BeezByDaBayou]

I don't think that is AFB. The test for AFB is sticking a toothpick into capped brood and seeing if a brown ropy liquid substance pulls out, like a string on the toothpick. Do the frames have any odor? Those frames are absolutely empty, I'd more suspect mites, bees will abscond to outrun a heavy mite load Some of the cells on the right look white and fuzzy, like maybe moisture built up in the hive and that is fungus? A rough location and climate information would be helpful - if you are in Louisiana, well its been rainy in Texas

Thanks! Yes, I'm in southeast Louisiana, and it's been very rainy. No the frames do not have any odor. Currently, I have about 50 - 100 bees hanging around in the box - I suspect they are there to rob the honey? How should I proceed forward? It it likely that a new swarm moves in? Thanks for you time and advice!

 

[Gypsi]

they are probably there to rob. Can you put the honey in a freezer for a while, to catch a swarm you mainly need empty comb. You can freeze everything for 3 days in case of shb or wax moth eggs, larva etc. then put empty comb out with some lemongrass oil for a swarm trap

 

[BeezByDaBayou]

they are probably there to rob. Can you put the honey in a freezer for a while, to catch a swarm you mainly need empty comb. You can freeze everything for 3 days in case of shb or wax moth eggs, larva etc. then put empty comb out with some lemongrass oil for a swarm trap

I put the frames in the freezer, and I did the toothpick test and it was negative (no brown ropy liquid substance, actually the entire body pulled out in tack). I also rubbed some lemon grass on empty frames and put it back into the box. Thanks again!!

 

[Gypsi]

I think quite probably they were too small a cluster and froze. Mites can cause the too small cluster. Or if you didn't find many bodies, or some snuggled up between 2 frames, they may have absconded.

 

[roadkillbobb]

I put the frames in the freezer, and I did the toothpick test and it was negative (no brown ropy liquid substance, actually the entire body pulled out in tack). I also rubbed some lemon grass on empty frames and put it back into the box. Thanks again!!

do you have any farms close by that grow GMO crops?..this is becoming an issue for bees, im in NY and lots of hives are empty in the spring, the bees go nuts from the GMO and do death flights in the freezing winter..its something with the GMO that makes them do this, A friend of mine loses almost 3/4 of his hives( he has about 20) during the winter, no dead bees in the hives, just empty..I had this experience on long island and im figuring all the pesticides sprayed in a suburban setting caused that...I also had the mites that killed off a hive of bees and ended up with all the dead bees at the bottom of the hive...but the bees just taking off in winter is becoming more prevalent lately...and of course monsanto claims GMO is not the cause..

 

[BeezByDaBayou]

do you have any farms close by that grow GMO crops?..this is becoming an issue for bees, im in NY and lots of hives are empty in the spring, the bees go nuts from the GMO and do death flights in the freezing winter..its something with the GMO that makes them do this, A friend of mine loses almost 3/4 of his hives( he has about 20) during the winter, no dead bees in the hives, just empty..I had this experience on long island and im figuring all the pesticides sprayed in a suburban setting caused that...I also had the mites that killed off a hive of bees and ended up with all the dead bees at the bottom of the hive...but the bees just taking off in winter is becoming more prevalent lately...and of course monsanto claims GMO is not the cause..

Not that I'm aware of unless the surrounding sugar cane crops are GMO.

 

[roadkillbobb]

Not that I'm aware of unless the surrounding sugar cane crops are GMO.

you might want to ask the farmers and if not GMO, what kind of pesticide they use if any to try and figure out what could have caused them to vacate in the winter..

 

[BeezByDaBayou]

you might want to ask the farmers and if not GMO, what kind of pesticide they use if any to try and figure out what could have caused them to vacate in the winter..

Yes, I will, and will also talk to other bee keepers in the area to see if they are having the same issue. Thanks!!

 

[roadkillbobb]

in the mean time, set up a few swarm traps to try and get some free bees instead of buying nucs...when it gets warmer out..

 

[Wil]

I don't know if they are farming with GMO around my area. I hope not. I am much to old fashion and I think of GMO like that old movie with Charleston Heston called Soylent Green. We get fed to many chemicals as it is.

 

[roadkillbobb]

just look at everything now packaged in plastic when it all use to be glass, cardboard or wood...the plastic leaches lots of toxins into the food...I also read an article, ill try and find it, that honey is now testing for roundup in it....
I like that movie...

 

[Wil]

just look at everything now packaged in plastic when it all use to be glass, cardboard or wood...the plastic leaches lots of toxins into the food...I also read an article, ill try and find it, that honey is now testing for roundup in it....
I like that movie...

Yes,it is a very scary world we live in now. Plastic is bad. We can't get away from it.

 

[Gypsi]

Not that I'm aware of unless the surrounding sugar cane crops are GMO.

sugar beets are GMO, I don't think sugar cane is.