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| Photo: Z. Huang |
Here are some facts:
I collected from the frozen, snowy ground right in front of hive #1 in Chanhassen some dead female honeybees.
Total # Bees : 123
Total # Mites : 2
Total # Bees with Deformed Wings: 3
I then chose 10 bees randomly, and looked at their stomach and intestine. All but one were brown, yellowish (normal) and one was opaque and whitish. This could suggest Nosema. However, as I said before there were no streaks on the front of the hive. Conclusion: unlikely Nosema
The fact that I found 2 mites on 2 randomly chosen bees out of 123 collected, can only indicate a low count of Varroa mites. However 300 bees is the suggested minimum to really tell the mite infestation in a colony. Conclusion: Probably a normal to low level of mites
I also found 3 bees/123 with deformed wings. As mentioned previously my sample is small, and trying to read anything would only be speculation. Conclusion: Probably some level of virus
Although this was fun to do! It is unscientific... and since it is about 4F (-15C) outside and that Spring is still just a dream at this moment. There is nothing I can do for the honeybees now. We all have to wait until better sunny, warm days. Hopefully all hives are wintering well, time will tell.
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| 10-sample bees |
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| Bee guts: the second to last from L to R (with arrow) maybe sign of Nosema |
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| Total sample:123 bees |
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