# Cells uncapped with white pupae showing...



## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

Sometimes the brood in some of my hives will have cells uncapped with the white face of the pupae showing. There may be 20 or thirty and sometimes more among an otherwise nice looking frame of capped brood. The pupae doesn't look dead and is a nice white and not yellow. Does anyone have any insight on what might cause the bees to uncap the cells?


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Three possibilities and you can look at the circumstances to see:

1) It's a dearth and the pupa are drones and they are getting rid of them so they won't have drones to feed and they are stealing food from the larvae.
2) There are a lot of varroa in the hive and the bees are uncapping infested cells. These also tend to be drones.
3) They have decided it's not the right time of year for drones and are disposing of both drones and drone larvae.


----------



## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

I did consider #2 and since there is no drone brood varroa would be in worker brood. Perhaps these hives are more hygenic than the others.


----------



## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

If the worker brood is heavly infested w/ Varroa, and your "hygenic bees" are killing lots of brood, what will happen to the bee population?


----------



## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Suprisingly the cases of this I have seen the brood is not killed but recapped and does fine. I would do a sugar roll and treat if you have a problem. Fall and cold weather is coming quick and now is the time to defeat Varroa if they are an issue so you still have time to build a good winter cluster.


----------



## heaflaw (Feb 26, 2007)

Dave W said:


> If the worker brood is heavly infested w/ Varroa, and your "hygenic bees" are killing lots of brood, what will happen to the bee population?


Short term the population may decrease, but long term (in a couple of months) the population should increase, the workers will live longer and the hive will become healthier. If it is truly a hygenic hive, use that hive to supply new queens for your other hives and you should be free from having to treat.

At least that is roughly how it happened for me.


----------



## ga.beeman (Mar 29, 2009)

look an see how much stores they have I have seen this on some of my strongs hives where the flow has been slow for so long and they are running out of food.


----------

