At the Hive Entrance.pdf - BioBees

Observation
Explanation
The bees carry the bodies of
their dead into the open. They
grasp a wing or a leg with their
jaws and drop the body in the
vicinity of the apiary.
Colonies busily clearing out the hive on the day of the
cleansing flight are in order, healthy and strong.
Populations that are queenless, ill or weak lack such
zeal. Some have a very low mortality rate, hardly
more than a hundred and such an observation must
be seen as a good indication of quality. These colonies
should be noted as well as those which show an
increased mortality. In the latter case examination of
the bottom board of the hive at the outset of the
cleansing flight will provide information. Populations
that are ill, develop with difficulty, and give a poor
harvest every year, must be removed without hesitation.
It must not be forgotten that these weaknesses
are transmitted by their males. Nature practised the
best form of selection in the days when sugar was not
available.
Bees fall to the ground where
they gather together in small
clusters, running and jumping
here and there.
Strong grounds for presuming the presence of latent
nosema disease, or the existence of bees affected by
acarine disease.
Amongst the bees scattered on
the ground some have their
wings arranged to look like the
sail-arms of a windmill.
Very strong grounds for presuming they have acarine
disease. (In both cases should be sent to the laboratory
for analysis).
The hive entrance and the area
in front is spread with liquid,
light yellow faeces.
Acute case of nosema disease. The colony is slowly
dying out. There is a great danger of the disease spreading
as bees get lost or go robbing in other hives. Sulphuring
must be carried out immediately.
On the day of the cleansing
flight a colony fails to fly out.
First possibility: the colony feels no need to defaecate,
shows a much reduced consumption of food and is
healthy. In the majority of such cases the queen has
not yet begun egg-laying. Experience shows that such
colonies give some of the best harvests of the apiary.
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