BBKA Forum

He suggested leave and they will recover. He implied he felt they had got over the worse.

He did discuss other options like throwing out but I believe he wasn't a fan of these other options.

They are certainly a shadow of their former selves.

I also went with leave them to recover and they did.

Jim Norfolk wrote: ↑

11 May 2019, 18:53

I also went with leave them to recover and they did.

That's real good to hear, she's been a real good queen, thanks Jim.

Chrisbarlow wrote: ↑

11 May 2019, 07:09

I don't believe anyone really knows what causes it Mick although congestion has I think been suggested as a possible cause. I would really like to see some research that does point towards a cause though.

I like to think of it like the Flu or Norovirus in winter. We carry it as a population all the time without it being a problem. Then the weather turns cold, we stay indoors, go to Christmas and New Year parties, kiss and shake hands and next thing everyone has caught it. Come the warmer weather and we spend more time apart we all recover. For the bees in Spring a huge population growth, then a period of terrible weather and the same results. It also happens with rabbits and Myxi, farmed Salmon, Livestock.

Colonies often recover, some don't but I think its best to requeen from more resistant stock. We are all only here because our forefathers were resistant to the plague, we are all survivors.

Cheers, Mick.

I have 2 colonies that seem to have Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus at the moment. Bees hanging around the entrance - almost washboarding which I did see once after a similar episode a few years ago, trembling, tugging at bees on the landing board and dead bees on the floor. A few dark bees too although not that many. The bees do respond to smoke during an inspection. Not a catastrophic loss - yet - but a steady number of dead bees each day. Both hives are strong at the moment so I will see what happens.

Is requeening simply something that causes a brood break and so reduces bee numbers perhaps? I am not sure whether it will have an effect. However I know that chalkbrood can be transferred by the queen (done it) so maybe suceptability to CBPV is the same??

I have also had CBPV. The pile of bees out the front was an unwelcome shock. Black, greasy shivering workers seemed to be ejected by their sisters.

The colony did recover. I suspect they are more vulnerable in the age of varroa to these viruses. But I do wonder how healthy many stocks were in historic times- I have read that EFB was pretty common in skep beekeeping and many other viruses were simply unidentified prior to Brenda Ball and others research.

Well I was thinking of this week's reply as the same as the last one.

Ran my fingers along the entrance of an empty hive.Made a cup of tea.Went home.

But a swarm had arrived last night in a bait hive I'd given up on.
I had to make up a hive using old odds and sods of used foundation and old foundationless experiments I was going to try
I only have enough new stuff for when the bought nuc arrives.
As I go truffle hunting I go to open up the other trap box and find what's looking like the startings of another swarm.
Burger- these bees are like buses!
I get the first one sorted(eventually...) and get off home as it's off to the bee shop this afternoon for wax and feeders.
The missus has the door open when I get back-"you get this bloody lot sorted"she shouts.
The bait box on the kitchen roof is like Gatwick in July-another swarm.
Bit of cheese on toast then it's over to Gloucestershire for emergency supplies.I really wasn't expecting all this.
We rock up at maisemore and have to dodge this lot to get into the shop!
https://ibb.co/Gfmg6Pf

That's great news Alfred. Swarm season is certainly here.

Showing a couple of new beekeepers how to inspect. That's been my day

Swarm for me at the weekend - but from a strong nuc which was supposed to have just one queencell in it. My fault for not finding a poor emergency one lurking.
Thankfully the swarm started 'issuing' from the hive whilst I was there and they alighted on a hedge two feet from the ground. Shook them into a nuc and luckily saw the queen that had missed the nuc and fell on the ground. As I always keep a cage in my pocket, I caged her and popped her in the nuc so all the bees found her. They are back in the hive they came from with the emergency queencell gone. And the queen is caged still. I'll let her out tomorrow.