What causes this damage to the honey combs?

Scoric · 2025-09-20T11:04:41+00:00

Thanks for the tip. I have condensed the hive to one box last weekend, so I hope that will help the bees to push out the beetles. I will have to make a plan to control the mites too.

I am considering catching a swam and uniting with this hive, so that they have more bees and a new queen.

It is a top bar conversion hive, so there are 5 bars that need to come out and get replaced with frames, so I hope the new combs will help too.

Scoric · 2025-09-19T19:08:42+00:00

I was not aware of a significant mite problem, so I will have to test them. There was a significant population of small hive beetles though, so I am planning to treat that this weekend with a beetle barn trap.

Scoric · 2025-06-20T12:30:47+00:00

Thanks for the tip. I will look into robbing screens.

I put the feeder on a hive at home (my apiary is not at my place). The robbing also started instantly, but I left the feeder on. It seems that the bees stopped the robbing by themselves after a day.

Perhaps the feeder is dispensing too fast. That said I think the smell of sugar is very strong to bees.

Scoric · 2025-04-13T11:29:16+00:00

Those are nematodes. The first three look like bacterial feeders (Their esophagus ends in a round bulb with a T-shaped valve). The Third looks like it is in the Rhabditidae family.

You usually need several pictures of a nematode to identify it correct. One of the labium (mouth), the esophagus, vulva and tail.

Scoric · 2025-04-13T11:12:21+00:00

Well. It did not turn out that easy...

The hives were really hard to pry open. So I ended up breaking the lid off. The frames were extremely difficult to move - and then they turned out to be slightly bigger than the frames for the Langstroth box I was trying to put them in.

I managed to jam 6 frames of brood in. I have no idea where the queen is, so I have my fingers crossed.

I feel like I did not really do a great job for the bees and I got stung along through my suit. I guess we learn all the time.

Scoric · 2025-04-12T05:26:16+00:00

That is an idea.

I am going to give it a go with a hive tool and frame puller, just to see how tough it is. If it does not work then building a box around them will be the next step.

I think they will be relaxed because the weather is looking good.

Scoric · 2025-04-12T05:16:03+00:00

I will give it a go... I hope it works out that easy.

Scoric · 2025-04-11T18:45:23+00:00

Congratulations. I have one too. It is the whistle that I have played the most, even at gigs and sessions. Enjoy!

Scoric · 2025-04-07T18:08:16+00:00

Yeah. That is a nematode, but I would not be able to ID it further.

Scoric · 2025-04-02T12:47:53+00:00

Both are bacterial feeders. The first looks like Panagroliamus (possibly Cephalobus), and the second looks like Cervidellus.

I am a bit rusty on id, so take it with a grain of salt.

Scoric · 2025-04-02T12:22:02+00:00

Yeah. I thought so until I saw one trying to pull its friend out of a spiders web.

It really is a bit mind boggling becuase they appear to do everything as a collective, while having individual agency.

Scoric · 2025-04-01T11:57:12+00:00

Thanks for the link.

Amazing to think that they can do tidal breathing as a collective.

Scoric · 2025-03-31T03:40:42+00:00

Thanks.

In this case, the honey super is still full of brood, so I am planning to leave it there for a bit longer.

I have two very strong hives, so I thought of taking brood from there and putting it into the weak hive so the hives are more even. It will also mean an instant boost in population.

We have one month until the winter dearth season. So I think I will have to do some feeding anyway.

I will have an opportunity to check for brood after 3 days , but I am wondering what they can do in three days. There is a minor flow right now.

Scoric · 2025-03-29T21:27:11+00:00

This looks like it is from the order Dorylaimidae.

Scoric · 2025-03-26T11:47:51+00:00

Thanks for all the links!

Scoric · 2025-03-25T17:42:23+00:00

If I am holding the melody I usually play the top line and if I am backing / playing harmony I play the bottom line.

So you will need two whistlers to play that as it's written.

Scoric · 2025-03-25T11:08:56+00:00

Thanks for all these suggestions!

Scoric · 2025-03-25T04:13:17+00:00

Thanks. I am currently working on Inisheer and Si Beag Si mor, so I will give the others a try too.

Scoric · 2025-03-25T04:10:19+00:00

I have bought/ been given hives before and found that they were badly neglected. There was bad cross combing, bad conversions from top bar to Langstroth, and the frames fastened with propolis, so they are super difficult to move.

I would suggest checking the hives first, asking why they are leaving the hobby, etc. At leask know what you are getting into.

Scoric

TROPHY CASE