At the Hive Entrance.pdf - BioBees

Observation
Explanation
Each morning dead bees are
found at the hive entrance, on
the bottom board and in front
of the hive. The bees of the
colony fly around feebly and
aimlessly.
Small drones flyaway from the
hive.
This colony is definitely ill. Pay attention to the bees
entering the hive at a bee-free entrance, how they
come and go and eventually enter a stronger neighbouring
hive. The danger of infection is great. Neighbours
may get contaminated and never develop. As
such a colony can never be united with another, the
best solution is to sulphur it.
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At this time of the year they are the result of a queen
that has not been fertilized and had already started
egglaying in January, or more rarely from egg-laying
workers. If an unfertilized queen is at the root of the
situation, she must be removed a couple of hours
before the reunion to avoid a fight, as well as the frames
containing brood or eggs.
White or brownish pupae lie in
front of the hive entrance.
(Observations made in the
early morning are more instructive,
for in summer as in
autumn, birds, wasps and even
wind can eradicate or obscure
certain signs).
For several days, colonies bring
in willow pollen.
This does not always signal an emergency. The larvae
of the wax-moth are already at work. In their search
for food these larvae upset the whole brood, hindering
their development and forcing it to move
upwards to the top of cells, making it impossible for
the bees, to seal the brood. The resulting brood is
knows as bald headed brood which is often removed
from the cells. The wax-moth is a greater pest than is
generally believed for it prevents hundred of bees
from developing fully. If you hit an obliquely hanging
frame with bald-headed brood with a hard object, this
often causes several waxmoth larvae to fall out.
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During these days large pollen reserves are built up
and the queen can continue to lay eggs even if bad
weather were to last a long time. High consumption
of winter reserves.
The sooner spring pollen is brought in, the faster the
colony will develop and the greater the certainty of
its development. Of all the early-pollen producing
trees (hazelnut, elm, etc ... ) the willow is the most productive.
No artificial pollen can replace natural pollen.
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